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Well-Known Member
I just wondered what people's opinions were on what they consider to be ''a correct way of going''. (ESSAY!)
I currenlty have two trainers...one i have been taught by for years, she's great. takes things nice and slowly and has taught me that a horse should be ridden softly, using the seat as your main aid and when bringing on young horses, to encourage them to work long and low (opposed to up and in) in order for them to be able to stretch along their topline. With my four year old this is exactly what we have been doing and its eventually paying off..she's going brilliantly and now that we have the basics established we are asking her to start to hold herself and lift through the shoulders more. This instructor would much rather see horses working in a nice steady rhythm and not being pushed out of their own natural balance-she would prefer things to be on the slower side instead of rushed.
My other instructor prefers to see me ride with alot more pace 'push on' flick flick' etc. As much as the horse looks very nice i feel like if i wasn't holding it all together it would just fall apart! (because i feel like i'm pushing her out of her natural rhythm and balance) In my last lesson after going round the school at what i thought felt way too fast (bear in mind i have been taught the slower, relaxed long low way for much longer) i asked her if this is the trot she would expect to see in a test and she said yes! After watching some tests at the weekend it did seem that most people rode in this 'quick' way. It seemd to me that their main focus was to get their horses on the bit but because they were going too fast it was all going out the front end and the back end was just trailing behind (yet they were still very well placed).
Should it be choppy, quick and more forward going or more relaxed softer and slightly slower (by slow i don;t mean dead off the leg or like a donkey but just more floaty and relaxed) I guess how you do depends on what the judge prefers but i just wondered what peoples general opinions were? Both these instructors have ridden to a very high level and both judge...
This may be a post that makes no sense what so ever!! I think i should video parts of my lessons with each different instructor and see which you prefer!
I currenlty have two trainers...one i have been taught by for years, she's great. takes things nice and slowly and has taught me that a horse should be ridden softly, using the seat as your main aid and when bringing on young horses, to encourage them to work long and low (opposed to up and in) in order for them to be able to stretch along their topline. With my four year old this is exactly what we have been doing and its eventually paying off..she's going brilliantly and now that we have the basics established we are asking her to start to hold herself and lift through the shoulders more. This instructor would much rather see horses working in a nice steady rhythm and not being pushed out of their own natural balance-she would prefer things to be on the slower side instead of rushed.
My other instructor prefers to see me ride with alot more pace 'push on' flick flick' etc. As much as the horse looks very nice i feel like if i wasn't holding it all together it would just fall apart! (because i feel like i'm pushing her out of her natural rhythm and balance) In my last lesson after going round the school at what i thought felt way too fast (bear in mind i have been taught the slower, relaxed long low way for much longer) i asked her if this is the trot she would expect to see in a test and she said yes! After watching some tests at the weekend it did seem that most people rode in this 'quick' way. It seemd to me that their main focus was to get their horses on the bit but because they were going too fast it was all going out the front end and the back end was just trailing behind (yet they were still very well placed).
Should it be choppy, quick and more forward going or more relaxed softer and slightly slower (by slow i don;t mean dead off the leg or like a donkey but just more floaty and relaxed) I guess how you do depends on what the judge prefers but i just wondered what peoples general opinions were? Both these instructors have ridden to a very high level and both judge...
This may be a post that makes no sense what so ever!! I think i should video parts of my lessons with each different instructor and see which you prefer!
