Drinking and Dancing??? And I missed it???
I need to do less working and more lurking! What time are the Cha Cha lessons Velvet?? 
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!!
Who is Anky Von Gruesome and what does she have to do with “deep, sexism, boogers and now profanity”?
Is she one of those DB’s [dressage babes] 
If you’re going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance.
Once again, I have to agree with Jen West.
I really don’t think Anky’s riding is a good example of dressage. Joe Schmoe will see a horse on a heavy contact with straight hocks out behind him, and think that’s dressage at its best. That is NOT the picture I want people getting of dressage. I think the main reason dressage is so unpopular is because the average non-horse person who doesn’t know a thing about the technical stuff, just sees a tense and unhappy horse and gets very turned off, understandably.
We are not just talking about a few secons of ONE difficult ride on ONE difficult horse. We’re talking about World Cup-winning, Olympic silver medal-winning tests on BONFIRE! Heavy contact, poll dipped down, head on or behind the vertical, weight-bearing hocks straight, airborne hocks pointing skyward, croup high, back hollowed, four-beating at trot and canter, very nearly pacing at the walk. Things you WISH you saw in just the losing combinations. Nope, this is WINNING World Cups and Olympic medals! Just because someone’s winning everything in sight does NOT mean she is in any way good. I believe one of our fellow BBer’s once said “You are only as good as the judge thinks you are”. Many judges have not even ridden or trained up to the level they are judging at!
I just do NOT see in about 99% of winning pairs – INCLUDING Anky and her horses – the same collection, energy, engagement, fluidity, HARMONY and overall CORRECTNESS I see in the horses of the classical masters. Now, of course, that’s just my NON-competitive, NON-moneyed, opinion.
The only wannabes I ever see are chickens that wannabe stew. The ONLY dressage I see regularly is on OLN, so if the best that the World Cup has to offer are a bunch of wannabes, well, I can’t argue there. That has been, in fact, the point that I have been trying to make. Thank-you for your help making it.
Frankly, it hurts me to watch it. We no longer watch dressage. I’ve seen barrel racers with softer hands and quieter legs.
I’m not aware of the Gurney half halt tape, but Jane Savoie has two tapes out “The Half Halt Demystified” Parts 1 & 2.
I think her tapes are pretty good, but if my recollection is right, she doesn’t clearly state that she’s describing “connecting” half halts as opposed to “collecting” half halts, and this throws a lot of people.
nuno played dr. evil. it’s a little known fact.
Hey slc,
I think you’re confusing Reiner Klimke with Natasha of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame.
Just saw a topic on Off Course (I know most of you wouldn’t be caught dead over there) in which a medical report was quoted saying thongs are bad for you. Something about subways and bacteria and infections?
Anyway, just wanted to warn you that you might be endangering your “health” and I couldn’t think of a better place to post it than on this topic!
I am SO glad you can’t get my e-mail address!
I would like to say a couple of things here.
One, I really hate that photo.
Two, is a question to y’all. How can a horse be connected, on the bit, and using the ring of muscles if he’s touching his chin to his chest like the above photo? Anky may be the most successful rider of our time, but I still think it’s ugly.
I have no “credentials”, I’m not a trainer, I’m just a person who’s been studying dressage for the last 15 years, and this “new” style riding has just come along in the past few. I’ll stick to the “old” style thank you!
But I have my opinion, and you just read it
How exactly can a rider “pull” their horse into a deep frame? Certainly it conjures up an image of a rider with their hands down around their ankles pulling the horse deep. The only thing I have seen when a rider takes the “big pull” is a horse suck their neck in short and certainly not get deep.
When I was reschooling my crazy TB who only knew the h/j rings the first thing my coach made me do was put him deep. Granted me in my most hunterish form plunked him long and low and on his forehand. I was quickly reprimanded and told to “ride” the horse and make him get his hind legs moving up under himself. WOW, what a feeling! But there is no way I could have pulled him deep, he would have just flicked his head in the air or sucked his chin up and into his chest. There is so much softness associated with this style of schooling.
Sheesh, I get blamed for everything. Now even Brookes thinks I’m trolling around.
But, seriously, Velvet makes a REALLY good point. Riding the gaits of a really, good moving warmblood is dramatically different than riding the jog and lope of a QH who takes short, low to the ground steps. All I have to say is that until you’ve ridden some of these big, spectacular movers, don’t be so hard on riders whose legs, seats and lower backs are absorbing all of that beautiful movement. ANYONE can sit a jog or lope without moving. 
Hey, quit talking dirty before we all get thrown off. I’m really impressed with both of you - Kathy and Dr. HF - your ability to train your pferden to stand and sing is truly an amazing achievement. Ah, you put me to shame; how can I top that? sigh
i too am unworthy to rate them. so like the rest of the world i will proceed to rate them, chuckle.
reiner - HO-OH-OLY SANTA MARIA! WOW! that is fancy. just about over the edge.
nuno - yes happy pony and good sitting. and losing the back end asking for too much. but that is how you get more, by asking for too much some times, eventually it comes right if the horse is strong. sometimes you take risks, because if horse is not strong it won’t come right and will stay like that. judges nail the wide behind horses at medium and extended trot for a very, very, very good reason. most will tell you it is THE worst fault a horse can have at medium or extended trot, i mean, other than not HAVING one.
ankster - yes that is really nice and correct.
last one - this is bad. it is what they call all the generals out in front and no soldiers bringing up the rear. there is only bending at the hocks, no engagement, one friend calls it ‘‘chicken steppin’’’. at that point the hind leg should come through. also the head and neck is not good.
i think the hardest time people have looking at especially extended trot is it should NOT look spectacular, there should be no toe flipping and no exaggerated stepping front or behind. no ‘‘generals out in front’’ with the forelegs flying everywhere and the back legs dragging along behind.
i don’t know if anyone saw the borsalino horse at essen that got a 10 on its extended trot a few years ago, but it is rare for horse to do that, to get a ten on that movement.
they shot horse from knees and hocks up, and it looked like NOTHING. rider is just sitting, horse is going bink bink bink as regular as a clock, same rhythm as the other trots. exactly the same. happy little face on horse.
you’re sitting there watching thinking, ‘‘THIS WAS A TEN?’’
then they pan down to the feet.
the feet are 12 inches off the ground.
then they show the scenery going by.
quickly.
[This message was edited by slc on Dec. 07, 2001 at 09:19 AM.]
as i observe horses free in the pasture, i often see them assuming the same position as the horse in the above photo naturally, with no compulsion from a rider, at approximately the moment when an insect lands on the chest and bites them.
i often wonder if perhaps, just PERHAPS, we may make too much of the photos we see.
froth on the chin, a bug or just anticipating the free walk on a long rein after the salute will make a horse do this.
unfortunately for our anticipated stellar career at the grand prix, my horse has a violent aversion to having spittle dribble down his chin, and he does far more than the photo depicts, in fact he slams to a halt, catapulting me onto his neck, and spends about 30 minutes rubbing his chin vigorously on his knee any time a stray fleck of spittle dares to get out of his mouth. he also spends a great deal of time before that swallowing and grunting with annoyance if any spit actually comes out of his mouth, and the sense one gets is that FINALLY WHEN HE CAN’T BEAR IT ANY LONGER, he slams on the brakes and takes care of the matter.
i shall spend most of the winter stuffing his mouth with sugar and see if i can get him over this. God would be generous and bless me if we can get through to the final salute before he does this.
i tried the sugar this summer, but it resulted in us having a tiny cloud of flies buzzing constantly around his chin, and that drove him even more nuts than the spittle. he eyed the bugs with horror, chin tucked in to his chest, and would occasionally try to dodge them and ‘‘lose’’ them through evasive maneouvers. unfortunately, the old man doesn’t move fast enough, even at a hand gallop, to confound his own private little swarm.
there was nothing in the book ‘‘In One Arena’’ to address this show-stopper issue.
she allows no one else to clip Sjeff’s nosehair either.
I am not being critical. But I noticed that the left front and the left hind of the Idool horse are both on the ground at the same time in this (admittedly only one instant) photograph. It looks like he’s cantering. In a 3-beat canter the outside hind would be on the ground by itself, then the inside hind and outside front, then the inside front. Does this show that he’s not in a pure canter? At that instant?
Interesting …
what you were describing is what I have stumbled onto with my horse sort of on my own. Its worked quite well so far to point out the moving forward and being light and round (where I instantly give and let her alone) is infinitely preferably to bracing against the bit and chucking her head in the air where I have been resisting in almost exactly that manner and driving her up into the bit.
Suddenly she’s choosing to be round and carry her self much more automatically. (trust me, you can’t bully her into ANYTHING)
Well, except for this week, but neither of us feel like doing a thing…
i have followed this post for a while and have found some of the posts quite amusing… 
I just wanted to add thank god I am not alone!!! One of my students just bought an upper level dressage horse (gran prix) and when I rode him to sit his trot I thought my life not to mention my back muscles and stomach muscles had come to a painfull end. lol. This horse is incredible to watch and very easy in the bridle we ride him in a loose ring snaffle for most of his movements but to sit his trot in a straight line. Please god shoot me… I think I am going to ask Brooks, velvet and a couple of the other who is your surgeon for those non-flop implants… <grin> I too want to become a dressage queen and not bounce.
Nicole Huttar
www.jumpinghfarm.com 
Suzy, how many times have I told you, that silly I’ve tripped and spilled water on Velvet just doesn’t get it anymore.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Velvet:
It’s interesting to armchair QB, but as they say, opinions are like a** h****s. Everyone has one, but not everyone wants to hear them.
Velvetwhoadmittedlyhasone
It’s all about ME, ME, ME!!! (The only signature worthy of a real DQ.)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
But geeze, Velvet, what ELSE is there to do in cyberland-dressage BUT armchairQB, make lofty assessments, take on the entire dressage pantheon,re-train absolutely EVERYone and their horse…??
On another note, and here I feel like the hooded mesenger, Chacomo has definitely been put to sleep.
The de Ridders hoped to retire him, but he was going into more and more distress, so they did what had to be done.
I shall always remember him dancing.
