Tess gets back to work (after my broken arm)

[Belbe]

sigh... i'm saving for Pete Ramey's 16 hour rehabilitation DVDs. But when i renew my subscription i'll get the full one again.
kay, Tess after a loooooooooooooong argument (again) on reinback. I eventually called my cousin to fetch a whip for me and tried again. Result: we got a few more steps of Piaffe.

seccond attempt at piaffe

for the record, my coach trained her properly, no tricks. But she does loose body condition extremely fast and the 3 months she was off got her on flesh and bone again.
My coach says she always tries too hard. Maybe because, and i keep agreeing with her that she's not really built for this, so she puts all this crazy effort into every exercise! like all the energy she was suposed to use racing, she puts on shoolwork and then it's a nighmare to cool her off!

I did try to do some basic work yesterday but am not repeating the dose till next week maybe. She's always so eager to keep going and as soon as I tried to ask for some basic straight line transition on this or that school letter she was so p*ssed she just whanted to head for the exit door as soon as possible. Last time i forced this kindda stuff on her she turned blunt on the aids and straightforyh disobedient! I was like, wtf??? this horse used to shoulder in on seat aids only!
I'm also gonna take a chiropactor course next fall and see if i can figure out what's blocking her hip. She does all the collecting from the lumbar region only but on trot and walk the move breaks on the hip joint. Coach says she's always been like that so might be somethin real old. I'll try to show you some samples later.

[Belbe]

Belbe I remember you said  the horse knows . INTERESTING.  I have got passage and even some kind of "piff"  - and canter on the spot, when energy level has been high enough. And horses were only  5-6 years old (not very fit yet for that level ). BUT without training it doesn´t happen when asking.
 

when i said excluding horses in early training i meant early training of what is being asked, not recently backed horses.

Example. The only 2 things Tess doesn't know the aids for yet are passage and canter lead changes. Everything else, she might not know how to use her body yet, but she knows what you're asking. I've found that most horses do know the aids by heart, it's just that the riders confuse or combine aids that cannot go toguether and the horse has to either choose one and ignore the other, wich makes him blunt to one of them, or, like Tess who is just too smart, stops altoguether on the spot and waits for the rider to make up his mind.

[winnieandben]

or, like Tess who is just too smart, stops altoguether on the spot and waits for the rider to make up his mind.

It sounds as if you will learn so much from her as she also let you know if you got it just right, a true school master 

[shoveltrash]

Tess reminds me (a bit) of an old lesson horse i was privileged to know, years ago.  she was a sweet mare, and knew ALL the movements.....she'd passage at the drop of a hat!  but she was very very out of shape, and didn't look like a dressage horse at all.  however the TRAINING was still there, until the day she died, at age 29.  horses like this, IMHO, are worth so much -- because they can teach the rider .
i actually think her piaffe steps are quite nice

[Belbe]

It sounds as if you will learn so much from her as she also let you know if you got it just right, a true school master  

yup! and I've got a loooooooooooooooong way ahead! It's just great that she seems happy to put up with all my crap!  

yah shoveltrash, she's soooo talented, I actually thought she was a waste on me and whanted to help the owner sell her to someone who does proper dressage! But then everyone that came was complete disater with her! couldn't even get her to turn the right way!   She was sooo hyped and upset with everyone. Eventually I was convinced that she was simply too sensitive and people are just too blunt to see it. I do know a couple of people that would be the dream owner for her, but they're too old to ride such a hyped horse.
I showed the vid to my coach too, she tought it was real cute that she's always a bit confused at the first 2 steps like: ok, i do this with the frontlegs but what do i do with the hinds again? oh! right!  

Not to mention, today i rode in a halter instead and did some crappy attempt at western reining. she looooooooooooved it! those "slipping" stops from a crazy fast gallop are her favorit! (and mine) I think she'd have a somewhat sad life if all she did was dressage, she really shines up when we vary stuff

[Belbe]

lil update.
Started working on a halter out of lazyness (it's a long walk from the woods where she's at to the tack room so I ride her on a single rein and halter, bareback all the way. She was quite good at it so I passed it on to schooling and after this sunday's lightness in the hand I gave up on the bit completely. Thruth is, with my lousy skills I always end up tugging on her mouth eventually and she freaks out! I'll leave the bit to more experienced hands.

Anywhoo, I still gotta get a longer lead rope, this one is too short and got me more croocked than i usually am (like that's possible  )

a lil warmup, a lil discussion on her stiff side and a lil terre-à-terre she offered out of the blue cos I never ask for it, I was gonna ask for piaffe but she was one step ahead and started at it before I ever asked anythin. Was really cute once I decided to let her do it and she found her own balance. (I on the other hand look like a dead lump of a rotten potato sack)

most important thing i noticed is that without the stress of gettin tugs on her mouth she's movin much much lighter, keeping the rythm much better, arguing a lot less and actually enjoying most of the work for longer periods of time.
Oh and to the riding forward addicts, I gave it a few more tries and gave up again. One long side of the school after each collected exercise is enough, more than that and she'll sprint towards the gate and refuse to continue the lesson...

Tess ridden a halter and lead rope: warmup

Tess ridden a halter and lead rope: stiff side

Tess ridden a halter and lead rope: terre-à-terre

[winnieandben]

Great to get an update, she is a lovely mare