Collection and what???

[Tkeisha]

I have been riding horses for 10 years now, but have never taken formal lessons until just recently. I am learning dressage and I am having a hard time understanding how to collect the horse, give all the leg aids, shorten the paces, use my legs and do these various things. I know what is wanted of me but I do not know how to get it done. Can anyone give me some advice on what to do. It would be great to find a book that had really good pictures showing WHERE to put the leg and HOW to use it to do certain things, as well as what aids I should or should not give with my hands. I can stay on a bucking horse and ride for hours on a tough trail ride, but in the arena I am at a loss. This is compounded by the fact that I have raised and trained my horse from a filly and now I am riding a different horse and things that worked with my horse don't work for this one. I think I need some standard aids to learn but have yet to figure out what they are.

Thanks!
Tkeisha

[Mossy]

Heather Moffat - Enlightened Equitation
It can be ordered off this site and will answer your every need and a few you did not realise you had yet.

[Medalia]

What mossy is talking about is right. I've heard via the grapevine (eavesdropping is more like it :D) and I've heard that the books that she has a really great. Now, closer to my home, we have a rider, Jane Savoie, and she's written a few books on dressage for all horses, for ALL disciplines, and they are a great set....I'm trying to find one of the three right now, and am not having the best luck....At the end of the book shelf, figures.

Anyway, they're called Cross Training, and there is book one through three, and book 2, which I have now, outlines what you'll be learning, like Half-Halts (TRES important in Dressage); bending; flexing; connection; self carriage; collected gaits; extended gaits, and they all have color photos, captions under each that say (example)4.10: As as result of the collecting half-halt, Woody's balance us quite a bit different than the photo 4.7. It would help if you had the pictures here, but you don't. :D

All the books are like that, great, informative and have the neat little caricatures to really make you remember what you've just read, like developing the aids properly, the little horse off the spring-board (this is for that collection of the gaits). They are GREAT books!

Med :cool:

[Tkeisha]

Med,

Thanks for the advice. I live in the US, where would I go about getting those books?


Tkeisha

[*Anna*]

Tekeisha,
Your problem sounds almost exactly the same as mine, I'm so glad theres someone else having the same diffuculty in the school after years of hacking and trail riding!! I have just got back into lessons and am gearing up to take exams, riding round and round in a small circle is harder than I remebered! - Heathers book helps so much though and I am slowly getting to grips with impulsion, collection, lower leg position etc etc I think you can try and order it through Amazon (the online book company) - thats where I got it from, its well worth shelling out for..
Good Luck!

[Tkeisha]

Hello,


I bought Heather's books and just received it today. I already feel better about riding. I just have to get out there and practice. I remember thinking that I was pretty good rider but riding in the ring and looking good doing it is such a different ball game. It is a different kind of challenge that I hope I am up to.
Does anyone know of any good videos on beginning dressage?


Thanks!
Tkeisha

[Sarah]

hello!

You should get a copy of Heather's video, i think it is soon to be released in the US. It is marketted by Feedmark. On the Kinder Way to Ride pages on this site is info about it.

bye!