So western pleasure sorta scares me.

[babyblue]

onthespot, I wish you lived closer thats very very close to how I broke my little paint mare. only exception was starting as a yearling and going slowly from there. Id love to break another one like that- just take the time to get them relaxed and comfortable with no dead end time constraints.


another issue with the kinda twisting motion, horse wont track straight, front end is in one track back end in another like the horse is doing a really bad and akward haunches in. I hate that.

 

[welsummerchicks]

Quite a few people claim that; I'd believe it if Gurney said it, LOL.

The good dressage trainers have their horses so dang fit it isn't funny. They really do a lot with them in addition to training rides - riding out, cavalletti, galloping, eurociser, etc. My friend was looking at a trainer's move sheet, and she said, oh, so this must be all the work for all the horses today, the trainer said, 'No, that's the work for ONE horse', LOL!!!!!

But some of us working stiffs show up with our knuckles dragging on the ground after a long day at work, so don't get to do that as much as we'd like.

 

[Celtic Hill]

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LOL. When me and my (female) friends are at shows we scope out all the guys, and then they try and get me to go find out if they are gay/bi/staright for them, LOL.

 

[onthespot]

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They just choke them in, chin to chest, see saw and half halt them all over the place, it's SICK to watch young horses rode around here. Sick I tell you.

 

[welsummerchicks]

Celtic, that sounds like a Hazardous Mission!!!!

onthespot, I've seen that. Part of that seems to be the 'headset' craze in Western riding these days. The horse will look 'cool' with its head down and its chin tucked in, I guess, but I see it in Arabian barns, QH barns, a lot of barns.

This seems to be the 'dark side' of 'dressage is for everyone!!'. One of those 'tra-la-la' statements that really, really bothers me. Because without understanding dressage, just trying to copy how it looks - causes big problems for the horses.

Forcing the horse into an extreme head and neck position, is especially bad for the young animal whose bones and ligaments etc are still forming and growing. Hopefully they don't ride too often or for too long, that minimizes the damage.

'Oh! Dressage is for everyone! Then I'll yank the snot out of my baby horse until he puts his head on his chest, AND doesn't dare move it from there, even when I drop the reins! Then I can use some cool-sounding words for what I'm doing, and impress people/make more money training/selling'

This is why I occasionally attempt to try to explain to people what the dressage terms really mean - though I usually get bored pretty quickly and give up, because the flack is always the same.

If they understood what the words really meant, they wouldn't train like that. But...people have their own ideas of what the words mean, and as long as they can line their wallets by using those words and sounding sophisticated, it's going to continue.

The young horse needs to have freedom to place his head and neck where he feels most comfortable. The contact with the reins should be light yet consistent, and meet the horse where he needs to be, not yank him into some fake looking 'head set'.

 

[onthespot]

I figure I do my horse less harm by waiting until I can do it myself, than go ahead and pay someone to ruin her now... so she is waiting.

 

[Celtic Hill]

It is! lol

Wels, you hit it on the nose! So manny think they know dressage when they dont, i dont' claim to know alot or be a trainer, but i know enough to spot a phony. It's sad because someone can just jack their horses head in and say they are doing dressage.

 

[welsummerchicks]

onthespot, if you want someone to start your youngster nice, consider an eventer trainer.

In many areas of the US, there is a little hidden gem, an eventer who breaks horses, for all types of riding. Typically, they get ridden on a long rein with a light contact, they learn to stand still to be mounted, learn to steer and stand still on a loose rein, to go forward when the leg is used, they go out and learn to go through streams and jump little miniature obstacles.

 

[babyblue]

you know, even after several others have given valid points and voiced good sound opinions continue to bash away. because really, bashing and making fun of other riders and other sports is the way to go to get good information and better rides out there. really

because its just impossible to even consider that sports other then dressage may use even small elements of it right? like like striving for balance, smoothness, proper or even decent use of the back and hind end. an uphill or at the very least level top line.

ride a horse like that and you don't need to "crank" the head in, or use gadgets or even a curb bit. for a stock horse (conformation wise) ridden like that with a little time and consistency their head is naturally going to be level or close to it. a responsive calm horse isn't going to have the nose held way out or tucked far it, it defeats the purpose and theres no sound or smooth contact with the bit reins and hands that way.

 

[Celtic Hill]

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It takes years of training and riding dressage to even understand a little bit of it and use it in other disciplines. Balance, smoothness, and collection isnt something someone can just read and know, It must be felt and it dosn't happen the first time you have a lesson with a dressage trainer. What a few people has pointed out is that people THINK they know dressage and are doing dressage, when they arn't.