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Nut
Platinum Member
 United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Jul 2007 : 8:28:47 PM
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I have had a new instructor for the last five weeks, she is a lady on my yard that competes at dressage and home produced her own dressage horse and to start with things were great and to some degree they still are. She really moved erik and I on got us doing basic lateral work,taught me to sit to his bucks when I was teaching him to canter and now thats stopped completely, has really moved us on a gear and i have started quiet hacking again(we did 6 ish weeks when i backed him and he loved it then he just refushed to go one day but now looks back on track). The thing is, i do 20 mins a day on him when in the school as he doesnt keep his concentration long so we go for quality, lots of circles, serpentines and i have him show jumped weekly, this was on her advice and all week he goes brilliantly sticking to her advice. Come lesson day, she wont hear of me stopping in 20 mins, then it all goes wrong and i feel so down, if he is cheeky within the 20 minutes she has taught me to ride through it and we have been having a fab time, but get to saturday and my lesson and its like she has a whole different set of advice, none of which works and today i had to get off which is not what i want to do, but when he says youve pushed me too far he means it. I feel bad as i should just stop the lesson after he's been good but then you think well they are the teacher...When my OH and I do the riding with erik either on the farm or in the school I get off having had a lovely time and thats all i want, in fact he is booked in to go to dressage in 3 weeks which i would not have done if things were as bad as they got in todays lesson....when i put her advice into action on my own its great and she has given me a fresh perspective on riding my youngster...i think she pushes too hard in my lesson and maybe wants to move me on too fast, i dont want to knock mine or the boys confidence and am not sure what to do for the best....sorry for waffling on x
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Big Mover
Gold Member
United Kingdom
999 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2007 : 8:38:00 PM
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HI Nut
I dont no anything much about dressage - but I have broken and schooled my own horse and I think all horses needs are very individual and I would follow your gut instinct on this - There is a local dressage yard to me and you wouldnt belive how fast there youngsters develop - In my opinion maybe perhaps a little to fast, but again its all about the indivdual I suppose. My youngster Gaza he is one who's head just blows if he's pushed to hard and thats just on the ground bless him, he needs time - so we play in the field togethor he is only two yrs old, but hes definelty a slow developer mind and body - I love his baby side but his attention span is very short, so we keep things short and sweet with loads of praise and reward. Sorry Nut I am waffling - If in doubt I follow my gut instinct, thats all I can contribute really. Sorry not much use  
Sarah x |
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Libby Frost
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4711 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2007 : 10:36:45 PM
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| with an arab everything must be fun,which makes training them for any sphere challenging.if your enjoying what your doing chances are he is too,if your bored CHANGE IT.they are very human like, arabians!!! |
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Tahir
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4572 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2007 : 11:16:45 PM
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I have seen the result of a "dressage" horse pushed too far, and I don't mean top level, really not a nice end result for the poor horse in question.
You have to remember that Arabs take so much longer to develop and "life" for them needs to be fun and interesting - endless circles and schooling is really not fun for most Arabs and also not very good for their undeveloped limbs. Variety is the key word, they like to hack out and meet different things so that they can put their natural instinct into action, for example: shying at a leaf that has changed colour - in this case you would need to "humour" them and tell them "Yes, that leaf is a funny colour, but hey, it still won't hurt you", so a pat on the neck or scratch on the wither (to tell them how clever they are to notice the different colour) give them confidence with your voice and carry on.
I feel that you can do as much "schooling" out on a hack and enjoying yourselves as you can in a menage. But believe in your horse and understand what he is telling you, he is obviously much more intelligent than your instructor. Good luck.
Carla, xx. |
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sazzlepants71
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3536 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2007 : 1:52:03 PM
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think you have answered your own question hunny xx you know him better than anyone - do it at your pace , one thing i have learn is never compare yourself or your ahievements to anyone else !
there is always someone better,pushier ,faster more demanding on so on than you 
equally there are ones that are not at your level at such a short time - so just enjoy yourselfs he's yours for life you have nothing to prove - ps. we need to get together for sangria soon!! |
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rosyw
Platinum Member
England
3756 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2007 : 2:39:04 PM
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I have to agree with what everyone is saying, you have really answered your own question. Surely the one great thing about bringing on your on horse is that you can do it your way, you are the one that knows the horse best, and what suits one will not always work with another, and just because someone has produced and competed on her own horse - doesn't make that person an expert. As Carla said, "schooling" can be done while hacking out, you need to keep it fun for the horse so he looks forward to doing something, if you push too far too soon you will regret it. My experence with Arabs is that they may seem ready to progress further, but quite often you have to 'hold back' a bit.
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avanti
Platinum Member
England
2222 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2007 : 6:46:57 PM
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| Hi, I think as everyone has already said, your boy is telling you 20 mins is fine but more is too much at the moment, follow your instinct and good luck with his future training Mandy |
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Kirsty5278
Platinum Member
England
2682 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2007 : 7:38:43 PM
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I'm not an expert by a long shot but I think it is important to remember why we are all have our horses... because we love spending time together, for the fun, because we love them.... If someone is pushing you to the point where neither you or your horse is enjoying it then maybe they need to slow down a little and listen to you. It's always better to finish on a good note for both of you!
I was told that an arab mare is like a stroppy teenager (which I wouldn't know cos never had mares) and a gelding remains a little boy forever.... in that case evey thing NEEDS to be fun!!!
Good luck!
Just enjoy!
xxx |
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Arabian Girl
Platinum Member
England
2893 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2007 : 9:33:59 PM
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hello .. When i read this thread i thought of Shah , my freinds horse who i ride every week.Although he is 10yrs he hadnt been schooled as such, until i took him over so to speak, anyhow he would go around nicely but if i asked him to do that little extra he would put up a fight he would either buck(dangerously i might add)and begin to start to "snort and blow" and he would just "run through my hand"...These in shahs way, were points of evasion, saying HE HAD , HAD ENOUGH and it was his way of fighting against me AND IT WAS A FIGHT...if i had given in to him, it meant i would have felt scared and nervous and i would have given in to him and i would have took him back to his stable because i also wasnt enjoying the experience.
NOw , what i did when he behaved badly (when i asked him for a bit more) i rode him through his tantrum. UNtil he realised he wasnt getting anywhere with it and i wasnt scared by his behaivour.It wasnt an overnight thing, in fact it took a good few months in the end, but once i got him out of his tantrums , he came on leaps and bounds as if he became submissive. He now is a much more pleasant and easier horse to ride as he has stoped his tantrums,, sometimes horses are like little kids, if you dont show authority and tell them right from wrong they become out of controll and obnoxious, he also got lots of pats and praise as well,also he gets lots of horsey treats when he has done well , he thrives on praise,i can honestly say he has become a lovely mannered horse after i dealt with his tantrums i am not saying that this is your horse , your problem just reminded me of Shah when i first rode him.. In my veiw maybe your instructor can see your horse is a capeable horse and could perform better only when you ask him to do a little bit more , he dosnt want to and he does the same TANTRUMS THAT SHAH DID..just a thought though and i wandered if you could relate to it....hope my post is of some help to you..Lynne |
   
Posting from Billinge Wigan |
Edited by - Arabian Girl on 08 Jul 2007 9:36:37 PM |
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arabic
Platinum Member
England
4562 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2007 : 10:19:22 PM
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I echo the rest, and am no expert but you seem to have answered yourself and your intuition tells you. I think you are supposed to work as a team and if you feel you are being stretched too far, them "team" goes out the window. Go with your gut feeling - I would
Sandie |
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