Weekend plans

[sheep]

I have gone with total gut feeling on this - buying unseen from Ireland. Details to wait will she's landed safely. Not tempting fate by saying too much more! I do have a plan B for the horse if things don't work out.

Fingers crossed for a safe trip across the Irish Sea, can’t wait to hear all about her when she arrives. When is she due to land with you?!

 

[palo1]

had a couple of really good rides this weekend, not particularly stellar work (though her understanding of what passage is all about is coming on at last ) but pennies dropping for me about how to ride certain exercises properly, and also what is possible if i *just ride it better* GP trot half passes are all there for the taking if I ride like a GP rider instead of like a PSG one. Upwards learning curve for us both then!

Hopefully not too intrusive a question but what are the differences in riding as a PSG rider and a GP rider? What attitude or physical changes have you made? Lovely to hear how brilliantly Kira is progressing btw.

 

[j1ffy]

AE - that's exciting!! Fingers crossed it works out, I'm looking forward to seeing pictures once she's arrived!
J&S - that sounds wonderful

We had a nice, fairly quiet weekend. Lots of dressage watching, a bit of dog walking and socialising. Horse-wise, I hacked Chilli with a couple of friends on Sunday then took him in the school on Saturday. He's always very forward and buzzy to begin with - our 60x40 possibly looks like an ideal canter track! After 10 minutes he began to settle and we could do some work on stretching forwards / down. By the end he offered a full stretch down in trot for the first time, which is good progress.

Then I took him for a drive in my lorry for the first time and I'm happy to say he was quiet as a lamb. We're planning a hack with his uncle Indio in a couple of weeks so it's good to know I can travel him safely.

We did a very quick solo hack yesterday between dressage-watching. His fitness and bravery are definitely both increasing and we worked on the longer lower trot again - he's a quick learner and offered it nicely. He's just a pleasure to ride and handle, I do feel very lucky!

 

[DabDab]

Does Monday count?? Since February I have had a lovely lady from our village come to ride my companion pony and we have been building up fitness and strength with a few little adventures in betwen regular road ex and today we had Mission Accomplished!! We started really early to avoid the flies and rode to a local bridle path round a big plantation, all good going, trots and canters all the way plus a couple of logs/branches to jump! This might not sound much to you but my mare is now 24 yrs and I am coming up to 75 ,so just off a century betwen us. Mare has been retired since she was 18 and only really gone round the block over the last year or so. I never thought I would do more than very local rides at the best so to march out for over 10kms and pop a jump happily has made my summer. As a bonus companion pony has lost all the extra weight she was carrying and looks fab.

Wow, that's amazing, congrats

 

[milliepops]

Hopefully not too intrusive a question but what are the differences in riding as a PSG rider and a GP rider? What attitude or physical changes have you made? Lovely to hear how brilliantly Kira is progressing btw.

even at PSG you can get away with being sloppy! it felt ridiculously difficult the first time at the level but on reflection it was a doddle compared! it's an attitude thing I think, though being better at keeping up with stuff like equipilates has made me a better rider too left elbow under control. sitting trot much easier.

I am not so up myself to think I'm there yet i am fully aware there are entire mountain ranges still ahead. I'm bumbling around the lower slopes. but I think the thing that I've sussed in the last few months is about riding for those GP moves instead of accepting what my horse offers, she has the knowledge and ability (not always the submission ) but needs me to make it happen. the thing we discussed on the other thread about understanding the preparation is a big part of it. and the other bit is the quickness of thought and action to put that prep into action.

like the GP half passes were the thing we lightbulbed this weekend, you really can't tell from the head-on view that the TV coverage shows just HOW steep they really are, and then ride a short legged not very springy or elastic horse and you really appreciate that you have to be 100% committed to making that marker on the opposite side of the school before you've even gone around the corner. I think PSG me would trot round the corner in a pretty nice trot and then reach the marker and start. GP me is riding around the short side already mentally at the end of the first trot HP, improving and energising and collecting the trot all at the same time, coming round the corner so the last step is already pointing the outside shoulder at the marker, then go into swan mode - let it happen on the face of it, underneath it all mentally paddling away, you're absolutely ON the balance, on the suppleness, seeing the spot you have to hit like an XC horse hunting flags....

then PSG me would arrive at the marker and prepare the changeover and then start the second half pass... GP me is already there in my head so we are prepped before we get there and then the return HP has to be the same as the other. there's no room for error, there's no scope to make up ground once you've started because it's like the max angle Kira can do. at PSG i could get away with a rubbish start because the HP zigzag is only half the steepness, the actual sideways is no more challenging than the HPs at medium.

Every step counts, i think that's the difference. you can't let a step get away from you. i thought i was riding every stride before. and i wasn't!

It's a battle, I have to keep reminding myself to not let her just stop when i want to give her a rest, i should ride a proper transition to finish each work section. and so on. it's a state of mind.

I have absolute ultimate respect to these riders who make it all look doable. especially those who turn out horse after horse at the level. it's almost impossible and yet they make it look like it's not an effort. I think perhaps it's why I find mistakes easy to forgive it's so so easy to make them.

 

[palo1]

even at PSG you can get away with being sloppy! it felt ridiculously difficult the first time at the level but on reflection it was a doddle compared! it's an attitude thing I think, though being better at keeping up with stuff like equipilates has made me a better rider too left elbow under control. sitting trot much easier.

I am not so up myself to think I'm there yet i am fully aware there are entire mountain ranges still ahead. I'm bumbling around the lower slopes. but I think the thing that I've sussed in the last few months is about riding for those GP moves instead of accepting what my horse offers, she has the knowledge and ability (not always the submission ) but needs me to make it happen. the thing we discussed on the other thread about understanding the preparation is a big part of it. and the other bit is the quickness of thought and action to put that prep into action.

like the GP half passes were the thing we lightbulbed this weekend, you really can't tell from the head-on view that the TV coverage shows just HOW steep they really are, and then ride a short legged not very springy or elastic horse and you really appreciate that you have to be 100% committed to making that marker on the opposite side of the school before you've even gone around the corner. I think PSG me would trot round the corner in a pretty nice trot and then reach the marker and start. GP me is riding around the short side already mentally at the end of the first trot HP, improving and energising and collecting the trot all at the same time, coming round the corner so the last step is already pointing the outside shoulder at the marker, then go into swan mode - let it happen on the face of it, underneath it all mentally paddling away, you're absolutely ON the balance, on the suppleness, seeing the spot you have to hit like an XC horse hunting flags....

then PSG me would arrive at the marker and prepare the changeover and then start the second half pass... GP me is already there in my head so we are prepped before we get there and then the return HP has to be the same as the other. there's no room for error, there's no scope to make up ground once you've started because it's like the max angle Kira can do. at PSG i could get away with a rubbish start because the HP zigzag is only half the steepness, the actual sideways is no more challenging than the HPs at medium.

Every step counts, i think that's the difference. you can't let a step get away from you. i thought i was riding every stride before. and i wasn't!

It's a battle, I have to keep reminding myself to not let her just stop when i want to give her a rest, i should ride a proper transition to finish each work section. and so on. it's a state of mind.

I have absolute ultimate respect to these riders who make it all look doable. especially those who turn out horse after horse at the level. it's almost impossible and yet they make it look like it's not an effort. I think perhaps it's why I find mistakes easy to forgive it's so so easy to make them.

Thank you - that is so brilliantly explained and understandable. I can relate to what you are saying totally (in relation to other skills unfortunately lol!). I quite agree about the mistakes and brilliance of some riders; it is soooooo easy to critiicise and to see mistakes and so blooming difficult not to make them. I love watching the pros - even when I don't have necessarily that aspiration, the motivation to ride everything better and all of the time is so much higher having watched them. It's even better when there are experienced and knowledgeable people on hand to explain and elucidate actually so I really am grateful to those folk who are commenting (well not Lucinda and her stupid itchy bed theory - she is just awful for dressage love her!).

 

[MrsCentaur]

What an absolutely brilliant post, @milliepops. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your expertise.

 

[daffy44]

even at PSG you can get away with being sloppy! it felt ridiculously difficult the first time at the level but on reflection it was a doddle compared! it's an attitude thing I think, though being better at keeping up with stuff like equipilates has made me a better rider too left elbow under control. sitting trot much easier.

I am not so up myself to think I'm there yet i am fully aware there are entire mountain ranges still ahead. I'm bumbling around the lower slopes. but I think the thing that I've sussed in the last few months is about riding for those GP moves instead of accepting what my horse offers, she has the knowledge and ability (not always the submission ) but needs me to make it happen. the thing we discussed on the other thread about understanding the preparation is a big part of it. and the other bit is the quickness of thought and action to put that prep into action.

like the GP half passes were the thing we lightbulbed this weekend, you really can't tell from the head-on view that the TV coverage shows just HOW steep they really are, and then ride a short legged not very springy or elastic horse and you really appreciate that you have to be 100% committed to making that marker on the opposite side of the school before you've even gone around the corner. I think PSG me would trot round the corner in a pretty nice trot and then reach the marker and start. GP me is riding around the short side already mentally at the end of the first trot HP, improving and energising and collecting the trot all at the same time, coming round the corner so the last step is already pointing the outside shoulder at the marker, then go into swan mode - let it happen on the face of it, underneath it all mentally paddling away, you're absolutely ON the balance, on the suppleness, seeing the spot you have to hit like an XC horse hunting flags....

then PSG me would arrive at the marker and prepare the changeover and then start the second half pass... GP me is already there in my head so we are prepped before we get there and then the return HP has to be the same as the other. there's no room for error, there's no scope to make up ground once you've started because it's like the max angle Kira can do. at PSG i could get away with a rubbish start because the HP zigzag is only half the steepness, the actual sideways is no more challenging than the HPs at medium.

Every step counts, i think that's the difference. you can't let a step get away from you. i thought i was riding every stride before. and i wasn't!

It's a battle, I have to keep reminding myself to not let her just stop when i want to give her a rest, i should ride a proper transition to finish each work section. and so on. it's a state of mind.

I have absolute ultimate respect to these riders who make it all look doable. especially those who turn out horse after horse at the level. it's almost impossible and yet they make it look like it's not an effort. I think perhaps it's why I find mistakes easy to forgive it's so so easy to make them.

Thats a genius post MP! You really should write a book, so perfectly explained. Its what I meant, but didnt express very well, on a previous thread about not really appreciating attention to detail and the basics until you get to GP, you've put it brilliantly.

 

[humblepie]

Horse and I went off for a weekend competing. On the Friday night I must admit I had a feeling quite down session as everything in the lorry was deciding not to work, from phone charger, to torch not being charged (my bad), to water seeming to have an air lock, thinking gas bottle needed changing (never done it and panicking at the thought of no cups of tea) but fortunately it didn't and horse having decided that the flags at the side of the arena were going to eat him. Anyway, some issues overcome, others decided upon on the basis that if I was camping in a tent i wouldn't have the other things anyway and horse decided to pull it out of the bag and win one of the championships. Had a lovely afternoon nap as well, something would never get to do at home, so that was a bonus!
Well done to all who were out and about, doing whatever. Some lovely photos and reports as well.

 

[Alibear]

I had a great time at camp but am completely worn out now. For various reasons I ended up being in a group of 2 most of the time and 5 hours of fairly intensive lessons over 2 1/2 days is a lot for me, add on travelling, setup and horse care and I'm done! Amber handled it all really well and was a superstar throughout. Just a little unsure going into the temporary stable but soon settled and happy. First 3 lessons working on collecting up, getting her forward off the leg, lifting her withers and stepping under more. Then the last 2 were on poles and trail and manoeuvres so less intensity but more precision was required. We managed my first ever lope overs and used a rustic pole that was a bit bigger than your normal SJ pole and it all went really nicely. All lessons bar 1 were out in the big 3-acre riding paddock which Daisy is currently turned out next to so they got a mini-reunion in too, but Amber stayed with me despite the odd shout back and forth. Oh and we achieved everything 1 handed too which is another little step up. Photo is from me having just mounted off the big log to our left on the last day with the selection of poles to play with. She's pretty awesome

 

[WelshHoarder]

Very late to the party, had a manic weekend and have been completely engrossed in the Olympic dressage ever since (when work wasn’t getting in the way ?).

Small person and baby Welshie went to arena hire on Friday night as part of his birthday present - we’d kept it a surprise until the day. Although we’ve got a few jumps at home we wanted them to have chance to play over a real course without the competition day pressure (not that we ever put any pressure on them beyond ‘have fun’), and it worked. They went in there nervous at anything over 20cm, and an hour later were popping round a course of 40-45cms - for a child too scared to trot over poles 6 months ago, this was a massive leap forwards in confidence!



Then on Sunday he’d asked to spend his birthday at a show… Saturday night was spent desperately trying to scrub baby Welshie’s socks back to white, and tame her haystack mane, and hoping she’d stay vaguely clean and tidy overnight in the field, which thankfully she managed! They had a fab day out, happily popping round 20 and 30cm courses then a mad dash to change and tidy up for showing, rewarded by lots of frillies all round - and a baby Welshie who suddenly seemed very grown up :

 

[nikicb]

Lovely pictures WelshHoarder - she's a cracking pony.

 

[WelshHoarder]

Lovely pictures WelshHoarder - she's a cracking pony.

Thank you - she was our little lockdown gamble that rewards us every day - such a sweetheart at home, and manages to keep her head screwed on and really look after small person when we’re out and about (apart from the odd spook at her own poo in dressage tests ?). Just enough Welshie diva to make her sparkle, but generally an old head on young shoulders

 

[palo1]

What a cracking partnership!! The happiest times are those for a child with a good pony.