horsemad
7th Oct 2004, 11:25 AM
Should I keep nagging my horse until she works properly ‘on the bit’, or just let her potter about on a loose contact?
Cindy is a very young, fit and healthy 21 year old. She can go on the bit and she is capable of going really nicely IF she is in the mood and IF I work really hard with legs, hands, everything to keep her going. But she tends to be lazy and is looking for any excuse to slow down or stop. So when I first take up a contact, she backs off the contact and slows down. She will also resist to start with and sticks her head in the air. So if I take up a stronger contact, I have to use my legs VERY firmly, often backed up with a tap from the dressage whip and lots of vocal encouragement. I have to keep at her the whole time - it really is a case of having to push her on every single step of the way.
The thing is I feel I shouldn't have to 'do' so much to get the required result. When I watch classical dressage riders, it all looks very effortless and subtle. But I have to ask quite firmly with my hands to get Cindy to relax when I first take up a contact. And because I have to use my legs so firmly at every stride, she sometimes gets bald patches on her sides. :o So rather than me sitting quietly and giving subtle aids, I feel like I’m having to work too hard (I have visions of me bouncing about, flapping my legs and hauling on the reins – I really really hope its not as bad as that, and I do TRY to adhere to the quiet ‘enlightened equitation’ way of riding :) )
I think part of the problem is that Cindy is a wise old girl and she has probably learned that if she slows down or resists when I take up a contact, there is a good chance that I will give up nagging her after a few strides because I hate having to keep at her. And then she can go back to just plodding about as usual. But the thing is she has shown that she is capable of so much more than that. So, is it worth persisting with her and getting her to work on the bit? Even if I do make her bald patches worse? :o
Cindy is a very young, fit and healthy 21 year old. She can go on the bit and she is capable of going really nicely IF she is in the mood and IF I work really hard with legs, hands, everything to keep her going. But she tends to be lazy and is looking for any excuse to slow down or stop. So when I first take up a contact, she backs off the contact and slows down. She will also resist to start with and sticks her head in the air. So if I take up a stronger contact, I have to use my legs VERY firmly, often backed up with a tap from the dressage whip and lots of vocal encouragement. I have to keep at her the whole time - it really is a case of having to push her on every single step of the way.
The thing is I feel I shouldn't have to 'do' so much to get the required result. When I watch classical dressage riders, it all looks very effortless and subtle. But I have to ask quite firmly with my hands to get Cindy to relax when I first take up a contact. And because I have to use my legs so firmly at every stride, she sometimes gets bald patches on her sides. :o So rather than me sitting quietly and giving subtle aids, I feel like I’m having to work too hard (I have visions of me bouncing about, flapping my legs and hauling on the reins – I really really hope its not as bad as that, and I do TRY to adhere to the quiet ‘enlightened equitation’ way of riding :) )
I think part of the problem is that Cindy is a wise old girl and she has probably learned that if she slows down or resists when I take up a contact, there is a good chance that I will give up nagging her after a few strides because I hate having to keep at her. And then she can go back to just plodding about as usual. But the thing is she has shown that she is capable of so much more than that. So, is it worth persisting with her and getting her to work on the bit? Even if I do make her bald patches worse? :o