Pics of Rei and Luchia

[Heather]

This first pic, is a ohoto of Luchia, the Lusitano x Tb mare that I bought last year- 9 yrs old, had just been a hack, no schooling. Looked like a hammock!- ewe neck, bum you could have skied off, and shoulder blades bone covered in skin.

[Heather]

More to follow- as soon as I can get hold of Sue to remind me how to compress jpegs- the rest are all too big at the moment!!

Heather

[Heather]

We try again- this is nine months later! Slight difference, eh?

Apolgies by the way, for the poor quality of thes photos- they were taken from my nephew's camcorder - he hadn't the software to download the stills- and I transferred them onto videotape. I then cpatured them again from the TV on my new camcorder, before transferring them to the computer!

Heather

[Heather]

Nice light uphill canter- oh and by the way, Lucy's entire reschooling was done in a pelham!!

Heather

[Heather]

4 yr old Lusitano stallion. He is going to be a stunner by the time he is seven and fully mature! He offers piaffe with ease, although it is not actually being worked on- as you will see from the next photo, he just finds lowering the hindquarters so easy! He has terrific natural rhythm, a great walk, and a very uphill, hugely expressive canter. Can't wait to get him home next summer, after he has been to Lisbon show.

[Heather]

He is just about to offer some more steps of piaffe, shows how easy he finds 'sitting'! Levade is going to be no problem.

[belle]

The pictures look amazing!

The difference in Luchia is fantastic!

It must be wonderful to have such lovely horses to work on.:)

[Wally]

Ooh er missus! he's a bit special innee?

[Heather]

HI Belle,

Well of course I have sold her now! She isn't going until the spring though. My great friends Jon and Anne Heyes - Jon built me the simulator- have bought Lucy. Anne fell in love wit her and can give her a permanent home. They have recently moved to a place with 15 acres and are busy getting it all done up, so hope to be ready for Lucy too, by March. They have another lovely horse too, and will be getting a pony for their five year old daughter, so Lucy will have company. She really enjoys being more of a one person horse, and I have my hands full with Fanta and then Rei when he comes over!! Only reason I have left him with my trainer Luis is that I hadn't the time this year to spend on a four year old, with having to do a lot of retraining with Fanta, but I know that Rei is in the best of hands!


Heather

[belle]

Sounds like Lucy will have a great home!

I too understand how much time it takes training a young horse, I started my five year old mare under saddle this summer, I worked her 5 days a week from September to November when she was at the yard where I work, and since then once or twice a week, although she seems to appreciate the break! As soon as it is lighter at night I will work her more.

If only there could be more hours in a day!:)

[Emma_G_NZ]

Ohhh Rei is gorgeous!

[ravenin]

The difference in Lucy is amazing. Both horses are QUITE stunning!

Why the heck don't I read the EE portion of this board more often? I shall have to remedy that. I'm sure when I finally grab a copy of the EE book just after Christmas it will help get me hanging around here! I pray to Zeus it will help quiet my sitting trot! :D

Truly beautiful horses though, Heather, you should be proud.

[karenmw460]

Heather, Luchia looks lovely, you've done a great job with her.
Rei is just gorgeous, but then I just love Lusitanos! Having had the chance to ride some superbly trained ones I can appreciate what special horses they are. I am sure you will be happy to get your hands on him full time next year.

[mikka]

All I can say is WOW! The difference in Lucy's musculature is beyond words.... what a magical touch you have. And Rei is simply to die for.

[CT]

Hi Heather

Wow they both look fantastic! Lucy looks like an entirely different horse - *** a difference a couple of months with you can make! The new baby looks really really fab. Lucky you.

Caron

[Heather]

HI All,

Glad you liked the pics- they took long enough to appear!! Now that I have the new and rather clever camcorder - with the intention of filming our own videos as I am tired of camermen not knowing what they are filming as they know nothing about horses!- I hope to be able to put more up. I am going back in March to ride Rei next. Was hoping to go over next month, but Luis is in Germany a lot doing the Royal Horse Gala show, as not worth going over until he is back.

Heather

[judyl]

Well, Heather, Luchia is really a credit to you. And what a comment on having patience and working step by step. She looks absolutely amazing!

And how can you find the words to describe Rei........?

[FRED]

They both look stunning Heather. Luchia is looking great athlete.
I may have to remind a message board friend the photos of Lusitano are here.
We visited the Lusitano show earlier this year
and I was chating to owner of a lovely Lusitano X TB waiting for dressage test, she grumbled about Portugeuese time keeping;) judge was taking rather long time with his dinner. The owner did say though she wouldn't want the Portugeuse any other way.What a friendly and relaxed lot they are.
:)

[tasha]

Gorgeous horsers, Heather, but may I ask what levade is?

[belle]

Its kind of a small but balanced rear as far as I know.

[western]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Heather
This first pic, is a ohoto of Luchia, the Lusitano x Tb mare that I bought last year- 9 yrs old, had just been a hack, no schooling. Looked like a hammock!- ewe neck, bum you could have skied off, and shoulder blades bone covered in skin. [/QUOTE


i really like how the horse has a nice high headseat. really looks nice

[western]

HI everyone i am new here. I love horses and i have one. He is a nice 13 year old buckskin quarter horse gelding. We like to go riding in the hay fields and loves to have lots of attention. so my job is mostly taking care of him and some of my cats and dogs. So you can say its my job

[Heather]

HI folks,
#

The levade is the ultimate in collection- the horse 'sitting' and balancing, on his hindlegs, which are way underneath, so that the forehand is raised and forelegs folded up. I may be able to put up a still of one of my trainer Luis's horses doing it, when I get a moment, which will illustrate it better than I can describe!

Heather

[Kerry's Partner]

Heather, they are both absolutely stunning. Luchia was very lucky that you found her and "turned her around" in such a very short time.

In our answers to the thread called "What is enlightened equitation?" I think we forgot to mention the transformations. In your pics of Luchia everyone can see that this has happened for her but I'm sure the difference in riders and their horses who seek EE tuition and then continue practising/developing is just as dramatic even if not anywhere near so advanced.

[Heather]

Hi Western, and welcome!

You mention Lucy's 'headset'. It is the result of those nine months of training, getting her more and more back on her hocks and therefore raising up her forehand, and her neck from the base.

It is something that takes time, and skill in being able to train it- unfortunately not something you can just 'fix'!!

Also, quarter horses have a lower set on neck in general, as a low head carriage is desired to assist with the snaking and turning needed for controlling cattle, so to achieve a higher head carriage as Lucy's would be difficult. The Iberian horses have a naturally higher set on neck and so it is relatively easy to train them- although not so easy to correct a horrible ewe neck as Lucy's had been. She really did go in just the way depicted in that first photo at the beginning of this thread! She had been owned by an older gent who just hacked her out, and let her go round on a loose rein, with her head up like a giraffe, and then pulled on the reins to stop! Not the best of beginnings, and even worse having been ridden like that for the four years he owned her!

Heather

[HorsesNaturally]

Here's a picture of Philippe Karl on Odin, a Lusitano Stallion executing the Levade.

[HorsesNaturally]

Click here (http://www.classicaldressage.com/images3/karl3.jpg) to see where I got the photo's from.

[tasha]

Thanks Heather, so basically levade is rearing?!?;) And then capriole is when they rear then leap isnt it?

BTW Sister brought home your book today (I posted a few months back saying she had won it as a school prize) and I cant keep my nose out of it!! I think the trouble I'm going to have is to work out what I need to concentrate on first..what would be your suggestions?