New dressage pictures

[Blossom37101]

I have been dressage for about 2 months and I wonder if you could look at the pictures and see what I need to work on or fix. Thanks in advance!!

walking
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129619348/143270011kXFvFj
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129619348/143271022rPfZzY
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129619348/143268823QRdBwQ
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129619348/143269619mmixOc

trotting
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129619348/143269238NgEUIq
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129619348/143342253yYBmIw

cantering
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129619348/143341171HhBKpr

leg yield (This was the first time I had ever attempted a leg yield on her. I had a lesson the other day and got her to get her rump even with her forehand, I just thought you might like to see how she was in her first apptempt.)
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129619348/143269450Aqvrwz

[IrisSilverMoon]

an excellent start for only two months of work!


my suggestions:

make sure you have an active walk...maybe it was just me and its really hard to tell from the photos, but the horse really didn't look like it was stepping under or reaching out as much as it could have been, so to me it looks a litte sluggish. Judges like to see all gaits active, even if its asking for collection, collection doesn't mean slow, its just a shorter stride.

your position is pretty good too, but be careful you dont' let your hands fall on the withers, the horses mouth should follow them (as long as you don't make odd demands! :p ) so if you lift them off the withers a little the horses nose should come up (in the photos the nose is a little under the bit) better to have a horse above the bit than below it I say, at least if its above the bit you know its still on its hindquarters, if its below it might befalling on its face.

not a bad job for a first leg yeilding! my only suggestion here is to switch your whip to the other side so you can chase the hind quarters a little so they don't fall behind.


overall it looks like a good start, you have seem to have a nice position, which is going to help as you move on. the horse looks really lovely too...:)

[Stallion]

wow very nice!!:D very lovley

just keep working on what IrisSliverMoon said!:D

[galadriel]

With your head tilted down, your shoulders are coming forward too. I think you'll feel a lot more freedom in your back if you can work on keeping your head up & your shoulders more straight.

You're eventually going to want the horse to flex her body as you go around turns. If she flexes and stays balanced, she won't lean in like that. It's much more difficult for the horse, though--more complicated and takes a lot more strength--and it looks like you two may not be there quite yet :) Something to shoot for though.

Looking very nice for two months in.

[Blossom37101]

Thanks for the advice.... I'll be sure to work on those things!

[riding_star05]

ditto. You look good. Are you from YR??? There is a girl on YR with a horse named nlossom so I thought maybe it was you.

[Blossom37101]

hehe yea im from YR

[Luv 2 Trot]

Very nice. Your horse holds his head kind of down lik mine. Thats good to know. Now i wont feel like the only one with a horse doing dressage with a neck sort of down. You looked really good. Your side pass is so much better then mine. and i've been doing it for a long time. You two work well together. Try not to look down so much because it can throw your balance off. Work on wut evry1 above said and you two will be wonderful!!

[kedwards]

Very nice so far! For a first attempt at leg yield, I found it impressive that you were sitting well in the center of the horse, rather than leaning to one side (like I find myself sometimes doing).

What a lovely horse, by the way!

[Nicole5310]

He he my first attept at leg yeild on my old horse had no response so well done!

I can see however that you horse is falling out through her shoulder ( i think its a she?) anyway how to improve or correct this... see how her neck is very bent well if you correct this her hindlegs will yield more too. 1st of all as you do the movement keep a firmer contact on the outside rein (in this case it would be the right rein) Leg yield is suposed to just have very little bend so as soon as you start to feel her go crooked and fall out stop yielding, straighten her up and go again. This is how i taught mine now three years later hes sucessful at elementary level.

Best of luck, once you feel it as its suposed to be there will be no going back! For the love of dressage!

[KarinUS]

What a beautiful horse! You are doing great. The very first pic looks like the horse is behind the vertical but it could just be the angle the picture was taken :)