A Dressage Students Handbook The Walk

  The walk has four beats. There is no period of suspension. From this picture here you can see the distinct four footfalls.
                      1. Outside hind, just came to the round.
                      2. Outside front, on it's way to the ground
                      3. Inside hind, in the air and will come to the ground.
                      4. Inside front, has most of the weight of the horse and will be last to step forward.

         One side of the horse moves, then the other, the hind initiates the step.
          There is a slight nod in the neck which must be present in order for the back to be free and mobile. The neck must bob down and out rather than up and out. The working phase of each back muscle starts when the hind leg on the same side touches the ground. The muscles on the other side swing and relax provided the neck is allowed to nod.
          In addition to the neck I like to also feel for the rib cage swinging from one leg and into the other leg. As the hind leg comes forward there is a slight moving away of that sides rib cage. Allowing for this swing will also help the horse to stay loose in the back at the appropriate time and keep a clear walk. One can imagine one hip being picked up, pushed forward and let down, this is then repeated on the other side.
          The walk is the easiest place to spot a rider that manipulates the gaits. A horse that is not correctly through and has an artificial high head set will have to hold the  longissimus muscles in constant tension in order to hold the weight of the rider, thus causing a distortion or ambling gait (pacing).
When the neck is lowered and the forward downward nod is allowed the supraspinus ligament system is engaged to allow alternating relaxation of the longissimus muscles. For each level of understanding the amount the neck must be lowered or more correctly: allowed to lower is different. It is also possible that when a horse becomes tense from atmosphere or schooling that the neck should be allowed to come down more for a period of time and the nose allowed out and down to let the horse find that place of relaxation again before moving on.
           I find that hot horses that become tense at shows may need time with ground work, leg yields and transitions in order to find the relaxation. Loosing connection will further confuse and stress the horse, but manipulation will cause unhealthy pressure in the reins and a gait distortion. So staying focused on the swing, connection and proper reaction to the aids will bring relaxation and ultimately a correct pace.
            Please let me know if you have any questions!
             I hope this helps your ride!

               To be continued.....

                  Be youthful in your approach ~ Know anything is possible ~ Connection is the Key

                                                   Nancy
         

Dressage Student's Handbook continued

              Understanding how your horse moves:

                                           Each horse will have positive attributes and even the most athletic horse will have a weak link. It is important to constantly be aware of the optimum gait on each given day.
                                           Knowing some basic conformation and how the energy moves through the horse will help you better influence your horse when riding. Watch horses move live. Get familiar with the four beats of the walk, two beats in the trot and three beats in the canter. This should become natural to watch over time and positive attributes should start to be noticeable quickly as you become more fluent. Does the horse move in balance front and hind? Are the steps rhythmical and the same size?  Is there relaxation in the joints? Does the hind leg reach under the balance of the horse or push out behind? Does the horse move over the shoulder?
                      No matter what movement the horse is doing pure gaits should persist.
                                           We add lateral work and upper level movements to clean, good gaits. The gaits are improved in suppleness and impulsion with movements, however, they need to be clean and relaxed before you add difficulty. Relaxation is built on understanding, so when tension creeps in causing rhythm problems step back, connect the dots for your horse and then move forward. When you have a particular area that you know your horse gets tense think of ways ahead of time to present the information in understandable chunks and make it possible for your horse to do it right. More small questions that get the right answers will benefit the training better than a big question that creates confusion and refusal. When you take your lessons be aware that your focus is just as much on communicating correctly with your horse as it is with making your instructor happy. Your instructor seeing your horse understand you will be happy!! When something does not make sense it is best to ask a question during a break rather then put extra miles on your horse in confusion.

                                           In the next chapter we will go into the gaits more thoroughly. So be sure to stay tuned. If you have questions please comment below, or email me nancylaterdressagehorses@gmail.com

         Be youthful in your approach, know anything is possible, connection is the key!

                                                To be continued.....

Just another day

Here we are in New Hampshire at Heidi and Dick Venuti's beautiful Kilgore Farm.
             The sun comes up early in New England in June, it is a fresh morning and the birds are super happy, everything is clean from the rain yesterday, and they are joyful in the sunshine. The hummingbirds are happy to visit the feeders and I love to hear them buzzing around outside my window.
               I still struggle with the internet, but today I am blessed with some phone service and a precarious hotspot signal from my phone. I make the riding list for today while I reflect on the training from yesterday.
                The horses were all patient and worked well even though there was torrential rain for most of the day. Today we will make a point to walk and work outside, as well as give them their normal happy time in the big paddocks we have here.
                Yesterday I had a very productive lesson with my new young training horse. He was not having an easy time in his transfer from the braking in stable to the hunter/jumper stable where he was to be trained, so he found himself in the school for delinquent warmbloods. Several months later we picked him up to have a summer of Carousel Coaching. He got off the truck from Florida shell shocked and distrustful. He is super smart and wants to please, but completely unsure of his body, his job and his handlers. The past month with him has been one of the most fun training experiences of my life so far. I am so grateful to Tristan Tucker who has taught me so much about reading horses and connecting the dots for them when they are fearful and reactive.
                 The month started with ground work only in the halter, work in the stall, work in the grooming area and work in the arena. This guy was known to be spooky and distracted, which led to fear and bad behavior. His work in the arena was amazing to watch and connecting with him as he became more relaxed and willing has been so much fun.
                Working this horse with touch and noise has been amazing as his whole body was in such tension, even in the stall. Watching the waves of understanding and relaxation go through him is so gratifying. I always say we need to video this horse so we can document the progress. This one I kick myself, I would love to watch this over and over again, especially on the days when I forget where he came from.
                The beginning of the week we started working on leg yield movements in hand, along the wall, away from the whip and toward the whip. One of my favorite Tristan exercises. He is so careful and nervous, watching him process the aids and think about how to move his gangly legs is so fun. As he becomes "like a cooked piece of spaghetti" as Tristan would say, it is clear that he is letting the aids through with understanding and confidence. Yesterday we were able to take it to the mounting block, where to spite a lot of tension he was able to understand and bring himself to the mounting block. We were able to repeat this several times and I was able to mount him in a relaxed and happy state at the mounting block bare back in the halter. As I took him back to his stall with his neck hanging in a relaxed way from his shoulders, his eyes soft and happy and his feet hitting the ground in a slow rhythm that reflected soft joints  I was so proud of him.
          I had an awesome day with my Glorious working on Piaffe and flying changes and Enzo getting stronger on his self carriage for the canter pirouettes. However, when I look back at yesterday with my new guy at the mounting block, that was the highlight.

                                Just another (amazing) day!

                                       Embrace the Journey,
                                                  Nancy

A Dressage Students Handbook, Part 1

        Introduction;
                 This blog is written by an avid student of horsemanship who has specialized in dressage. I have also become a trainer and teacher, but this is not about that. It is written to help you be the best student you can be and go forward with steady progress and understanding.
                I do not plan to teach you "how" to ride here, instead to master the art of learning. To help you understand some fundamentals that exist no matter what level you ride.
               I am so grateful for the experiences I have had thus far on my journey with horses. I am thankful for my students and the horses that have led me on this path of learning.
                Through this blog I hope to help others grasp the principles of learning early on their path (however, as with me, it is better late than never!), thus creating a more joyful journey. Dressage is not easy, but it is not as complicated as it may appear at times. I hope you are able to use this handbook to navigate the difficulties with confidence and relaxation.

                                                Be youthful in your approach
                                                Know anything is possible
                                                Connection is the key

                 Chapter One

                           The controls;

                                  The first and most important lesson to learn is that no matter what the level is, the basic controls hold true. Your steering, brakes and gas pedal are more important than where the neck is. Always remember this. Also, how the horse gets ready to process the aid is important to train correctly, as this will be very important during stressful situations.
                                  The left rein means turn left
                                   The right rein means turn right
                                   Two reins mean stop
                                   Two legs mean go
                                    The right leg means move left
                                    The left leg means move right
    Use the rein aids in a blocking, leading or suppling manner, do not pull back.

                                    No matter what level your horse is, these basics hold true. When riding at the upper levels with an educated horse aids maybe processed close together to create more difficult movements and half halts. However, even the educated horse must understand how to process these basic aids correctly, instantly and without resistance.
                                    You may be saying "But I thought we turn from the outside rein?". (Indirect rein.) I believe in "direct aids". I believe the horses want to participate. I start my training from a belief that horses want to please us. If that is where we start, from then on all aids need to come from this place. Positive aids that make sense and can be clearly given and then released because the horse gives the correct reaction.
                                     I do not want to get into training philosophy, however, just a small note; the outside rein only makes sense to the horse if he is supple and following the inside rein. Non of this includes pulling back. The rein aids are given in a leading or blocking manner, pulling back already creates confusion, so should be avoided. When the horse prepares for the aid with active resistance this must be worked through to create the correct response before moving on in the training.
                                      When a horse does not understand the basic aids it is time to step back and teach them. One can teach from the ground first and then from the saddle. As a beginner student of dressage this might be something you ask your instructor to help you with. It is important to note that when the basic aids get the wrong result, complicating the matter by trying to put aids together into half halts or complicated movements will only further confuse your horse. If you are a beginner student have your instructor teach you how to teach your horse. Be honest when things do not feel right. Sometimes this is hard to see from the ground, if you find yourself in a situation where the reins mean go and the legs mean stop, do not agree with your horse that this is how it is. Discuss this with your instructor and go back to the basics to correct the problem, then move on from that correct base again.
                  If this is helpful to you please send me an email and let me know how it improved your ride.
                                nancylaterdressagehorses@gmail.com

                                    Embrace the journey,
                                                        Nancy
To be continued.

Positive aids

          Hello!
            I have a feeling I might have touched on this subject before, because it is super important to me. So you have to suffer through my soap box again. However, I think this is a really great subject and for some, may be a life changer, if you can hold on to the concept.

            Why do we start riding horses? I cannot answer the question for you, but for me it was about partnership, connection and team work. I competed in all horse sports; jumping, eventing, competitive trail riding even arabian park horses, riding was all I ever wanted to do. I got stuck on dressage in high school and that is all I have ever known since then.
              I believed it could be a partnership, yet it did not feel like this when I was taking my lessons. It was super clear that I was not good at saying what I wanted and the horses could not hear me. There were all sorts of reasons the instructors gave me, at the time I could not hear the right words and my body did not respond the right way.
              I was almost 30 years old when I met Conrad Schumacher and he said the words "the horse can positively anticipate what needs to be done and work with you toward that outcome" I wanted to hug him! This is the knowledge I had been looking for, this makes sense, this is what my heart wants to participate in.
              So many times I had heard that the German Principles were so strict, don't go there. to Germany, it is too hard, they are not nice. Why did this German guy say what I had been looking for? Because he understood the Principles!! And what fun is that.
                So my lesson for today is positive aids and I learned it from Conrad Schumacher, Ellen Bontje and Tristan Tucker.
           Believe that your horse actually wants to please you. This is number one. If you start out your ride with this in mind everything you do from that moment forward will be different. EVERYTHING.
             Believe that if you train your horse to go forward from a normal aid, and then actually go forward with him forward is what you will get.
               Believe that if you ask your horse to wait with an aid that he understands, wait is what you will get.
             HOWEVER!! if you tell your horse to wait and push the crap out of him and he does not understand how to let the rein through and bend his hindlegs and hips then you get a million pounds in your hands and have to squeeze with your thighs to keep your tight butt in the saddle it is not going to work over the long term. NOT! 
            And from here it all goes south.
          Half pass turns into aids that actually tell the horse what not to do instead of what to do. Pirouettes are a terrible confusion of manipulation and strength.
             We have amazing, talented horses.
       Why would you put your butt in the saddle if you were just there to manhandle a horse around the arena?
              Start by believing your horse wants to participate, and train from there. Positive aids; turn, go stop, it all starts and finishes there.
                   

Weeeeeeee! Certified Personal Coach!

Today marks a big day for me ! I finished (and passed, and am now Certified!) my Core 100 Coaching Course ! This is an exciting step toward my future goals. I have really enjoyed the class. The program has been so helpful to my already motivated mindset! Now I have many more tools to utilize in my dressage lessons,  training business and my new endeavor, Personal and Performance Coaching, Carousel Coaching. MToday y website will be online soon.  In the meantime interested clients can email me at nancylaterdressagehorses@gmail.com for a free introductory session. If you need support in any area of your life; competition, health, family or you know someone that could use a boost please email me for more information. My passion is to help young people with their riding goals, identifying and nurturing strengths and gifts and balancing the complications of life as they move through the inevitable challenges of growing up. 

           In the meantime, the winter in Florida has been wonderful. We have had beautiful weather. I have been able to catch up with some old friends and make new ones. I have had the honor of showing two super horses at Global and I am eager to continue keeping them in the ring and successful. My Glorious has been struggling with some stamina issues. I am excited that we may have answered some of the questions about why we are experiencing these problems. I am always and forever grateful to my amazing vet Brett Gaby for his consistent support, advice and creativity as we travel this road together. This winter I have also had some great expert help from Meg Miller and I value her input and feel extremely lucky to have her close by.

            Karen Barth has entrusted her beautiful Enzo to my care and training and this has been one of the highlights of the winter. Karen is a force to be reckoned with and I have needed her encouragement and energy at times, I am so lucky and I feel blessed to have her on my team. Her partner in crime Vicky Canuso has also been a delight and I am eager to see Vicky moving forward with her own Truman in the months to come. Vicky's loving care has brought Truman back from layup and he is getting stronger every week, this is beautiful to watch.

            Andrea McCauley has been a super help with her watchful eyes at the horse show and continued support. Andrea and Casey have been diligent about keeping up with their lessons, and the improvement over the weeks is great. Roxanne is always getting stronger and Casey figuring out this difficult sport, getting more and more feel for the movements and it is always so powerful to watch as the horse and rider come together. Andrea has been working with her own Rubin to get him up and running after a pasture accident a while back. The fact that he is working and even doing the upper level movements is nothing less than remarkable. Andrea has been diligent in his care and rehab and Rubin is looking better than ever after a long road. I look forward to their continued improvement and for her to reenter the show ring in the summer.

            We are sad to loose our Brittany :( This week she will head back to Massachusetts to embark on the next stage of her life. Brittany has made some fantastic progress with her own horse Ravi, including getting him out to a real dressage show this winter!! Ravi has grown up this past year so much and Brittany has done an amazing job of supporting him through some real problematic health issues. He is on his way now up the levels he will climb and we wish them all the best of luck and success in the years to come.

                Brittany's departure leaves me looking for my next working student, so please pass the word along if you know of any ambitious young person looking for some education to use in the horse industry. I am incredibly thankful to Paul for his hard work and expertise as we say good bye to Brit.

          

Florida

      I am constantly surprised by the speed at which time goes by these days.
        Brittany and I are in Florida and enjoying Half Pass Heaven Farm and some beautiful weather.
      The horses all acclimated well and are progressing in their training. We have eight horses in our care presently and it is a perfect work load for challenge and success. The horses are getting fantastic individualized care  through the great work of Paul and Brittany. They are all working hard, happy and participating in their learning which makes it all more fun.
          Glorious was able to show in the first show at Global and he was great. I am so proud of his confidence after not showing in quite some time, last June actually! He was second in the Prix St Georges with 67%. I have had some issues with his stamina, which we are investigating and until I get that resolved I will not take him out again, however, my goal is by the end of the month. We did the Prix St Georges a couple of weeks ago and I think the Inter 1 is well within reach. He is also gaining in his understanding of the piaffe and passage and one tempis are coming along!
          My beautiful PW stayed in Rhode Island and is working for Lynn Phipps at the Beachwood Center for Wellbeing. She is so personable and in tuned with people that I have no doubt she will be instrumental in changing some lives for the better.
           Pnut has landed in the capable hands of Olivia Suker and is participating in Lendons WIT program here in Wellington. I am so proud of both of them and happy for Olivia with all of the progress she is making with her riding.
              Brittany and Ravi are progressing well. Ravi had his eyes opened wide coming here to Florida. He was a trooper on the long trip and settled into his new lifestyle well. Brittany is developing her dressage seat with lessons on all of the horses and Ravi is benefitting from her experience. She is working with him consistently on the 1 st and 2 nd level work and we are looking forward to showing him soon.
              Florida is just amazing this time of year. The opportunities to learn are endless. The shows have been interesting. There are some amazing riders here for the winter. For me I would also love to see more developing of real throughness and balance in the shows. I feel that we have made little progress in this area even over the past couple of years. The sport is growing and the horses are amazing. The whole disaster on face book with amateur rider from California being picked apart as well as the judges giving her inappropriate scores brings me back to the idea that we need to implement a better system for allowing riders to move up the levels. Such a sport already has a systematic and proven way for teaching riders and training horses, it would behoove us in America to adapt the system in our show requirements as well. Just a thought :)

               Where ever you are this time of year I hope you are opening yourself to learning, if it is not easy up North go online for inspiration. There are many, many options available. Your horse will thank you! Even if it is not until spring. Stay inspired!

              I am excited to be opening my new coaching practice. I have been studying hard and am now taking clients for personal and performance coaching. Email me for more information, my website is going to be online soon.
            We will also be doing a weekly boost on facebook, so if you have not already done so follow my carousel dressage page!

                         All the best! Ride Forward!
                                     Nancy