What was the last thing you learnt about horses?
- Thread starter Mary Poppins
- Start date
I am not convinced of that, as it wasnt what I was taught.
When I went for dressage lessons I bought a whole folder of tests at various levels. There were gaps in the numbering where a test had been withdrawn. But I dont think those numbers get reallocated to new tests, so the latest tests come in with higher numbers.
The tests at each level presumably are supposed to be roughly the same?
But since each level introduces certain movements, then yes, a rider would use discretion and choose a particular test to introdiuce a horse to something it hadnt done before. e.g. counter canter, with each horse, we chose to start with a shallow loop and then progress to riding it across the diagonal. I havent been taught any of this fancy riding in an outline but we used tests a lot - often a different one each week - because me and the horse were both learning. I often use test 13 (which other people here have ridden and posted) when trying out a horse which wouldnt make sense if it were more difficult than 12.
Who told you they were graded by difficulty Ale?
Not a new thing I've learnt, but one of the more important & also applicable to life in general, is that there is no one right way.
Yes agreed.
I got told today by an 8 year old that riding on the roads without shoes is awful. That was said as I was tacking mine up.
It's not a right or wrong, it's just right for her.
They went on to say that their foal had almost got the hang of being driven and had shoes. I didn't reply to that. Imo that's wrong, but in their culture/ upbringing it's perfectly normal and acceptable.
Where is the right and wrong definition?
Ohhh everything crossed for you.Sounds interesting.
The last thing I learned was on Friday and to not quite give up yet. My horse has been off and on the last month. I moved him in March to another yard that offered me temporary grazing. He was there for a month, then he went hopping lame. I had a look found nothing, but box rest after 48 hours seems to sort it out. Called the vet anyway but as he was stabled somewhere new and on his own he wasn't having it and became downright nasty when the vet went to look at his foot (he had come sound that day when she came though !)
Decided to bring him home and stable him there. Worked a treat, he was much happier and settled (loading him was 'interesting'
If my farrier hadn't had been there that day …
He's still quite sore now but I can put that down to his abscess as he had a fair bit cut around the toe but now I'm in in a fingers crossed mode that hopefully when the pus stops coming out then he will get sound .. I hope
I always thought that you had to have your horses vaccinated within twelve months of last jab in order to keep up the immunity. I was told last moth that it’s only if you compete under Jockey Club rules that it matters and vaccinating a few days late will have no impact at all.
The bit about the difference between stiff and lame is interesting. This is what caused the issues on my yard with Ben. The staff thought he looked stiff but not lame. My vet said there was no such thing as stiff or unlevel. The horse is either sound or lame. Sometimes the lameness will improve after movement (as in arthritic lameness) but his view was that people try to trivialise the lameness by calling it stiffness because it sounds less severe and therefore justifying to themselves that the horse is OK.
There is a thread on H&H forum saying exactly the same Ale. But it doesnt make sense to me as a member of the non horsey public.
The tests I bought as a complete set in 2008 may have been in order of difficulty. But by the time i got to riding dressage tests in weekly lessons there were new tests added which one had to buy separately or on line.
You may wonder why I bought and rode some new tests?
I rode the same tests my RI was doing in competitions with her own horse and tests on which the staff had had advanced sports coaching (which was then passed on to me).Some were new tests that I had to buy them on line and print them off. I remember those lessons with great pleasure.
If tests are issued in numerical order of difficulty they cannot also be numbered according to the date they are first published.
The tests I bought as a complete set in 2008 may have been in order of difficulty. But by the time i got to riding dressage tests in weekly lessons there were new tests added which one had to buy separately or on line.
You may wonder why I bought and rode some new tests?
I rode the same tests my RI was doing in competitions with her own horse and tests on which the staff had had advanced sports coaching (which was then passed on to me).Some were new tests that I had to buy them on line and print them off. I remember those lessons with great pleasure.
If tests are issued in numerical order of difficulty they cannot also be numbered according to the date they are first published.
Mine was 1/10 lame in season. I can now manage her because she isn't.
Surprised the vet didn't think a horse could be unlevel. It's the most common reason that they come out of dressage competitions and are retired. The majority are asymmetrical. I always make sure I swap diagonals out hacking because she will put me onto her best one.
So what is the difference between unlevel and lame? If a horse isn’t bearing weight equally on each limb then surely they are lame? If they don’t take equal length steps then they are lame. Horses all favour one side and can be more supple in different reins, but their striding and weight distribution should be even.
Dreasage judges say horses are unlevel because they are not allowed to say horses are lame. So if you ever read unlevel on a test sheet it generally means the judge thinks your horse is lame.
Thought about something else as I was mucking out friends mare looking after whilst friend gets over broken leg.I don't want a grey horse.That's my latest discovery.
In dressage generally the test do get hard the higher the number. However over the years test have been withdrawn and updated. For example in novice
test 27 (2007) is only just harder than the highest prelim it introduces canter across the diagonal back to the edge of the arena in prelim it stops half way across. as this test increase in number they add a few strides of counter canter and show some medium trot. At the top end of Novice 34 (2009 rev 2016) this has a change of rein through trot over x, lengthen strides in canter. some also have walk to canter and 10m trot circles.
That all said you may find that your horse finds medium trot easy so you look for a test that has that on both reins. This is Ginger and I failing so I look for tests with min medium trot in but look for tests with counter canter on both reins and medium canter as this is his best bits.
You use to see the long arena tests at the top end as well and these were used for championships. However there are some long arena that are now with a lower number like Novice 22 (2007).
My advice is to pick a test that suits your horses ability
test 27 (2007) is only just harder than the highest prelim it introduces canter across the diagonal back to the edge of the arena in prelim it stops half way across. as this test increase in number they add a few strides of counter canter and show some medium trot. At the top end of Novice 34 (2009 rev 2016) this has a change of rein through trot over x, lengthen strides in canter. some also have walk to canter and 10m trot circles.
That all said you may find that your horse finds medium trot easy so you look for a test that has that on both reins. This is Ginger and I failing so I look for tests with min medium trot in but look for tests with counter canter on both reins and medium canter as this is his best bits.
You use to see the long arena tests at the top end as well and these were used for championships. However there are some long arena that are now with a lower number like Novice 22 (2007).
My advice is to pick a test that suits your horses ability
To me a lame horse is in pain/discomfort. You will get a slight nod of the head.
An unlevel horse is not necessarily in pain, but it's still showing a problem because it can't completely step under fully on both sides.
Using mine as my example, she couldn't track up in walk on either hind when she would normally. So she was lame behind, showing discomfort, sore, stiffness.
If she was unlevel behind it would make me think of muscle tension. This could be in the back or poll because the horse needs to lift the back and flex to step under more.
I've actually pulled a muscle in my leg. It's making me slightly lame, not unlevel. I take the same steps on both legs.
An unlevel horse is not necessarily in pain, but it's still showing a problem because it can't completely step under fully on both sides.
Using mine as my example, she couldn't track up in walk on either hind when she would normally. So she was lame behind, showing discomfort, sore, stiffness.
If she was unlevel behind it would make me think of muscle tension. This could be in the back or poll because the horse needs to lift the back and flex to step under more.
I've actually pulled a muscle in my leg. It's making me slightly lame, not unlevel. I take the same steps on both legs.
Last thing I learnt. Do not feed ginger nut biscuits to a ginger warmblood. Ever. End of.
Otherwise you may end up with a large, potty snorting red dragon who stalks about the arena.
Otherwise you may end up with a large, potty snorting red dragon who stalks about the arena.
Using me as an example, I have old damage that means I usually walk a bit unevenly & am stiff first thing in the morning. It doesn't cause me any pain but if I was a horse you'd definitely say I had a slightly abnormal gait & was stiff when moving off - I think a flexion test would be disastrous lol! However if I make an effort to walk levelly for some reason (my mum going on at me to sit down & rest usually does it) then I will begin to hurt even though I look far better. It reminds me of a vet advising someone to stop having physio & chiro for her horse (who had multiple unfixable problems) unless he was actually saying he was hurting - her view, and I agree based on me, was that left to himself he was finding a way to move that suited him & he was best left to that, that wrong might actually be right for him.
When I watched Flash trot up with an infected cut on his leg, there was a noticeable tilt on his pelvis when he bore weight on that leg. Definite “ouch” to his movements. His ears were out sideways too, which is always an indicator to me of if he’s in pain. After antibiotics, and a few days off work, he trotted up- there was no tilt on the pelvis, but lower down on his limb (still swollen, though not very much heat in it) it looked like he was walking with a wooden leg. A bit more walking around, a light hack, trotted up again sound with no stiffness.
It’s a bit like when I get up in the morning I can’t get my rings on/off my finger. Give me an hour of being up and active, it’s not a problem, I can get them on/off fine.
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