Starting my youngster

[blitznbobs]

Just musing about dressage horses…

So we have just started starting my 4 year old and she is a babe… I was working her in hand yesterday and I asked for forward and she offered up piaffe… now we tried again and got the transition but I was thinking about all the discussions about this stuff and how naturally some of these horses do these things… not sure what my point is - but my brain has been mulling it all over ever since

 

[Palindrome]

I think it's more down to personality. I have 2 dressage mares and none have offered piaffe, yet I have had a harness horse who would do it naturally when she was annoyed to be tied up at a certain place and a crossbred pony who passaged on the lead rein.

 

[ycbm]

The mongrel horse in my avatar did it when he was impatient from 4 years old, and it was really easy to teach him to do it to an aid. The only one I've ever done piaffe with, though. It was real fun!
.

 

[SEL]

My old Ardennes would piaffe if he was impatient - I never knew if he'd been taught it (he was in the circus) or it was just a natural move.

 

[southerncomfort]

My Fell pony gelding does a lovely passage past a field of mares near us.

They don't seem very impressed.