But in those 15/20 minutes you manage warming UP, schooling and cool down?
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Hi @sara78 , yes.
I was working as dressage Level I for a Level III Dressage trainer. Classical Dressage. I was being admonished because I wasn’t getting my work done.
I am in Australia so no ice or snow. We have heat.
I replied that they had added a green pony mare to my work schedule for a half hour ride they were paying for. It was a mare bought by the father for a young girl. Both pony and mare were green. Just a bay pony nothing special, and if course 3 yo.
I was told they were paying for half an hour. That includes catching tacking, untacking and letting go.
So I had to do that as that was what I was being paid for and as I said I had other work to do that I had to get done.
That pony went from totally green to elementary in such a short short time. I am talking months.
I bought a horse off the track called Andy. His racing name was Angel of Peace.
I couldn’t pick him up for a week. He had raced 5 weeks prior. The owner sent through an A4 sheet with written across the page SHOOT HIM.
The day before the jockeys or whoever took him on a 5 hour trail ride ‘and you would have been so proud of him he was on the bit the whole time.’
The poor thing was so sore in the mouth. I lunged him to teach him to lunge with a lunging cavesson. The side-reins were extra loose. I had to ride with my head to the side so he didn’t knock me out, his mouth was so sore I had to be extra careful if I touched his mouth wrong.
I only did a walk and trot and canter up the arena as it was on a slope. The first day he did not know how to go in a straight line, he did not know how to circle, he went off on the incorrect lead once and I said uh uh and asked again, he went on the correct lead and I said Good Boy. He never went on the incorrect lead again.
His mouth recovered in a week. I started lunging correctly and in the next week I had a dressage horse. I never pull a horse’s head in with side reins. I rode walk trot and canter in straight lines and circles, tear drops and serpentines.
In one month I had a pretty well going horse. Mum came out one month to the day of me bringing him home. Did I get a compliment of he is going well?
Well I suppose so, that horse should be doing lateral work by now.
What the h### would she know, she has only been around horses for 50s years!
The next day I thought f*** it AND in sitting trot AND on the centre line I asked for shoulder-in. HE DID IT. I then asked on the other rein and dismounted.
The next day I asked for shoulder-in both ways and then thought f*** it, in sitting trot I asked for travers. HE DID IT. I asked the other way and dismounted.
The next I did the same thing with half pass.
I lay in bed thinking this is impossible and the next day I threw every thing at him canter half pass yes, pirouette yes. F*** it lets ask for piaffe, that horse slowed right down in trot and went forward again without flicking an ear.
I found if I rode him daily I could teach him something new. If I missed a day I could only work on what he already knew.
Both those horses were green. Both were young.
So 2 sayings that worked.
‘It is easier to train a horse than it is to retrain a horse.’
‘5 minutes a day is better than 35 minutes on a Sunday.’
I saw an ad on the board for a BHSAI instructor (credentials from England) it said she excelled with horses off the track and the first lesson was free.
I emailed for a lesson.
She said she could help me with anything he was doing, bucking, rearing, bolting out of the arena, anything.
I told her my problem was that in one month and 4 days the horse had exceeded his rider and I didn’t know what to do.
She came out and her only solution was for me to start instructing at the local pony club.
I took him to my instructor, he said he had never seen a horse more in tune with his rider. Both his ears were listening to me most of the time.
So yes in Australia a hot country, you do not need to ride for half an hour until the horse is trained enough for you to ride that many movements. Horses learn fast, it is the rider who needs the time in the saddle not the horse.
As long as the horse is ridden correctly and using the correct muscles.
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Did you mean “warmed up enough”?
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sounds like your horse might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. have you tried mixing things up a bit? maybe some groundwork or hacking out could help break the monotony. just a thought, might be way off base tho.
Yes bringing in to be tacked and walking to mounting block can mean they are already sweating depending on the time of year.
I have never dealt with, fed or ridden horses where there is snow. I am guessing there is a lot of differences.
