I Have MY 7 Year Old OTTB Mehtala, And Decided Jumping Was NOT My Thing, And I Want To Stick With Dressage Which I Have Been Riding For 6 Years, Any Comments, On If Dressage And My Mare Are A Good Match? This Was My 3rd Dressage Lesson On Her!
You covered it pretty well maura. For 3 lessons you are not that bad but I would question any instructor that tells you to place your hand/arm in the position it is in.Very typical of most OTTBs, she is tense through her back, hollow and not "through". She also has not engaged her hind end and doesn't come close to tracking up. I would focus more on relaxation, getting her to stretch down, and working long and low before even thinking about "on the aids", a frame or an outline.
Dropping your hand down below the standard straight line between elbow and bit may work short term to get the horse to drop its head, but it creates more trouble long term in terms of correct training. It's also incredibly punitive, creating direct downward pressure on the bars of the horses mouth.
Dressage is difficult for TBs is general because they're not bred or built for it (Yes, I know there have been fabulous exceptions); particularly hard for OTTBs because they've had traveling inverted and bracing on the bit confirmed by all their previous training.
Your mare is attractive and seems willing and like she's being a good sport about what she's being asked, which is a huge plus. It's hard to evaluate her athleticism from these photos, but certainly she'd be capable of doing Intro, Training and First Level.
However, I will tell that reschooling an OTTB as a dressage horse is a long, difficult task, sort of like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon. Relaxing the back and stretching is the key. It can be done, but one day after months and months of work, you'll be happy your OTTB stayed on the aids for her whole Training Level test; and you'll realize that riders on warmbloods achieved that milestone in 1/4 the time or less, which much less sweat than you did.
Disclaimer: I dabbled in dressage, it was not my primary discipline. If anabel, Spyder or Mercedes post in this thread and say something different, please pay attention to *them*. They are the true dressage experts. My experience with OTTBs is pretty extensive, however.
Actually, no she is not. I can tell right off that she's not. For starters, she has the typical TB high hock and high stifle set. Exactly not what you want in a dressage horse.Thank you guys alot, And she actually is built for dressge,
Pardon my hysterical laughter.This Mare Is Only Going To Be My LOW Level Training Thru First Level Dressage Horse, In 2 Years I Will Be Breeding her for my HIGH level horse. to our Trehkaner/ Gelderlander/ Dutch Stallion that cant be ridden due to injury, and she bearly raced, only 2 starts, then was spoiled for 3 years, and so this is a big improvement to what she used to be, pics dont do justice for her confo
Also there is nothing spectacular in the breeding of this stallion.Sorry but breeding a 'high level' dressage horse does not entail putting a cute wb stallion over an average mare. You'll be lucky to get something that is built uphill putting those two together. if you want a really talented, quality foal, you need a very nice mare that is all round well put together, then pick a stallion that will compliment her features. Please don't join the mob of 'I have a mare therefore I should breed her to any stallion'. Just because you have the stallion doesn't mean you should use him. He may be available to you, but have you put any thought into how he compliments her conformation/temperament/movement...???? I think not.
My 2 cents.
Well, that was Elliot's father. Not Elliot.And Actually Elliott's Father Avenir Is Impressive, Avenir Was In The Olympics And His Father Was In The Top Ten UNITED STATES DRESSAGE FEDERATION Stallion List. Obviously You Don't Know Anything Either, And I Do Know How To Ride Dressage, I Was In A Hunter Type, Close Contact Saddle, And Do You Realize I Am Only 15.