The First Western Dressage Group Lesson

Last Friday evening was the first Western Dressage group lesson. There were only 3 of us, Sandy, Virginia and me. This was actually an extra group lesson, as most of the riders will come this Friday.

We had a great time, learning to keep the horse traveling correctly in the bend of the circle. We parctice "threading the needle" exercise, moving along the rail, riding a circle, going straight, then doing a half circle, riding the rail the opposite direction, doing a circle, etc.

The horses were responding, giving at the jaw, stretching down into the bit, strengthening the neck, learning to lean on the bit. The basics of dressage. Small steps.

I had an individual Dressage lesson last Tuesday with Shaggy, a few days before the group lesson.  My third dressage lesson ever and my first with Dara.  She is a wonderful, kind instructor who teaches in a coaching atmosphere.  She explains what to do clearly, she tells you the moment she sees a response in the horse, and when something is confusing, she explains it another way.  She shows exercises that will help a horse to build up his topline.

"Relaxed Tension" was one way for her to explain how much contact needs to stay on the reins.  I hold with contact, and that is where the change in me is starting.  I hold with a give and take with following hands and elbows.  Dara is teaching that at first, really give so the horse feels no contact when the horse gives.  Yet, there needs to be tension on the reins at other times so the horse knows to go into the bit and search for the bit, not quite leaning on it but feeling it.  So much a fine line to teach the horse where to go and to teach the rider how much or how little to hold.  I will try to explain this more as I learn the steps.  Letting totally go when the horse gives, to maintaining some contact, to eventually have the horse carry the bit.

For now, Shaggy is a fast learning.  We worked on keeping the bend in the circle, leg yielding out, then circling.  He picked up on this and stays in the bend.  Then we worked on having a slight bend, while traveling straight, and asking for a leg yield out. This is a little more difficult for him to give the ever so slight bend and maintain traveling straight. He would start to travel at a faster trot, and I would half halt, with my inside thigh and my seat, and bring him down to a slower trot.  Other times, we would come down to a walk or a halt when he becomes anxious and wants to travel faster. We will work on this a little each day.

Shaggy worked hard on Friday.  I didn't think we were working too hard, and it wasn't even an hour, when he decided he was done.  He showed a little frustration, then decided to go faster into a canter to complete his exercise.  I slowed him down to a walk, left him relax, and we completed one more exercise, then we were down.  I wanted to get him back to a working, relaxed mind, do a simple job, then walk off relaxed to tell him he was done.

He settled down and hung his neck out on a very relaxed long rein.  We ended the moment on a good note.

This Friday is another group lesson and I'll have more to share!

Dressage Lesson

I had my first dressage lesson yesterday.   After taking Monday off, and feeling jet lag most of that day after the Horse Fair, I was ready to ride.  It had been 6 days since I rode Shaggy, with all the time to set up and tear down the vendor booth, then unpack at home.

This was my first dressage lesson with Dara.  I have had only 2 previous dressage lessons, and that was early last fall.  I told Dara I was a blank slate.

I ride the trails and ride in competitive trail rides.  Dressage is about training and correct movement.

We worked on Shaggy softening in the jaw.  We worked on bending correctly while walking and trotting a circle.  We worked on leg yielding out before transitions.  And we worked on positive pressure. 

Shaggy needs to learn to lean into the bit without leaning on me.  That's a fine line between too heavy and not enough pressure.  I'm learning the language and more will come with each lesson.

I have a group dressage lesson Friday and hope to be able to clarify this info!

Duke



Duke is my 14 year old stud, a 1997 bay by Blues Grand Lady “Blackie”, a mare that is a daughter of Boston Blue Boy and a granddaughter of Boston Mac.  His sire is Good Asset, a son of Zippos Mr Good Bar and a grandson of Zippo Pine Bar.  On the maternal side of the stud’s lineage, he goes back to Miss Rebel Rita and Top Rebel.  On the dam side, his maternal side out of Grand Lady by Grand Duke by Gold Mount.

Duke was a wonderful weanling, yearling, and 2 year old. I started riding him as a 2 year old, and he was so easy to start and ride. He was so well mannered. That year, we kept him in with a pen with geldings to keep him socialized with horses.

The year Duke turned 3, he found his testosterone.  He went to a trainer for Quarter Horse Hunt Seat training. He traveled slow enough to go western, but his long legs made him pass every other horse in the arena, giving the perception that he was going too fast.  He was just traveling true, but with forward impulsion, not what you saw 10 years ago and still not what you see today. When will that western pleasure world change?

Anyways, he was shown in Hunt Seat, in Open and Amateur classes.  Sara was out of her youth years, and showed and placed with him in her Amateur classes. I wished we knew then, what we know now, because I think we could have gone so much further with him. Isn’t that always the case?

Duke became our stud, and we started breeding our mares, who were by Deck of Stars. We bred to a few other of our mares, as well as to some outside mares.

Then the market crashed, and I started breeding every 2 or every 3 years. Two of the 3 kids were out of college and married, and the 3^rd was beginning college. My helpers were out of the house. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do all the winter and summer work by myself.  100 degrees to 0 degrees work.  What a difference in temps. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to have a lot of young horses to start by myself.

Throughout the years, I rode Duke off and on, a few times each year. I love his big lope. He is so deep in his stride. And it is so smooth.  As I look at him now, at age 14, except for his thicker stud neck, his conformation is perfect. For a tall, 16 hand horse, he has a relatively short back for his size.  When he lopes, it’s amazing.

And I should start riding him more. He is very responsive. I feel good when I ride him. He makes riding easier. He probably is the horse I’ve enjoyed riding the most, even more than Finny and Shaggy. I was going to geld him a few years ago, but then I wouldn’t have my 3 year old Duster and the 2 weanlings, Dove and Fawn.

Now, I am done having foals for a while. I have enough young horses. And that is the reason I’ve decided to geld him now. Duke went to the vet on Monday. He is my gelding now. I look forward to riding him with my Centered Riding principles and in Dressage lessons.

I hope the testosterone leaves his body and mind.  The vet says to correct him for every little bit of bad manners.  We started that on the day after his gelding. On the day of his gelding, he laid down and slept, all laid out like a newborn foal. The next day, there was very little swelling, and he was ready to move! I think he is going to heal fast. I have my Dressage horse.

The Beginning Dressage Book, Part 2

I enjoyed the book. “The Beginning Dressage Book” by K. Denby-Wrightson and J. Fry, and reading about the basics of dressage . I thought this book was very precise, yet easy to understand. The beginning rider, as well as the experienced horse person, will learn something from this book. Beginning Dressage, part 2, teaches correct, balanced riding and dressage exercises.

Part 2 begins, at Chapter 11, to teach correct posting and the correct movement of the horse at the trot. The rising trot involves your seat, hips and thighs. The movement of the horse pushes you up and out of your seat. You allow your hips to move towards your hands. Your thighs roll forward as you raise your seat. Your legs and hands stay steady. Your legs remain at the girth and your elbows should be in line with the horse’s mouth. Your shoulders remain back, not leaning forward, as you should have a straight line from the back of your ear through to your shoulders, hips and heel. And, obviously, weight always remains in your heels.

Through my own experience, if you can’t keep your heels down, shorten your irons 2 notches. Remember that you are doubling over the iron leather as you are shortening the leathers, so 1 notch will actually only shorten the irons a ½ notch. You may need to shorten the leathers 2-4 notches. Also remember to keep your thighs relaxed! Instead of holding tight with your thighs, allow your thighs to move forward up and out of the saddle as you are posting. I always tell my lesson people that if you are tight, you will bounce like a ball full of air, and you will bounce hard! If you are relaxed, you will be like a ball ½ full of air and one that will hardly bounce!

I highlighted some interesting notes as I read the book. Some of these I knew and some of these ideas, as I read, I thought, “Huh, that’s right, I never realized that before“. Some of these thoughts are very basic and easy to understand, and some of these thoughts need to be analyzed, and practiced on the horse, to fully understand. I think I will work on 1 or 2 new ideas at a time.

The reason to post on the correct diagonal is so the horse can maintain greater impulsion. Your weight needs to be out of the saddle as the horse moves his inside hind leg. The hind leg will be able to get up and under the horse’s body more, therefore giving the horse more extension at the trot. A great trot is when the inside hind leg reaches up and is in the front hoof print, or even beyond the front hoof print.

Don’t use your feet to post. Don’t grip with your knees. Learn to post out of your seat. A great exercise is to post without irons. Cross the irons in front of you so they don’t sway and bump against your legs as you are trotting.

Another great exercise is to balance in 2-point position. Trot in 2 point position for 10 strides, then post for 10 strides. Do this same exercise while trotting over poles. Trotting poles also teaches a horse to pick up his feet, and trot with cadence.

You can also try posting, with and without irons, with your hands on your hips. Sit the trot and raise your hands over you head. Feel the trot THROUGH YOUR STOMACH and the small of your back. Push your stomach out as your raise and in as you sit. Feel the motion of the trot in your stomach and in your lower back.

Another exercise is to hold the reins in one hand and put your other hand on the pommel. Grip the pommel, straighten that arm, and push your shoulders away from your hand. Keep your seat in the saddle and stretch your body up and back. Feel the trot movement in your stomach and lower back. Move with the horse!

You ask for impulsion with your inside leg!!! Hold with the outside leg behind the girth and bump with your inside leg, at the girth, to ask for the canter. I will need to practice this as I always ask for the canter with my outside leg. I have always pushed with my outside leg to get more extension at the canter. Start by sitting deep in the saddle and use your seat bones to push the horse forward. Do this by doing the pommel exercise talked about in the preceding paragraph. Remember, during the canter, use your stomach and back muscles to follow the 1-2-3 rhythm of the canter.

In my past experience, to canter, I would push the hip to the inside. The horse engages the outside hind leg to push off with and into the correct lead. With the dressage method, your inside leg asks for impulsion, allowing room for the hind legs to step further underneath the horse. You sit more on your inside seat bones. To support the added weight to the inside hind leg, the horse must bring the inside hind leg further under the body.

Dressage allows the horse to use his own balance. The horse needs to be rounded and moving with rhythm. At the canter, the horse needs to bend in the direction that he is moving. The horse needs to be moving forward and straight, but before going forward, the horse needs to be balanced. When you engage the horse’s hindquarters, he lightens his forehand.

I have already been training with many of the dressage riding exercises. Leg yields move the horse diagonally across the arena while keeping the horse straight and parallel to the long wall, both at the walk and the trot. Serpentine the arena while changing the posting diagonal. Figure 8’s allow the horse to change the bend in the body. Ride circles, then spiral the circles in and out.
Teach the horse to travel straight. The hindquarters should travel directly in the same line as the forehand. The horse will be able to engage the hindquarters and use more impulsion. As the horse lengthens his stride, he lengthens his frame. Collection, on the other hand, teaches the horse to move forward with an engaged hindquarter and a lightened forehand, while maintaining cadence. Half halts teach the horse to hesitate during the movement of the gait, and teach the horse to use the hind legs.

The horse is working hard, both mentally and physically. Until the horse is in shape, keep work times to 15-20 minutes. Extend the work time as the horse builds endurance. The horse needs to stay confident while maintaining the form.

I want you to learn to ride through feel and to “get it”. When you have “it”, you will know what the “it” is. I promise! You will ride more comfortably and confidently. Come along on the ride of learning. Remember, move FORWARD and BALANCED, WITH INCREASED ENERGY AND COLLECTION!!! Read this book! I highly recommend “The Beginning Dressage Book”!

Beginning Dressage, Part 2

Keep watching for Part 2. Hopefully it will show up in the next few day! It has taken an extra week to finish the book. But I have finished the book, have highlighted the thoughts that I really like, and I just need to write about my thoughts. Before I could do that, though, since I had gone to the Denver market, I have had paperwork to get organized. My husband and I came back to PA to visit parents for a few days. I’m sure I’ll have a few hours on the plane ride home to write! Thanks for waiting!

" The Beginning Dresssage Book"

I have heard that Dressage principles can be used in any discipline that you ride. I totally agree. A French term, dressage is an equitation term and means training. I have started reading the book, “The Beginning Dressage Book” by Kathryn Denby-Wrightson and Joan Fry. Dressage is a style of training. A kind method. A training method that considers the well-being of the horse foremost. A method of give and take. A method that teaches correct posture. A method that teaches the correct balance between horse and rider. Definitely the kindest of methods.

Dressage teaches the horse to be balanced. With impulsion and forward movement, the horse learns to carry himself correctly. The horse learns to engage his hind legs, bringing them further and further up underneath his body, adding cadence and a springiness to his gaits. The book teaches the art of lunging and the beginning of collection through correct lunging. Lunging develops the horse’s muscles, allowing him to become stronger in his back and leg muscles.

Proper seat position is necessary to maintain the balance between horse and rider. The rider needs to sit on the seat bones, not in front of them and not behind them. The thigh muscle needs to be against the saddle so as to maintain contact with the seat bones.

There are many exercises while lunging to help the horses build confidence and strength while engaging his body. While lunging with side reins, not so much to set the head as to set the poll to aid in muscling and for the horse to begin to learn impulsion. As he slows his speed, the horse learns to extend. This is the fundamental beginning of collection.

There are many exercises that help to maintain contact with the horse while keeping correct posture with the seat bones. Tying off the reins and stretching the arms and legs helps to teach balance in the seat. If you are uncomfortable doing these exercises with no rein contact, have someone attach a lunge line to the horse. You need to be relaxed and comfortable, not tense and unsure. All of the exercises emphasis the correct position of the seat bones. You learn to use very little pressure on the reins to bend the horse, whether into a circle or to change directions.

Maybe I have taken some movements for granted, well… maybe not actually for granted, but I have done them long enough that I do them by feel now. The reading I have done so far has made me analyze each movement. As I read the chapters, I see in my mind what the author is explaining and what the horse or rider should be doing or how they should be reacting. I know and understand what I have read. As you read this book, re-read anything you don’t understand until it makes sense to you. Picture in your brain what the concept is. Sit on the floor or on a chair and try the exercises.

Dressage Prospect? Definately a good riding prostpect as we have ridden some of her brothers and sisters!

I’m sure as I get further into the book, I will read some of what I am already incorporating into my training program. I like how the author has thoroughly discussed the reasons behind her style. I have done some of the same maneuvers as she has outlined in her book, and I have learned more from her about the effects these have on the rider and on the horse. I understand how a movement, either the horse or the rider, changes the balance of the horses. It is interesting to read about what you thought you knew, and now to realize that you understand the concepts better. I’m anxious to read the riding parts now, and to fully understand the movements that we do with our horses. What parts of the horse’s body changes as we ask the horse to do specific exercises. How does the rider change position when you want the horse to move a certain way.

My goal is to apply these principles to increase the muscle and strength of my horses’ back and leg muscles. I will work on his collection. My goal is to apply subtle rein direction, while maintaining contact, to have my horse perform better obstacles.

Keep reading. I will continue this book’s discussion in my next blog. Just give me a few days. I may not get to it before the weekend!

Oh…I’m starting my ride for the year! Even if it is just in my head! Come along for the ride and be prepared when warmer weather finally gets here to stay!