Being the proud owner of a rather beautiful, but without a shadow of a doubt, spooky little monkey, I thought it might be time to jot down a few things that have worked for us, as this week we managed to pull it all together and survive another elementary to secure our qualification for Petplans in October!!
Just to put you all in the picture (those who haven't been bored rigid by the ramblings over the past 2 and a half years that is!!) Basil is a 7 year old ISH of unknown origin, 15.2hh of small brown loveliness, whom I have had since he was imported at 4 by a dealer who specialised in jumpers (not the woolly kind ;) )
As far as I can gather his entire education consisted of being pulled out of a field,shod, sat on, stuck on a boat and bought by me....
He is (most of the time) an utter saint, however, we have struggled with warm ups, dressage arenas in general and relaxation at competition. he can also throw some shapes in training:
I guess I am lucky he is not 17hh, but we have definitely made progress with the help of a couple of fabulous trainers, Daniel Timson and Emma Roche.
I have retired from many tests...
Patience has been the key.
Not giving up and throwing in the towel, being able to laugh at the number of times 'tense' appears on dressage sheets, all important too!!
I am a novice rider, Elementary is the zenith of our dressage career, please do not think I am holding myself up as an 'expert'
So how have we got to the point that we can now warm up without a drama, and complete a dressage test without leaving the arena?
Firstly, everyone is different, every horse and every rider has their own unique attributes...I am not advocating a one size fits all approach, maybe some of the ideas we have tried will help...
Most key bit of advice I was given...a spooking horse is not focused on you...they are invariable behind the leg, with too much time and energy focused elsewhere!
Yup! and that starts long before you reach a dressage arena...it starts at home.
Spookiness in general is a training issue...sometimes a calmer might be a help, but neither trainer believes they are the root, rather a mask for the true issue....a backward thinking horse who might be sharp and fizzy but are not in front of the leg, not accepting the leg, not working forward into a soft contact...without a shadow of a doubt one of the hardest things, but most essential things to get your head around. We have learnt that the lightest aid means go, and not stop until a different aid is applied....it is not kick, kick, kick every stride. Learning from the very start of training that they need to react quickly and appropriately is what we have found has been the key to our progress. Once we have 'go' we can work on half halts, collection, straightness, balance, relaxation, submission (the list goes on)...but not before!
How you get there is going to be different for every horse...a schooling whip,a spur, if you are lucky a light aid with the leg...most importantly ask, mean it and praise when you get a reaction...not 10 strides later, not 2 strides later, immediately!
Daniel taught me the discipline needed for dressage. Remember that every second spent sitting on a horse is teaching them something..it is up to you what you teach them.
Have found the 3 C's useful:
Consistency: the same aid needs the same reaction. If I asked you to go off the leg from a light touch yesterday and you did, then I expect the same today. We owe it to them not to confuse them with mixed messages. We also need to ensure we carry that consistency into a test situation. How confusing must it be for them to suddenly have a tense bundle of nerves gripping their back and sides?
Clarity: the aids need to be clear. Your horse can do everything for a dressage test without you, just playing in the field! Our job is to work with them to achieve the ability to canter when I ask, canter on the right leg, even canter on the wrong leg...they don't know what we are aiming to achieve, they are reacting to our requests. So if its not going right, ask yourself, am I asking the same way I did yesterday? Be careful not to confuse our equine buddies...are you asking for forward with the leg and blocking with your hand or seat?
Calm:The BIGGEST lesson for me has been not to react to the silliness...sit still, ride forward and relax, ignore the spooking, look in the opposite direction if it helps, but DO NOT focus on the object of spookiness.So many times I have been shouted at to look at the trees...up and out!! ;)
Finally the R:
Reward and reflection: always, always,always praise...never anger or frustration. they are a mirror for yourself....if its going wrong, what can you change? If its going right, what did you do?
I have found that too much anthropomorphising can be a dangerous thing....
So the warm up...true terror for the boy....which I discovered (eventually) came from me. I never had a plan, I went into them unprepared and unfocused.
Again, every horse is different and has different needs: as a rule of thumb, what works for us is a long, low stretch in walk, trot and canter first. A pick up to a working outline for trot, walk, trot transitions. Trot, halt, trot for some more direct work and some lateral work, shoulder in and leg yield to loosen him up. I am checking to see if he is forward and relaxed above all...can I give and retake the reins? Is he on my seat and listening to it? Just before we go in we will focus on the quality of the trot rhythm and transitions to walk and canter from it...collecting with the seat,thinking up and forward all the time...forward, forward, forward...
He still doesn't love other horses in close proximity, but we tailor what we do according to how crowded it is...on grass, we find we have a lot more room...relaxed pony, usually a much better test. If I can offer any nugget of advice it is go out, practice, work out what works for YOU because sure as eggs is eggs it won't be the same as everyone else!!
Test riding is an art! You cannot go into a competition unprepared. I have learnt to know my test inside out, prepare thoroughly, know what is coming next and be a great partner for your horse, not a flapping, ill-prepared one. I know where I need to half halt, alternate between sitting and rising trot, ask for a little more hind leg, ask for a little more balance.
I have learned to LOOK UP! Your horse is so sensitive to what you are doing. Look where you are going, they will look where you are going, less focus on the outside distractions and more on the job in hand!!
I have learned that shoulder fore is my friend!! That slight inside flexion, invariable leading to straightness, means you are in control, you have their focus, there is nothing to be frightened of in or outside the arena...
Every tool we use out and about we have tried and tested at home, hacking, at clinics before we hit a party.
It may be transitions for you, it may be finding a quiet area away from everyone else, it might be picking your horse up straight away and not allowing them time to take in the surroundings and any possible killer obstacles!!!
Remember: two hind legs into the foot fall of two front legs, two seat bones, two hands, two reins...giving, consistent: straight, balanced, forward, relaxed...what we all dream of and I certainly have had to work blooming hard for!
Sharpness and energy is good, it just needs to be focused!
I will keep telling myself that anyway....
Most of all be patient and keep going, there is always an answer :)
