Dressage Winter Evening Lectures - July 2011 OVERVIEW OF SESSION ONE

Hi everyone
For those of you that attended the first session ‘Thank You’ and I hope you found the session worthwhile.
 
REMEMBER TO BRING ANY SCHOOLING WHIPS AND SPURS YOU HAVE AND A PAIR OF REINS FOR WEEK 2!!
 
The focus of the evening was how do we assess what we have in our horses – positive aspects – and what needed to be improved. How do we work with what we have? And  How do we make step by step progress?
 
Rhythm – is the first foundation block – and the first level of ‘The Scales of Training’  - diagram. An explanation of what rhythm is:- the time between the ‘footfalls’ . Establishing rhythm is vital for both horse and rider to progress. How can we work on this? – ‘feel’ when you ride, ride to music, sing when you ride! Count the rhythm.
 

• Rhythm is linked to balance once a good forward going rhythm is established better balance is possible 
• Rhythm is linked to ‘Cadence’ = what is cadence – the animation within the paces of trot and canter the longer the period of suspension the better the cadence – some horse have natural cadence others may not – short DVD clip of  how quite an ordinary trot could be improved. 
• Rhythm can also effect the trajectory of the stride – this is the shape of the step the horse takes – examples being the ‘Clydy’ type that moves with a high – more rounded knee action has a higher rise /shape step as apposed to the TB way of moving with a longer lower shape to the step. What ever the type of movement each step needs to be the same shape /trajectory. The purity of the gait needs to have equal shape to each step.
• RHYTHM IS A CORNERSTONE TO OUR HORSES WORK

 
The areas we where wanting to improve with our schooling:-
Tension – mental and physical, was one area suggested – root cause could be wide and varied – overcoming past experiences, lack of harmony with the rider etc etc.
Discussion as to how this can be addressed – the importance of warm up – and with a very tense horse enough time and patience to establish calmness at the beginning of any schooling session – time well spent.
You need activity to get you and your horse warm – the horses coat will flatten – the nostrils will be working, enough movement to take oxygen to the muscles we want to work harder in the next phase of the session – this can also include getting focused and listening to each other, feel for each others mood/attitude (yours in particular – if you have had a hard day at the office or school might be better not to train and ride out instead!!)  – once warm and focus stretching can begin.
 
Stretching – why do we do this? We are training and athlete, it is a vital part of the training not just for warming up but for cooling down and to take tension out of the work should it occur. How do we stretch – the purpose is to stretch the ‘top line’ – from poll, neck, spine to the base of the tail to encourage the horse to use and SWING the back.
This cannot be done with a loose rein, there needs to be a light connection/contact and the feeling that the horse is ‘seeking forward’ and downwards with the head and neck then the horse’s back can curve upwards and start to ‘swing’. Find the pace your horse finds it easiest, sometimes the tempo needs to be a little slower than normal to give the horse confidence to keep balance. Finding ways to get the horse to accept the hand forward and down my take some time but so worth while to build trust in the contact/hand. There was discussion around ways/methods to achieve this.
 
Looseness, Relaxation and Swing – can be established once the horse is able to use the back and work in a good rhythm. This is the second rung on the Ladder of ‘The Scales of Training’.
 
Jeanette’s suggestions:-

• do as much as you can to train your eye – watch horses moving and be analytical of the way the horse moves – focus on the rhythm , relaxation – all of the above
• lunge your horse and watch movement
• focus on being constructive rather than judgemental – watch other tests at completions – always start with the good/ positive – what you like about the horses and rider’s way of going
• watch DVD’s, Video’s, study pictures – train your eye as often as you can
• Training your ‘eye’ is FREE!!

 
We concluded the evening with 2 short exercises – everyone was given a picture of a horse and rider and asked to list what they saw that was good and what needed to change for a better ‘way of going’. The second exercise - mini goal setting as to what you wanted to achieve with your horse the things that you already had to help you and what you still needed to progress towards your goals.
Fun activity – ‘How good is your balance’ – try and stand on a wobble board   
Here are some websites you might find interesting:-
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