Making progress

[racaille]

Pretty pleased with ol' Paco just now. He's trying hard and my coach says both of us are making great strides

We've been working on suppling exercises mostly so a lot of counter-incurvation (is that english?) in a figure of eight, shoulder in, lateral work, etc - I'm really not sure what the terms are. Some are going better than others. Just can't really get tete au mur, where his shoulders are on the track but his bum is slightly tracking inside. We can do that much, but to then get him to curve back around my leg in a slight banana shape is proving tough. Funny that as when he sees a 'scary' pile of mud he can do banana shapes perfectly

This is what tete au mur should look like if anyone wants to tell me its UK equivalent

cours-equitation.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/webtetaumurp1020816.JPG

I am working on my reflexes which are a bit slow and my big fault is that I ask for a pace and only then ask him for proper work when of course it should be the other way around. I need to prepare for each transition more.

The good news is that his canter work is at last showing improvement. He's beginning to get the idea that it's HIS job is to hold himself up, it's NOT mine!

My coach is nudging me towards a dressage comp in Dec but I don't know if I'm ready .... mind you, that's a rubbish excuse, isn't it?

[pboy]

Sounds like great progress Rac!!

That's a travers (I thought we used the French name! Obviously not ). It is a difficult movement for them so don't worry about it! It's basically a half-pass along the wall so quite advanced.

[brigadier]

I thought that was a french term also- we pronounce it tra-vair so it sounds french?? The opposite is renvers pronounced ren-vair, which is the horse banana-ed the other way- I find that one a real killer, not sure why but much harder to get my head around.
You seem to be maikng real progress, you will fly once your school is done.

[racaille]

Thanks for that you two - I have looked it up and you are quite right: they are the 'proper' terms, I've just never heard them used.

[fimacg]

Brave and I have been working on a similar thing, a lot of this exercise is to do with you rather than the horse as it is very easy to block them by being in the wrong position and I have found once I got me sorted Brave started to 'get' what I was asking.

In essence what I have to remember is turn my shoulders the way I want to go, which opens up the inside hip, put slightly more weight down the outside stirrup and push the horse over, too much weight on the inside stirrup blocks the horse moving over (although I find I naturally want to put more weight down the inside).

You can try this sitting in a chair and you will see what I mean.

Syliva Loch explains these movements in her books really well.

[pboy]

Nov 24, 2014 13:44:03 GMT fimacg said:

Brave and I have been working on a similar thing, a lot of this exercise is to do with you rather than the horse as it is very easy to block them by being in the wrong position and I have found once I got me sorted Brave started to 'get' what I was asking.

In essence what I have to remember is turn my shoulders the way I want to go, which opens up the inside hip, put slightly more weight down the outside stirrup and push the horse over, too much weight on the inside stirrup blocks the horse moving over (although I find I naturally want to put more weight down the inside).

You can try this sitting in a chair and you will see what I mean.

Syliva Loch explains these movements in her books really well.

Great description! Indio is a good teacher for this movement too. It's tempting to forget the inside leg and just push with the outside (my Spanish trainer says the inside leg should be the 'pillar' that your horse bends around), if I forget my inside leg on Indio he does and excellent llama impression

[fleabitten]

Sounds as if youre doing brilliantly and as brig says once youve got your arena in you will be coming on leaps and bounds. Youre doing quite advanced movements really rac so youve no excuse not to have a bash at dressage! Go for it!