How hard can it be

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May 7, 2002
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To ride a straight line?! :rolleyes:

Today's lesson started with some transitions to wake us both up and then RI asked me to turn after A and ride a straight line down the three quarter line to the other end of the school. Dear me. It was like riding a snake. RI said I'd have got marks for leg yielding but as a straight line it was shambolic. And it was. :oops:

It sounded like something out of the chuckle brothers; "More left rein, more right leg, less left leg, more left leg, more left rein..." as we wriggled our way up and down each long side getting nowhere. So RI had one of her ideas and made us do half figure eights and three loop serpentines so we were constantly bending. That went much better. So once we'd got bend, she had us go back to straight again.

And things improved. I was told to think about it from a "Could I turn left, could I turn right?" point of view without actually turning. So basically the horse is waiting to be told which way to go and in the absence of an instruction on that stays straight.

Then we had canter which covered both short sides and one long side which made my day :D and finished with a (slightly wobbly but much improved) straight line from A to C. :) Who knew a straight line could cause so many problems?! :eek:
 
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Ooh I'm glad you've told me this! Our straight lines are a disaster so I'm going to try your tips.... thanks!
 
The other thing she had me do was shorten up my rein and hold onto the neck strap because once you've given the rein away you lose contact. Think of it as driving a car. The engine is the quarters and the reins are your steering wheel. So you need leg on for forward uphill movement and your hands taking control of the direction. She also said if you work her properly into the bridle she will start to seek out that contact. And she did. Don't be afraid to take up a proper contact -when I tried that today it felt like I was pulling too hard on her mouth. But she started to listen to me ordering her about and insist that she do it. RI says I am lacking in confidence in myself.
 
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Straightness is far harder than most people reckon and along with downward transitions not worked on enough at most levels.

Straight needs a balanced horse and rider and needs as you found lot of tiny corrections. I have found that putting markers on the ground and getting riders to be aware of the effect of their weight on the direction of the horse works well.

For what it is worth I agree with your instructor, you sound far better than you give yourself credit for!
 
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eml said:
Straightness is far harder than most people reckon and along with downward transitions not worked on enough at most levels.

Straight needs a balanced horse and rider and needs as you found lot of tiny corrections. I have found that putting markers on the ground and getting riders to be aware of the effect of their weight on the direction of the horse works well.

For what it is worth I agree with your instructor, you sound far better than you give yourself credit for!
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We've worked on bendy stuff for a while. And doing ok with that. So when she said we were doing straight lines I did think it would be a piece of cake and wouldn't take much effort. How wrong can a person get?! :rolleyes: I might sound like I'm doing ok but I do ride a saint of a mare who does whatever is asked of her for as long as she understands it. And if she doesn't!, she's fairly quick at picking it up. :)
 
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RI did say next lesson will include straight lines on a loose rein. :eek: So I will be steering off leg aids, seat and weight alone in an effort to rely less on just keeping her head straight and forgetting the rest. I am afraid.... very afraid....
 
chev said:
RI did say next lesson will include straight lines on a loose rein. :eek: So I will be steering off leg aids, seat and weight alone in an effort to rely less on just keeping her head straight and forgetting the rest. I am afraid.... very afraid....
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Oddly Belle is far better at straight lines on a loose rein that she is on a contact, I think I try to 'over correct' when working into a contact. Also I have noticed that Belle can do a perfectly straight line when it involves walking from the yard back to the field :rolleyes:
 
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Kite_Rider said:
Oddly Belle is far better at straight lines on a loose rein that she is on a contact, I think I try to 'over correct' when working into a contact. Also I have noticed that Belle can do a perfectly straight line when it involves walking from the yard back to the field :rolleyes:
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It's interesting that if mare is given a long rein and turned into the middle to end the lesson she does a cracking straight line!
 
Rashid has a straightness exercise where you imagine the school is mapped out in squares like a chess board and you ride the horse anywhere you like, at random, but always turning at right angles and going along the lines. Our long term RI didnt like my doing it - but it is something I like to do. The horse has to listen to me and it requires neatness and attention.
And one great thing about straight lines - Chev - my fear of cantering in the school was due to having witnesses a canter colision with a school wall. So brilliant RI had me do a lot of canter across the diagonal and down the three quarter line, well away from hard edges. Riding lines meant steering canter and (imo) great improved my control of canter out hacking. I could not have paired so happily with the glorious Grace out in the open, had I not done all the canter straight lines on her and medium canter too.
 
chev said:
It's interesting that if mare is given a long rein and turned into the middle to end the lesson she does a cracking straight line!
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Absolutely - Try doing the steering and right angles with no rein in walk at the end of your lesson when cooling down. It is fun and interesting.
Obviously doing these things depends on having a nice RI who lets you try things and make a fool of yourself. Our original RI sacked me because I wanted to enjoy this sort of rubbish - tho steering and stopping with no reins is not rubbish really.
 
Skib said:
Absolutely - Try doing the steering and right angles with no rein in walk at the end of your lesson when cooling down. It is fun and interesting.
Obviously doing these things depends on having a nice RI who lets you try things and make a fool of yourself. Our original RI sacked me because I wanted to enjoy this sort of rubbish - tho steering and stopping with no reins is not rubbish really.
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Luckily I have an instructor with a sense of humour which makes a big difference. My previous instructor had a military air about her and everything was taken very seriously. Which might be some peoples' preferred method of learning but I found it rather intimidating.

Current instructor makes riding fun as well as a learning curve. I get told, "If you lose that stirrup going into canter once more I will take it off you and beat you about the head with it!" And then she'll pull me into X and explain why I'm losing that stirrup and how to remedy it. She reckons she uses the same method of teaching on me as she does for the kids she teaches :p. She needs to be patient with me because I forget things. She'll tell me to go down the centre line from A to C, turn right and then do a turn on the forehand at B to change the rein. And I'll get to C, turn right and realise I've forgotten what she said to do next. If I was teaching me I'd drive myself batty!
 
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hahah yes, straightness is one of the most under estimated, hardest of things to achieve ! My newly back 4 year old is naturally pretty balanced and also willing (for now :D ) and so we can muster a straight-ish line down the 3/4 line. My 6 year old, who has done a really good amount and has been having weekly lessons with a dressage RI for months... can STILL be a challenge to get straight. she isn’t naturally the most balanced but she also just doesn’t want to try. It is very very frustrating!
 
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Forward, forward forward is what I say in my head when going down the centre line and also look at C and ride to it. I can't touch Ginger ponies sides as he reacts and steps away from the leg if applied on just one side once that happens we are off our line and wiggling the same with the reins.

I also know that Ginger does a better straight line coming off the left rein than the right so I also start a test on that rein.

At the end of every schooling session to cool him off we walk the centre line and halt 4 or 5 times before I give a long rein.

Also we hardly ever school on the outside track.
 
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At least half of my last lesson was spent on the task of riding straight down the centre line (60m school) and stopping (exactly) at X.
The answer to your question is "a lot more difficult than it looks like it ought to be!!"
 
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Well we spent today's lesson concentrating on not just straight lines on the inner track, three quarter line and centre line but holding her in a proper contact as well. In both walk and trot. I can get her to round her back and work into the bridle in walk. I'm still struggling with doing that in a straight line although we are improving- I'm reacting quicker to her wobbles than I was last time - but in trot her nose came up and she hollowed. RI said I need to be more bossy with her and insist she rides into the contact even if it's only a few steps to start with. It is hard work, trying to correct every little deviation and get her to work on the bit at the same time.

We finished doing zig zags down the centre line and she behaved better than she did to begin with so at least we got some good work done. I can see this straightness becoming a battle of wills!
 
I am very crooked but never had any trouble riding down the centre or any other line. I suspect that is because in my early riding lessons I was told only to look where I wanted the horse to go. Mark Rashid issues the same instructions for backing up - look at an object straight ahead of you and the horse will back straight backwards away from it. In my early lessons I would stare at the letter across the school and pray hard.
When I finally had proper school lessons from an eventing RI, again she told me to steer down the centre without using the reins. Just look that way to prepare the horse and then point your tummy button in the direct you want to go.
This is very useful as using the reins tends to slow the horse whereas you need more energy (the horse needs more energy) to go round a corner or make a turn.
 
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