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Dressage show (3rd one so far)

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  kitten_Val 
#1 ·
I went to our 3rd show yesterday (different one, bigger than first 2 I've been to). I was quite surprised to see so many people there at one time (as first 2 shows people seemed to just come and go, so not too many horses/people/trailers around).

Didn't hold my breath (was rather hot so horse didn't show too much of enthusiasm), especially after the warm-up (as my stubborn qh kept picking wrong lead on her bad size despite all aids, so I kept trying till I got 2 good correct ones in row and then just quit). But when we entered the arena she surprisingly focused and tried (although did spook by the judge booth, unfortunately, as there was no ride around the arena (before entering), so I didn't have a chance to introduce her to the "scary object").

Here is the video and pics of warm-up and after the ride. Critique is very welcome as always and feel free to be harsh - I know there is still bunch to improve. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAcwU_3HvjE
 

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#2 ·
A definite improvement.

Things to be careful about....

Don't anticipate the next thing to do. Like the first trot to canter and the Last part with walk to trot. Relax until you get there.

Allow the horse to complete the final halt as the horse was not square and was about to finish but you failed to keep your legs on her until she did.

Overall she still needs to open up her gait more and what was discussed in the half halt thread is where the answer to that is.

Personally I am very pleased on how far you have gotten and you are on the right track.
 
#3 ·
Thank you, Spyder! Great observations/suggestions!

P.S. And I noticed my elbows are straight too often too. So something to keep in mind next time I ride. :)
 
#4 ·
KV,

I haven't seen any othe videos of you doing dressage shows, so can't make any comparison. Overall, I think you ride very well.. Your have a very upright position that is consistently so, no matter the gait. The down transitions were quite good and the horse had a good bend except for a few sspots where he fell out of the corner through his shoulder, but that had a lot to do with him worrying about the judges booth behind him.

The only thing I could think of to comment on was that your seem upright and a bit stiff, to the extreme. When you are posting, it seems a bit like you are really tight and not coming up as far as might help your horse feel more encouraged to move forward. There's a feeling of you being really stiff in the pelvis, and I wonder if this isn't ever so slightly holding the horse back and encourages smaller steps with less "loft". I noticed that with that stiffness your elbow didn't flex as much as would best allow the hand to be softly following in one place, relative to the horse.

You asked us to be harsh, and that was about the only thing I could see. And it's not much. I thought you did well and will assume that you got a good score.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Very nice ride!
I haven't seen any previous tests either. So, hard to make comparisons.

A few observations that might have ticked points off here and there....

* Always remember that downward transitions must be very forward. You need to use more leg to do downward than you usually have to to do any upward transition. The halt takes a whole lot of leg to keep him stepping up to the halt.

* After your initial halt, your horse lost a lot of his impulsion going through the first corner. Any time a horse increases his bend (as in a corner) the horse will lose impulsion. The leg must be increased to create more energy (with half halt to control it). Drive the horse forward and control any energy produced. Otherwise, the horse loses engagement, loses bend/balance, and often goes hollow.

* Your seat at the canter needs to deepen and not come out of the saddle as much. You need to relax and use those abdominal muscles to absorb the "bounce".

That's about it.
You have a Lovely horse who is doing very well. He's soft and doing a great job!! Good ride!!
 
#6 ·
Thank you, ladies! That's very helpful! (yes, I know I'm always tense and ahead of myself at those test rides. I'm trying to relax and stay calm but so far not very successful :wink: ). And tiny, that wasn't harsh at all, but constructive.

I didn't mention but yes, scores were pretty good, and I got 1st place. :D
 
#7 ·
Thank you, ladies! That's very helpful! (yes, I know I'm always tense and ahead of myself at those test rides. I'm trying to relax and stay calm but so far not very successful :wink: ). And tiny, that wasn't harsh at all, but constructive.

I didn't mention but yes, scores were pretty good, and I got 1st place. :D

OH, you just conveniently forgot to mention that?
 
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