Training a pony for dressage!

[bamby00]

Hi everyone,
I've been trying (to no avail unfortunately!) to train my pony for dressage. She's a 14.1h 13year old Connemara x Arab mare who's done mostly hunting and hunter trialling, bit of show jumping and other bits and pieces. I was looking to do eventing but dressage isn't my forte! Does anyone have any tips on how to train her? I'm trying to figure out how to get her to go in an outline mostly, we dont need any fancy moves for the lower levels thankfully! I'd really appreciate any help, thanks

 

[kc100]

All I have to offer I'm afraid is that you need a trainer - if a horse has reached the age of 13 and has never been taught how to work in an outline then you need a good instructor to come and work with you to help you both.

'Outline' comes hand in hand with the horse being forwards and working correctly over its back - so you need to start with getting her really going forwards at all times (not faster, just more engaged and active) and try a variety of schooling exercises with her rather than just going round and round the outside of the arena. Leg yield is brilliant for getting a horse switched on and accepting the bit, serpentines, figures of 8, leg yielding in and out of circles, transitions (lots of them - walk to trot, walk to canter, trot to walk, trot to canter, trot to halt) and transitions within the paces - in trot ask her to almost come down to walk (reduce the amount of movement in your body as if you were preparing to walk and go sitting trot) then push her on again just before she walks, same in canter when she develops a bit, almost prepare to trot then push on again.

Dressage is not scary or difficult, it is just the correct way of training a horse for all disciplines - to have a good showjumper or a horse that goes well around XC they need to be well trained on the flat. Get a good trainer and have as many lessons as you can afford, also try buying a few books - maybe a book aimed at young horses might help because you need to go back to basics to teach her how to work in an outline. There is a good book just for general schooling exercises if you struggle to think of work to do with her on the flat, 101 schooling exercises for horse and rider. That should keep you busy for a while!