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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

A Little Greed is a Good Thing

9/11/2013

 
... but I went past a little greedy into the land of too much.

When I saddled Sydney on Sunday to repeat Saturday's work, I had a good feeling. He marched right past the spooky place near the brick wall which put a smile on my face. Aha - maybe we are on the right path!

I started our trot work with a single focus: maintain the rhythm that I determine. I asked him to play the Speed up and Slow down game and was over-the-moon at how quickly and accurately he responded. Here are the rules, in case you missed it.
  • Game is played on a 20-meter circle
  • For one half of the circle, trot slowly
  • For the second half of the circle, increase your posting height and rhythm to increase his stride.
  • For the next half of the circle, slow your posting rhythm to shorten his stride.
  • Repeat, repeat, repeat

I added two variations: when I felt him anticipating where we were to slow down or speed up, I adjusted my start and finish by a quarter of the circle, or I simply held the same rhythm for the entire circle.

The other element that I added was to focus on how slowly I could build to the next "speed." In other words, for the slow down part of the circle, I tried to get a "slow down" per stride rather than a quick slow down. And when I wanted him to lengthen his stride, I tried to get it to build rather than happen instantly with a lurch.

I was stunned at how well he was listening. It was as though I had my foot on a gas peddle, I could shorten or lengthen his stride at will. And that's when I started to get a little greedy.

We haven't been cantering this past week or two so I decided that we ought to give it a try. Once we were in a trot rhythm that I liked, tracking left, I scooped my seat and asked for the canter. He was a bit sluggish to respond, so I added some leg. After a few strides, he was finally able to pick it up. I played around with cantering on the loopy rein, slowing his stride down until it was rocking horse easy.

I should have just stopped right there.

But, I didn't; I got too greedy. I decided to try it to the right, his more difficult way. Getting a smooth, right lead canter has been a problem from the beginning, but I thought this might be a way to get it since he was balanced and carrying himself more efficiently. Nope.

I spent the next however long trying to return to the relaxed rhythm I had established earlier. Rather than rolling into the canter, he had returned to his habit of grabbing the bit from the inside, flinging his head up, and falling in. I finally got the canter, but it wasn't particularly balanced, and we never got the same level of relaxation that we had earned earlier in the ride.

I went back to the ten-meter circle, and was vigilant about not pulling back, but I also refused to let him rush off so there was a lot of hard, one-stride halts. He finished the ride by moving off my inside leg and doing changes of direction at the walk. I don't think either one of us was particularly happy, but no one was angry either.

Ah well, tomorrow is another day.
Lauren link
9/11/2013 02:34:02 am

I looooooove playing that game at the trot, but we're still mediocre at it so I haven't tried at the canter. Sometimes it's really hard figuring out when to stop!

Karen
9/11/2013 10:54:34 am

Sydney is rocking it to the left. To the right, not so much. Everything is easier to the left. Curse that right side! :0)

Stephanie link
9/11/2013 10:21:10 am

Sometimes it's very hard to stop when you're ahead. Like I've just been getting some good starts of relaxation from my mare Peanut, and then I go crazy and try to get her to stretch out more... and then she goes back to giraffe mare, lol... we all have our battles!

Karen
9/11/2013 10:55:17 am

If you never ask for more, you'll never get more. At least that's what I keep telling myself. :0)


Comments are closed.

    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I am a lifelong rider. 
    I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
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    About Speedy G

    ​Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
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    About Izzy

    Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
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