TB schooling/dressage help

[Winklepoker]

I have a 5 yo TB mare (see below)

I would love to get out doing some dressage but I guess I need some advice on what to do first.

Her canter needs work and I really need help with this (hard to explain, I have a lesson at the weekend so Ill try and film then) but she falls out through the outside shoulder and i struggle to keep her on a circle so I couldnt really take her and do a test (or could I?)

She gets times in canter, that she doesnt ste through enough and loses her footing/balance and goes disunited, what could be causing this and how can I solve it?

She is very much between my hand and leg in trot but if-y in walk as she gets a little tense when I collect the walk.

I guess what I am asking for is any tips/tricks/exercise suggestions from those who have schooled TB's and can help me out.

Thanks
Note - I have been riding with my lower leg underneath me a lot more in hope that this would help :S

 

[Sparklet]

Your piccie looks great, nice relaxed way of moving and your postion looks good. As for the shoulder falling out, thats best dealt with my an instructor who can watch what is happening, as it happens and try various ways to deal with it.

As for a test.....go for it. Your horse needs to learn to work in at a competition and also to work in the area in a tenser atmosphere. He/she will be developing skills and you will get some vital information on your score sheet which will help your training.

Good luck

 

[Steorra]

FWIW I think you look like a lovely partnership and could definitely have a go at dressage now if you wanted. See if you can find somewhere to do a walk-trot test to give her a taste of what competition is like. If she is inclined to tense then you may find that she takes time to get used to going out and about, working in different arenas and different environments etc, so there is no reason not to get her used to these things while you work on her canter at home.

Until recently all my dressage riding (not competing - I'm allergic) has been on big moving warmbloods. I now occasionally school a tb for a friend of mine, and he is definitely a different kettle of fish. He's an established horse (17 yrs old, competing at Medium) but whereas with my wb it was always a case of containing and directing energy, with Z it's all about encouraging him to move bigger and rounder rather than long and flat. Tbs can make beautiful dressage horses but they seem to come with a particular set of challenges.

I think balance and straightness are at the root of your canter issues - and in a young horse this is only to be expected. She is still learning how to carry you effectively and it will take time. I would recommend cantering her outside on hacks, on straight lines and wide curves until she finds her feet a bit. A bit of pole work and jumping (especially gridwork) can also be very helpful - it will teach her how to carry herself and she needs to learn where all her feet are!

With regards to schooling, there are a few points to make about riding and how it can cause a horse to fall out through her shoulder. Without seeing you ride I don't know if I'm teaching granny to suck eggs so bear with me Firstly, asking her to turn with your inside hand could do it, or asking for too much bend to the inside. If you ask a young horse for more flexion than she is ready to give then she will bend her neck but not her body, which is what can give you that 'losing control of the shoulders' feeling.

To help with the falling out on a circle, try riding a straight sided shape rather than a continuous curve. Try in walk first: instead of a 20m circle ride a 20m diamond shape. you will need to ask for bend at the 'points' of the diamond but straighten her for the sides.

This idea of 'turn then straight, turn then straight' is something that you can employ in the canter. The corners of a diamond/square shape are too acute for canter work for your horse at the moment, but try riding a hexagon or octagon. Instead of maintaining consistent bend to the inside (hard!) you are asking for a couple of straight strides, then a little corner, then a couple more straight strides etc.

If you feel that she is not coming through from behind then take a light seat and send her on up the longside. It is important that her hind legs are active, but at this stage don't be too concerned about achieving collection in the canter per se. If she understands the idea of a novice outline in trot (which from your pic she appears to) then she will probably drop into one in canter when she finds her balance. True collection - taking more weight behind - will take more time and work to come.

Any exercises in walk and trot that encourage her to step under with her inside hind will be beneficial to you canter work too. Transitions, circles, spiralling in on a circle then leg-yielding out, shoulder-fore and shoulder-in etc.

Teaching walk to canter will be very useful if you haven't already, as she will have to spring into canter rather than running (which is a risk when you ask a young horse to canter from trot). Maybe you could suggest this as something to work on in your lessons, so there is someone on the ground to offer suggestions. A slightly more advanced exercise if she is ready would be to ride shoulder-fore (or even shoulder-in) on the longside, ask for canter out of the lateral movement, canter a 20m half circle across the school, then come back to walk and shoulder-fore. This will help a lot both with throughness and straightness in the canter, but you'll need an established walk-canter transition first.

Have fun with trying these ideas - I hope you find them helpful

 

[spotty_pony]

First of all have you had her back/teeth etc checked? A horse going disunited in canter can be a sign it has a problem with its back.

She looks lovely in your photo, very relaxed and soft though his back so I think it would be unlikely to be a back trouble and more of a schooling issue but it's best to get back problems ruled out first.

For now, i wouldn't worry about trying to collect the walk. It would be more beneficial to ride her forwards with a long-ish rein in walk to encourage her to stretch and relax. You can then shorten the contact slightly once she is relaxed but still keep her moving forwards so the length of the walk doesn't change and she is ridden forwards into a natural soft outline.

As she is only 5, it is to be expected that she will be struggling with her balance a bit in canter. Her balance will improve just through doing canter work going large around the school and doing 20m circles. You say she falls out of the outside shoulder, so make sure you are riding from inside leg to outside hand being particularly aware that you are keeping a good contact with your outside rein to support her. You should also support her with your outside leg.

I also think hacking out is good for a horse's balance as hacking up and down hills and across ground which isn't 'perfect' like it is in the school will help her to find her natural balance and teach her to think about what she is doing with her feet.

If you are reasonably happy with her walk and trot work, there is no reason why you couldn't look at entering a walk and trot test and when her canter work has improved with a bit of schooling you'll be ready to start competing at Prelim Level.

Hope this helps!