Quiz # 17: What are some things that will get a rider eliminated in the Dressage phase?What are some things that will get a rider eliminated in the Dressage phase of an Event? (Click on Quiz Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Quiz # 16: Is this a refusal?Imagine a rider making an approach to a cross country obstacle as shown in this photo. Is this considered a refusal or not? (Click on Quiz Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
"Every horse has only one appropriate head and neck position for riding with respect to his conformation into which he has to be brought and in which he has to be worked. In other words, it can never be arbitrary. It is determined by the poll, whose position is limited to a very small space, if not merely a point, in terms of its height. The rider has to search for it. He has found it by keeping the neck in the same place, or by raising or lowering it, when he feels that the reins affect the entire horse, including the back and hindquarters, through the poll and the steady neck. This point in terms of the poll height has not been found yet as long as the horse yields to the reins only or even partially in the neck and evades with his neck." ~ Adolph Kästner
Interesting quote... I personally don't believe that there is only one position for each horse, but rather that there might be one best position for each situation. For example, if a horse is tight in the back at that moment, a lower neck (still reaching correctly forward into the bit, ie a proper stretch) would be most beneficial. And the horse that is trying to be too low and heavy on the forehand should be encouraged to carry himself a bit higher by doing exercises that lower the quarters.
I also believe that for true gymnastic value, the horse should be worked in a number of different frames within each ride. Typically starting off with a longer, lower frame, building up to a higher, more collected way of moving, with periods of working lower to give the horse a break, and re-establish any lost suppleness and relaxation. And of course finishing each ride with some good stretching so that the horse finishes each ride with a loose, relaxed body, and a happy mind. What are your thoughts on this? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Who can tell us what makes this particular skinny jump in the water so difficult? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 71: What caused this rail down?This is a great round barring the one mistake at the third element of the triple! Who can tell us what happened to cause this horse to knock that rail down? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Discussion # 68: What to do when you "miss" the center line in the Dressage ring!Let's say you make the common mistake of slightly messing up your turn down the center line in your Dressage test. You started your turn too early or too late, and find that you are not on the center line. What do you do to minimize the damage on your score? Keep aiming straight to C, even though you are not on the center line? Leg yield back to the center line? Or turn slightly and get back to the center line as soon as possible? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Discussion # 67: While I have taken lessons from many different Eventing trainers in my life, there were two that have had the greatest influence on my riding, and my career. And these two have very different philosophies on how to best prepare horses and riders for the stress of competition. One would keep things fairly simple and within the rider's comfort zone in the final jumping schools, to keep horse and rider full of confidence. With this method, both horse and rider feel success with every exercise, which inspires confidence. The other trainer's method was to really push horse and rider in the final jumping lessons, with jumps even larger than those the rider will face in competition. And challenging them by doing difficult exercises that push them slightly out of their comfort zone. With this approach, both horse and rider get to the competiton and feel like the jumps they will have to tackle are almost easycompared to what they have been doing at home. Which approach do you like best and why? - Bonus points if you can guess who these two trainers are :) (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to join in on this discussion)Discussion # 66: Who can tell us how counter bend improves the horse's ability to bend properly to the inside?Who can tell us how counter bend improves the horse's ability to properly bend to the inside? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Video Discussion # 70: This is a great video!Lots of great points made in this Dressage video (and some lovely riding)! What thoughts do you have after watching this? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to make comments and read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 69: Watch and compare these two CCI 2 star riders performing their Dressage Tests, and see their scores for each movement!What a great opportunity to improve your "eye" for the quality of Dressage movements! You have to know what you are looking for before you will have a chance to correctly perform these movements yourself! Watch the video first, and guess for yourself who wins! Then enter the discussion to find out both riders' scores for each movement and to make comments. (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to see scores and enter this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 68: Interesting complex on this year's Rolex course!This was a very interesting complex on this year's Rolex cross country course! Along with the challenging terrain that was involved, the distance in between the two narrow brush jumps was exactly between two and three strides. As Jimmy Wofford said in his course walk, "When presented with a boldness question with optional striding, always take the braver option. Otherwise you will tend to come in picking and whining, and your horse may stop."
I think that in this video, Andrew shows us the best way to handle this type of situation, ride boldly, and let the horse decide if he is going to do two or three strides. Because this horse's ability to think for himself has been nurtured in training, he took care of himself, and did two and a half strides very neatly. If Andrew had tried to force the two he may not have made it. And if he picked for the three it could have caused trouble. There is a very important lesson to be learned here! (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 67: It is always so educational to watch Dressage tests, and to be able to hear the comments and scores from the judge!It is always so educational to watch Dressage tests, and to be able to hear the comments and scores from the judge! Let's watch this video of a Dressage rider performing Training Level Test 1, and hear the comments and scores from the judge! Do you ever get comments similar to those that this rider received? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch video, and to read this educational discussion)Video Discussion # 66: This video shows the difference between, collected walk, medium walk, extended walk, and free walk. This video shows the difference between collected walk, medium walk, extended walk, and free walk. And while I think she could have shown more stretch and freedom in the free walk, it was otherwise well done. What are your thoughts on watching this video? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch video, and read this educational discussion)Discussion # 65: How do you ride an uphill triple bar?How should you approach a triple bar that is on an uphill slope? What do you need to focus on to ensure a smooth effort at this type of jump? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Discussion # 64: Which picture shows a better piaffe?Although in Eventing we don't have to perform a piaffe in competition, it is important to understand the principles involved in training for collection. So, let's compare these two Baroque type horses in the piaffe. Which horse shows more engagement and lowering of the quarters? How can you tell? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 65: Water jump bloopers!All different kinds of problems with water jumps are showcased in this video! But there are many falls here that show why I always advise riders to trot at least the last step or two when jumping off a plain drop with no takeoff log. When cantering off of a drop that has no defining point for a horse to focus on, it is easy for them to make the mistake of "missing" the edge, and cantering right off the step. Which will almost always cause a fall in the water. Who can point out the rider who caused a fall by holding the reins too much on the takeoff, causing the horse to hollow and drop his hind end? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Discussion # 63: What kind of jump will this canter produce? Here are two pictures showing a rider's final strides in front of a Prelim table. What kind of jump do you think she is about to have with this quality of canter? After a few people have answered, I will post the picture of the jumping effort to show the result of this approach. (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 64: Judge this movement - simple change of lead through the walk.Felix and I are shown here competing in the Dressage phase at the the two star level in TX in 1998. How would you judge this movement, "cross the diagonal, with a simple change of lead through the walk at X"? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 62: Exciting video!This horse sure knew his job! To get up and jump out of the combination without his rider - wow! But who can tell us what caused the mistake at the B element that resulted in this fall? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Discussion # 62: Shoulder in helps to improve the half pass, and vice versa. Who can tell us why?Shoulder in helps to improve the half pass, and vice versa. Who can tell us why that is? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Video Discussion # 61: Cool video of slow motion jumping!Very cool and educational to watch footage of top level Show Jumping in slow motion, and to be able to really look at every little detail! At :38, note the great example of the quick recovery of upper body position from the rider needed to help the horse rebalance and collect between the elements of a combination. And you can also see how even the top riders are sometimes ahead of their horse's motion on the takeoff. The rider at 2:41 looks to be slightly ahead of his horse on the takeoffs, and the horse is a bit slow folding his front legs as a result. What are your thoughts on this awesome video? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch video and read this educational discussion)Discussion # 61: Lets discuss rein length!Do you often get told that you ride with your reins too long? Or too short? While different situations require different rein lengths, having the correct length of rein is often crucial to success. What happens on the flat when your reins are too long? How about when you are jumping? And what happens when your reins are too short? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Video Discussion # 60: What caused this fall?What do you think caused this fall? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
What type of canter should you have to tackle this type of fence? What position should you be in on the approach? And what is your strategy to ensure you get a good jump here?
(Note, the red flag is on the right. You jump this UPHILL)
(Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 59: How would you judge this halt?Here are Felix and I competing at a 2 star 3 day event in TX in 1998. Felix was 8 here, and this was our first 2 star 3 day. So here we have the movement: Trot down centerline, halt, and salute. How would you judge this movement? What is good? What could be improved? Don't be afraid to criticize, we can take it! (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 58: Want to see great riding on a horse that wants to rush jumps out of nerves?Here is a horse that has a tendency to rush jumps because of insecurity. This rider does a fabulous job of staying soft, not fighting with him, and supporting him with her leg in the final strides when he needs it the most. Especially at :37 when he begins to back off after rushing. Here she shows a great example of staying calm and riding each stride fully until takeoff. Can you see what I mean? Because this rider is not pulling on him when he begins to rush out of nerves, he keeps his focus entirely on the jump instead of fighting with her. If instead she was inclined to pull on the reins when he begins to speed up, he would fight her all the way to the base of the fence... and may even stop. Do you know any horses like this? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Discussion # 59: How would you ride this Prelim bank complex?Lets say there is 24 feet between the upbank at A and the B element of this combination. How will that distance ride? Long, short, or just right? At what speed would you need to attack this complex for your horse to make it work as a perfect one stride distance? What is the key to success at complexes that start off with an upbank? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Quiz # 13: Who can name 3 signs of true collection in a horse?Who can name 3 signs of true collection in a horse? (Click on Quiz Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Discussion # 58: Does your horse snatch at the reins as you allow him to go into free walk or a stretching trot? What do you think this means? Does your horse snatch at the reins as you allow him to go into free walk or a stretching trot? What do you think this means when horses do this? And how would you fix this problem? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Discussion # 57: Does your horse's poll tend to be too high, or too low?Everyone who does dressage knows that the horse's poll can be too low, but did you know that it can also be too high for any particular horse's conformation? When the poll is too high, the horses gaits can become flat and lose their elasticity. This is because having the poll quite high can stiffen the horse's back. So you can see why we might want to influence the height of the horse's poll, based on what needs improving at the moment. If the horse needs to use his back better, lower the poll - without losing the quality of the horse truly moving forward into the connection. And if the horse is wanting to be strung out and heavy on the forehand, ride the poll up by lowering the quarters. Which do you find you need more with your horse(s)? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Video Discussion # 57: The great Reiner Klimke shows us the right and wrong way to ride deep!
While the audio is in German, you can still get the gist of this video by reading the text that they put above the little blue box. Dr Klimke first shows us what is so common nowadays, with the horse being incorrectly ridden from front to back, showing a short, curled up neck. Then he brings his horse up into a correct working frame. And then, around 1:22, he shows us what it looks like to ride your horse more correctly deep - with a long neck (with a true "falling down" neck, rather than being pulled down), and the horse reaching forward into the connection of the bit.
While he appears behind the vertical, notice that the angles at the poll and throatlatch have actually not changed as he drops his neck. Watch this video a few times, and you will notice the many differences between the correct and incorrect way to ride deep. What stands out to me is the open vs closed angle of the throatlatch. What are your thoughts? (Click on Discussion Title above to watch this video and read or join in on this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 56: Troubleshoot training for skinny chevron jumpsThis video shows a training progression that riders can follow when training skinny chevron jumps, to help set horse and rider up for success at this type of fence. While the video suggests that this is something that riders should utilize once they have problems, I instead recommend that riders use this method to avoid problems right from the beginning. In my opinion it is much better to prevent problems than to correct them afterwards. That way the horse never learns the "way out". What are your thoughts on this? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch video and share your thoughts)Discussion # 54: Lets discuss clinicians focusing on the horse rather than rider flaws.
I have noticed that many clinicians don't address rider position and balance when teaching clinics. They tend to keep their focus entirely on the way the horse is going, and performing the exercises that they have planned. And I would love to know if this is a conscious decision when teaching clinics, or if so many trainers don't put an emphasis on the rider's position and aids being correct and accurate. What do you think?
If you are a trainer, are you purposefully avoiding making position changes in a clinic situation in the interest of time, and to avoid potentially offending riders? I know when I teach clinics that some riders seem to really appreciate the feedback I give them about their position. Yet others seem to not want to work on themselves, and only want to have fun and do challenging exercises in clinics (that they may have little hope of doing well with, because they are lacking balance and a good position.)
As a rider, do you like it when clinicians address your position or not? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 55: The horse that wants to LEAP into the water!When you have a horse that wants to leap way out into the water like this one does, how do you think you can help him to understand that he can and should drop down more quietly and conservatively? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 54: How to ride a bounce bank with downhill landingLets watch this short cross country video of Felix and I at the Morven Park HT. How do you think a bounce bank rides differently when it has a downhill landing and getaway like this one does? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Discussion # 53: Which way do you tend to find it easier to flex your horse at the poll?Most horses (especially early on in their training) prefer to flex at the poll more one way than the other. Which way does your horse naturally prefer? What does this mean? And what can you do about it? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Video Discussion # 53: A lunge line lesson exercise to improve your seatThis is a good exercise done on or off the lunge (on a quiet horse) to help you find your seatbones, and to make sure that you sit evenly on them. Have you ever tried this exercise? If so, what are your thoughts about it? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch video and read this educational discussion)Discussion # 52: How does the horse know which of these two responses you are looking for?
When we are testing the horse's self carriage, we give and expect the horse to stay the same. But when we are testing to see if our connection is true, we give and ask the horse to "chew the reins out of our hands" - taking the bit forward and down. How does the horse know which of these two responses we want when we soften the reins? How are the rider's aids different in these two situations, so that the horse knows what we want him to do? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
