Weekend plans!

Pippity

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Totally agree with Bernster no "just" or "only" allowed, but I was impressed with your horse's buck, ouch!
MP, does AT use activation bands, or are they something different? Rose's sharer has activation bands, they come in different sizes depending, I guess, on your height. She says she'll give me a session with them but for the time being I'm happy to watch her getting to know Rose. Actually, it's going really well. She loves riding Rose and is getting some super work. she had a lesson with JS at AM Dressage this morning and is really upping the standard of work. She's a much better rider than I am and less than half my age so I am thrilled to have found her, just sorry her own horse is off work ATM. Rose is shattered!

Are activation bands the giant elastic bands that get slung around you? I had a session with Kirsty Edwards from Fit2Ride a few weeks ago, and she used them. They had an amazing effect, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to strap myself up like that without assistance present in case I can't untangle myself!
 

milliepops

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MP, does AT use activation bands, or are they something different? Rose's sharer has activation bands, they come in different sizes depending, I guess, on your height. She says she'll give me a session with them but for the time being I'm happy to watch her getting to know Rose. Actually, it's going really well. She loves riding Rose and is getting some super work. she had a lesson with JS at AM Dressage this morning and is really upping the standard of work. She's a much better rider than I am and less than half my age so I am thrilled to have found her, just sorry her own horse is off work ATM. Rose is shattered!

sounds brilliant :) yeah in my session I used a shorter loop round the wrists which I have got, but also a longer activation band over shoulder & under the opposite heel. it was soooooooooo effective.
 

milliepops

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Are activation bands the giant elastic bands that get slung around you? I had a session with Kirsty Edwards from Fit2Ride a few weeks ago, and she used them. They had an amazing effect, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to strap myself up like that without assistance present in case I can't untangle myself!
hahaha I was glad I was on Kira tbh and it's not something I would be using on Darcy! I really want to try riding a zigzag with it on because just single half passes were so much better, i think it would make me stay in the right place in the zigzag instead of climbing all over the horse o_O
 

Pippity

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hahaha I was glad I was on Kira tbh and it's not something I would be using on Darcy! I really want to try riding a zigzag with it on because just single half passes were so much better, i think it would make me stay in the right place in the zigzag instead of climbing all over the horse o_O

I was able to trot in a straight-ish line on the left rein! I love how different our standards for 'success' are on this forum!

The short loop around the wrists didn't do much for me, but the big one over my left shoulder and under my right foot was a miracle.
 

ScampiBigMan

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Have used both activation bands in lessons with Di Breeze. Got more benefit with the longer band from shoulder to opposite heel and did encourage me to stretch my left side and keep it stretched. Nix is q expressive in her dressage lessons (as in everything) so Di does tend to remove the bands after they have had an effect on me(!) She then q often takes my stirrups away...such fun(!)

Reilee had a lovely enjoyable day out at Kelsall Hill yesterday in the BE100. She only broke sweat during XC.

Dressage was obedient and relaxed, judge doesn't appear to have been a fan. SJ, she jumped great but somehow got 4(!) poles down. No idea what was happening with her legs for that to happen. Work to be done. XC she cruised round clear 15sec inside the time so avoided too fast penalties (just(!)) - I deliberately slowed her several times around the course, bearing Stafford in mind.

Was lovely weather again, was pleased with how I rode and Reilee had a ball so a good day overall. Pro pics look good (incl SJ(!)) so have bought all of them as realised that haven't bought many of Reilee yet.

Grooming pic today enjoying warmth and sun again :cool:

20200928_115012, compressed.jpg
 

Sheep

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Fab lesson last night. Wanted to take it easy because horse had worked v hard xc schooling on Sunday but he came out full of beans which was lovely.
We worked on straightness and square halts. Basic & simple but horse went beautifully and felt super light and forward. It was one of the best lessons I’ve had in ages. Nothing complex or fancy but horse worked super hard for me and we achieved what we set out to do. ?
 

Roxylola

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Few stills from our video at weekend
The first is that moment when you realise there is a ditch behind the "pole"
And a bit of ugly jumping over what he thought was a huge brush ?
 

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SpottyTB

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2A89B85B-F643-4EF8-AC96-27592B07EB08.jpegAn action shot from last weekend of the newly named “rocket pony” and a jumping one too, excuse naff position! AE2AFB70-510B-49CD-896F-E4E7F0CD3B1D.jpeg
This weekend we have a country canter planned, was quite excited as wanted to inspect the fences at the venue (which is also a BE venue) but think it’s going to rained off/too windy to safely travel!! Rubbish but these things happen.
 

DressageCob

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Few stills from our video at weekend
The first is that moment when you realise there is a ditch behind the "pole"
And a bit of ugly jumping over what he thought was a huge brush ?

That ditch photo is fabulous. I remember the first year Kelsall introduced the ditches around the water complex; so many people had refusals or fell off round there. For some it was the bright orange, for others it was the surprise ?

The brush is big! It feels big when you jump it too...it isn't one of those that looks scary but jumps small...
 

Roxylola

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Hes not mega ditchy, he does take a little bit of riding over new ones that are particularly deep or scary. The pole just hid it enough that he really hadn't spotted it. Made me laugh a lot. He backed off a little here and there but otherwise was great until the brush. I'd seen pics and knew it looked imposing, and said in the course walk it could cause an issue. But, while it's a big scary fence, it's literally on the home stretch so at least that was pretty kind.
You cant even see it in the video, but I really felt him looking for a way out, I'm probably over cautious really in our training and hes learned to trust me a lot and he really did there, once I said we were going he gave it his very best.
We will have to work really hard for times, he was the heaviest horse I saw all day there - although Lexi would know better than me about that. But Saturday saw him keep a good rhythm and finish strong so if we can open up a little over winter we might be a bit closer next year
 

Accidental Eventer

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Well our weekend was as busy and exhausting as expected. Henry was incredible all weekend, Friday we did some pole work, then Saturday we were demo riders for a trainee coach getting assessed. We were jumping and though we didn't do heaps, Henry was awesome. He was a real spark plug though, which was quite fun and I really relaxed into it.
Coolie poles.png
Sunday we had a dressage comp and he was fantastic, no ribbons for us, but he felt great and again we both relaxed and enjoyed it which is a big deal for us. I usually tense up and then henry gets tense and it turns into a mess, but we didn't have any of that.
Henrry Gidge dressage.jpg
Monday was just a relaxing hack in the bush then Tuesday we had a clinic. Our flatwork lesson was amazing, I had a really wonderful plugged in feeling and Henry stepped up to be light off the aides. We were working on refinement of the aide using posture and I got a really good feeling for it.

Our jumping lesson wasn't as good, we did fine, but it wasn't amazing and shiny like flatwork. Plus I think we were both a bit tired. He tried his best, I just needed him more forward and to not throw my body at the jumps to make up for not having him in front of my leg. I did have a better feel for turning after our flat lesson though, and was much more effective with my aides.
Henry bushride.jpg
 

DressageCob

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Hes not mega ditchy, he does take a little bit of riding over new ones that are particularly deep or scary. The pole just hid it enough that he really hadn't spotted it. Made me laugh a lot. He backed off a little here and there but otherwise was great until the brush. I'd seen pics and knew it looked imposing, and said in the course walk it could cause an issue. But, while it's a big scary fence, it's literally on the home stretch so at least that was pretty kind.
You cant even see it in the video, but I really felt him looking for a way out, I'm probably over cautious really in our training and hes learned to trust me a lot and he really did there, once I said we were going he gave it his very best.
We will have to work really hard for times, he was the heaviest horse I saw all day there - although Lexi would know better than me about that. But Saturday saw him keep a good rhythm and finish strong so if we can open up a little over winter we might be a bit closer next year

Timing was my issue too. My heavy lad found the jumping easy but didn't really open up in the canter. it was beautifully rhythmical but he didn't gallop like the TBs would.

There weren't many bigger cobs there whenever I've been (or when I've been eventing full stop). You get quite a few like my little one, 14.2-15hh, fairly fine for a cob, quite nippy. A lot of kids seem to have them, as do a fair few adult women. But the big footed, big boned show cob types don't seem as popular for eventing ?

Mine is a dressage horse exclusively now ?
 

Roxylola

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Mine is a dressage horse exclusively now ?
He'll certainly progress further up the dressage levels than he will eventing. Ive quietly got my eye on PSG for him, but realistically he'll never get beyond grassroots eventing. He's probably got scope for 100 but I'd have to be absolutely perfect dressage and SJ wise and have him super fit to even think of being in the top half of a class. Whereas with dressage he does actually move quite well and he'll be rideable and accurate so I feel he could be more successful as we go up the levels.
However, he enjoys his jumping so I'm not going to abandon it but I am realistic about both his and my limitations
 

DressageCob

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He'll certainly progress further up the dressage levels than he will eventing. Ive quietly got my eye on PSG for him, but realistically he'll never get beyond grassroots eventing. He's probably got scope for 100 but I'd have to be absolutely perfect dressage and SJ wise and have him super fit to even think of being in the top half of a class. Whereas with dressage he does actually move quite well and he'll be rideable and accurate so I feel he could be more successful as we go up the levels.
However, he enjoys his jumping so I'm not going to abandon it but I am realistic about both his and my limitations

Given the size of the classes in eventing, for the majority of us the realistic aim is to get a dressage score under 30 and a double clear, which may or may not get you inside the top 10.

There's nothing wrong with being realistic, but so long as you and your horse are enjoying yourselves and finding it comfortable, I say crack on.

My chap enjoys jumping too. But I'm not up to eventing for now, not until I get certain health things sorted out. And he's a pretty talented dressage cob and enjoys that work, so he can live without eventing ? I bought him for dressage anyway; it was always just a bonus that he could event.
 

Roxylola

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Oh totally, I'm a big believer in competing against yourself as opposed to other people, and a happy horse round safely is a winning round as far as I'm concerned. I'm not an especially ambitious person, nor am I a very competitive one. I like to improve and to stretch myself but not at the expense of comfort well being or happiness of the horse. Hes having a jolly old time being a jack of all trades and his brain just loves the dressage stuff
 
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