Do some horses just not want to do dressage?

[Willy_Von_Whompers]

Ok just reread your post…where you said he would go around happy in a basic connection “like a hunter”. That made me think about things.

When I school the basic stuff…circles, serpentines, voltes etc…it isn’t a hunter type I want. Even if it is a hunter with a soft rein connection. That’s nice and pleasant but it isn’t athletically conditioning and training a dressage (wannabe!) horse.

Even youngish horses I really really want that bascule shape…like a dressage whip when you pull on both ends and make that arc shape. I want to work towards lifting the back, engaging the tummy muscles and tipping and engaging his pelvis. it is basic work to the onlooker -maybe looks like the same stuff you’d do when “flatting” your hunter…i dunno. It’s different when aimed for dressage and takes a fair bit of rider feel.

But it is done with a real emphasis on getting the horse to carry you the rider with his whole body involved. Right from the hind engine over the back, with a long but stretchy neck. That is the only way a horse can happily carry the weight of his rider…he has to learn to engage his whole body and lift and step thru.

So I guess it is a long winded way of saying doing the basic exercises like a hunter…isn’t promoting his dressage muscles. I am rabid about this stuff…it works. It doesn’t look like much - and riders dont’ think it’s difficult…it’s just flat work - but it is really - you have to have good feel. But if you keep at it and doing it with a view to engaging your horse’s core and whole body it makes a huge difference - my 16 year old pencil- necked hadn’t been ridden in 4 years Trakehner - now in his early 20s has totally rebuilt his topline. He looks like a GP stallion…(OK in an elderly statesman sort of way). But seriously he looks amazing for his age - and it isn’t that the work is dramatic or strenuous…it’s he moves in a overall round way and reaches for contact. He isn’t allowed to trundle along hollow backed - it does him no good at all that way. It is just miles on the legs he doesn’t need.

FWIW anyway…this from a person who would consider an animal communicator…so I know it lowers the value. LOL

[grandprixer]

@Willy Von Whompers

Honestly I don’t even know what kind of diagnostics…I would ask a good horse vet where they would recommend you start. A friend of mine took her mare to our local vet college for a few days of mega diagnostics (and letting vet students practice) and a whole body scan finally revealed some small lesions (not sure about the correct term) on her spine that were quite hidden from ordinary scans. The mare retired after that but it explained her reactions to civilized training requests. Do you have a vet college anywhere near you where they could run some serious diagnostics.

I would ask when he reacts badly to something you ask him, does he exhibit stressful behaviour leading up to it? Grinding teeth, swishy tail or just a feeling as you ride him that he is getting more and more tense? That would make me think pain somewhere. or is he bopping along you think OK and it’s suddenly a “hold my beer and watch this move” kind of thing? That would make me think mentally doesn’t wanna.

Or is your trainer (or you) expecting more oomph and wow from the dressage work? Sometimes if you over push and over ride it’s more than they can handle and they resent it. I’d prefer a quiet happy obedience to a lot of teeth grinding leg flinging. Maybe the expectations are more than he can physically deliver even if he is sound? Just throwing that out there.

You could try (gulp) an animal communicator? At the rise of being really woo woo (which I sort of am I admit) Ii have had some incredible information about horses come that way from one lady.

OK…I will just step away from that suggestion right now… I know all the arguments against it. Truly I do… and I am a sensible dressage type person.

He’s generally just a goober about everything, no tail swishing, grinding, head tilt, and he’s fairly straight/even. As someone once likened it too, sometimes he just flips me off and says no and sometimes he’s just “cool mom, I guess I can do that”.

Edit: saw your other reply. To clarify, I ride hunters the same way I ride most training level horses but I don’t keep the poll up. Otherwise I expect the same thing form them - reaching for/holding contact, uphill motion, pushing from behind, and willing to move from inside leg to outside hand.

He’s mostly happy to go in that lower connection or long and low but is very dishonest in the connection past that.

[anon68314200]

@mroades

In my opinion the short answer is yes, some horses just don’t like it.

Agree. Some horses understand “get over the fence and around the course.” The do not understand being ‘harassed’ for no damned good reason. Similarly, Some humans love to perfect the skills that will make them good at (whatever kind of ) ball play, but ballet, yoga, etc is not as appealing. You drill your physical skills so you can drill the ball in the goal, but why torture yourself for dance postures? What’s the point?

Think of it that way. Some horses are ball players, not ballerinas.

[Core6430]

In my experience, this is almost always a straightness issue.

[SuzieQNutter]

This thread has been weighing on my mind. Does my horse fit this category? Am I trying to fit a square peg in to a round hole.

I was walking to warm up. He was not happy. I was frustrated. It took hours to ride.

It was not working. I asked my instructor to look out for another horse who is forward.

I made a change and now I mount, walk forward and ask for trot. I ask for walk on the short sides just for safety for the days he is fresh. Then keep him going on the short side. This is working so much better. He is happy I am happy. It only takes an hour to go up and ride and put him away.

[ElementFarm]

Truth in advertising, I’m a hunter princess. But I like all my hunters to have solid flatwork, and I’ve shown through only First level at USDF shows.

That being said, my horses are all expected to have all the lateral buttons, be very adjustable, accept contact, and balanced enough for counter canter, etc. Some seem to enjoy the more focused flat work, some clearly just tolerate it but are very good, and I have one that Does Not Like It. And she never has. She prefers the lighter seat and lighter contact associated with jumping, and while she can go like a dressage horse, neither of us enjoy the ride very much. Since she’s a perfect hunter, I don’t really worry about it. We just mix in a little dressage with our regular less-is-more warmup routine, and otherwise, the princess is allowed to just go like a hunter.

I’ve ridden others who had clear preferences, and I think just like a horse that does’t like to jump, they’ll tell you clearly if you’re making them do something they don’t want to (for whatever reasons, physical, whatever). Resistance to dressage is less obvious than a horse who habitually stops, spooks, etc at jumps, but it does sound like your horse is telling you he doesn’t like it. You can either accept that he doesn’t love it and continue as you are (we’re doing it anyway) but with perhaps revised expectations, Or you can choose to change to straight jumpers with him, or sell him to a H/J home.

It’s tough when our horses don’t choose the same discipline as we do, but once we have that knowledge, we can make an informed decision on where to go from there.

[SuzieQNutter]

@SuzieQNutter

This thread has been weighing on my mind. Does my horse fit this category? Am I trying to fit a square peg in to a round hole.

I was walking to warm up. He was not happy. I was frustrated. It took hours to ride.

It was not working. I asked my instructor to look out for another horse who is forward.

I made a change and now I mount, walk forward and ask for trot. I ask for walk on the short sides just for safety for the days he is fresh. Then keep him going on the short side. This is working so much better. He is happy I am happy. It only takes an hour to go up and ride and put him away.

An update.

I finally got to a lesson with my instructor. I was told I am too soft a rider and he has trained me to expect the bare minimum.

One lesson and we are back riding dressage with a happy horse and rider. A round peg in a round hole. I wouldn’t have believed it, but it has been 3 days in a row on a completely different horse than before and my next lesson is tomorrow.

YAY. I am loving riding him again.