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Post by quest on Nov 28, 2013 19:00:48 GMT
Bravely done. My first teat, I had the honours of getting 1s and 2s and that was generous as we spent most of the time out of the ring. It's great fun though.
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Post by kas on Nov 28, 2013 20:57:36 GMT
Yes, very brave.
Is it really that long since you saw an English bridle? ;D
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Post by breakfast on Nov 28, 2013 21:26:51 GMT
It's that long since I put a noseband on one, certainly. I'm normally engaged in removing them...
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Post by poppydoglet on Nov 29, 2013 13:48:12 GMT
What a lovely mare, please excuse my ignorance but why do you have your hands so high and wide?
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Post by kas on Nov 29, 2013 20:33:19 GMT
I have got one thought, maybe do some more riding in that saddle? It looks as if you needed more time to adjust your seat and balance to the change from western to... well... not exactly a dressage saddle - I recognise a good old faithful Dartmoor Treefree there don't I?
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Post by breakfast on Nov 30, 2013 12:31:02 GMT
Poppydoglet - I ride with my hands high and wide because I learned from people who ride that way ( example 1, example 2 ) and because it works well for most horses- by not restricting where I put my hands to a small box near the horse's neck I am able to make use of the reins in many different ways. That said, I know it's not wrong for competition and I was very deliberately keeping my hands low and "dressage" for the first five strides until I realised we weren't going to be able to approach the judges box, after that I kind of reverted to my normal way of riding Kas, I wasn't really planning to use that saddle at all - in fact I now think it's a little short for me and it doesn't have enough structure around the gullet for Iris so it pulls the saddle pad flat over her wither - but I haven't yet been able to sort out a proper dressage one ( and I should probably wait until I have a job before I do that now ) so it was kind of what I had that would work under BD rules. I don't think we'll be doing another test for a few months now, so I might pick up one of the HM ones off ebay or get something conventional made for Iris and me.
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Post by kas on Nov 30, 2013 15:02:29 GMT
If you would like to try my HM let me know, I can bring it over sometime in the holidays. Re your hands, it's fair to say that they would become less "up and out" as training progresses isn't it?
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Post by beksnjake on Nov 30, 2013 17:11:03 GMT
Well done on getting out there breakfast - I will admit that when Jake & I first started out in dressage (or should I say Stressage!) our first few outings were similar. Unbalanced canters when I did get them, corners on one leg and yes Jake was very unsure about the judges box too! It does get better!
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Post by poppydoglet on Nov 30, 2013 18:11:01 GMT
Thanks for the explanation Breakfast Interesting links thank you! I guess when training is more progressed your hands will be less high and wide. What were the judges comments? I do a little bit of dressage and I always find the comments hepful
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mouse
New Member
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Post by mouse on Nov 30, 2013 22:19:52 GMT
I think I saw you on Wednesday Breakfast! I did prelim 7 too on my 5yo cob. Only his 2nd show/dressage having done his 1st Walk and trot a few weeks ago. We did rather well and finished in the lead on 71.5% Didn't have a photographers on Weds, so here's is a pic of us (incase you saw us too) from his 1st ever competition (walk/trot) a few weeks ago (he won that too bless him) - Not sure who judge was but hope you got some lovely comments too. Mine were very encouraging.
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Post by kas on Nov 30, 2013 22:21:36 GMT
What a gorgeous horse. And welcome, we like photos, we like them a lot...
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mouse
New Member
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Post by mouse on Nov 30, 2013 22:29:52 GMT
What a gorgeous horse. And welcome, we like photos, we like them a lot... Thank you.
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Post by breakfast on Nov 30, 2013 23:27:32 GMT
Thanks for the explanation Breakfast Interesting links thank you! I guess when training is more progressed your hands will be less high and wide. To be honest when I remember my hands will be less high and wide, they just go back there when I'm sorting things out, which in an ideal world isn't in the show ring, but the world wasn't quite ideal that evening What were the judges comments? I do a little bit of dressage and I always find the comments hepful The judge basically said "nice try, shame your horse was scared of the judging box", more or less. Which I would say was an accurate description of how things went... I once heard of someone getting "well sat!" in their judges comments. I can't help but feel that would be a notable achievement. I did see you I think, mouse - you must have been in quite a close timeslot to me. Nice to see a big chunky cob getting out and doing well. I'm a big fan of that type of horse
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Post by poppydoglet on Dec 1, 2013 20:42:20 GMT
I think I saw you on Wednesday Breakfast! I did prelim 7 too on my 5yo cob. Only his 2nd show/dressage having done his 1st Walk and trot a few weeks ago. We did rather well and finished in the lead on 71.5% Didn't have a photographers on Weds, so here's is a pic of us (incase you saw us too) from his 1st ever competition (walk/trot) a few weeks ago (he won that too bless him) - Not sure who judge was but hope you got some lovely comments too. Mine were very encouraging. Wow lovely active boy Mouse
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Post by breakfast on Dec 5, 2013 22:33:26 GMT
The last week or two the swamp at our yard has returned to it's summertime status of arena, so I've done bits of schooling with Iris. After reading that piece on skeletal injuries I was very conscious that we need to work on our correctness a little, so for the last few days I have been working with real focus on softness and balance. As ever Iris comes through beautifully- she is starting to learn to release her poll, which gives the chance for softness to start reaching through her body ( I have an idea that relaxation in a horse stops at the first brace, so if they are resistant in their mouth it won't reach back to their poll, if they are tight in the poll they won't be relaxed down their neck and so on ) and that smoothness to start permeating her movement. I've also been working on straightness around corners and on circles. We have an ongoing dispute about whether she can turn without leaning like a motorbike, but all these things get so much better with time. I am also acutely aware that I am not really a good enough rider for her, so I'm applying my attention closely to the feel I get through my seat when I ride, what happens to bounce me around and cause me to lose connection with her and what I need to do to correct it; almost always more relaxation in the back and don't let heels creep up - both pernicious and beginnerish habits I should have long since shifted. Unfortunately I don't learn to change a quarter as fast as Iris does, so it's very much an ongoing effort, but I am confident that if I can keep my focus and remain mindful in my riding, I will improve, if gradually. Today, as we trotted smoothly and softly through racing clouds of fallen leaves torn from the trees by the winter's first real gale, it felt like we have some pretty awesome places to be.
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