[Chester]

Today I gave a lesson to someone who was very keen for me to instruct them. Their problems I was told by them were that they could NOT get the horse to canter without it doing a big run until it just fell into it and it going around looking for ufo's. It is a reasonably young horse.

Not knowing the horse and what it could or couldn't do I tossed my favourite student up to see how it rode.

Here are the pics of it being ridden correctly.







There was a small issue that the horse wanted to continue in it's usual way of dragging itself around on the forehand with its nose sky high. The canter needed a bit of encouragement too.

Then I got the owner/rider on. These are the pics from the start of the lesson. YES, I DO HAVE PERMISSION TO USE THESE PICTURES IN THIS MANNER.







It doesn't look like the same horse at all. Stepping short, hollow backed and doing the giraffe impersonation. Not a pretty looking picture and one of unhappiness all round.

After about an hour of solid work we ended up with this and I left it there as I could not have asked more. They were even getting a reasonable transition to trot to canter.



These pictures are genuine, there is no set up at all in them. Please do not critique either rider. I know full well their faults and so does the first rider. The second rider will be my work in progress.

The point of this post is to show that it is RIDING that gets a horse working correctly and not tie downs or such. I hope that this visual proof will help someone somewhere realise this.

[imjustjoking22]

I agree. I saw a HUGE difference in my horse from just sitting up straight, and an even bigger one when I ride with no stirrups (so my leg is in the correct place).

[madvoice]

Chalk and cheese with those photos. Well done SL you've proved a great point. I learn a lot from you just from sending you photos of me!

[jhalton]

Maybe I should come get a lesson! (hmm wouldn't mind a trip to Qld!) Good job you must be good at explaining.

[MaggieSue]

Perfect

[John]

I think that the tough school teacher may have had something to do with it!

[iridehorses]

EXCELLENT point and well done. The proof is always in the pictures. (Would love to see video)

[Chester]

Originally Posted by jhalton

Maybe I should come get a lesson! (hmm wouldn't mind a trip to Qld!) Good job you must be good at explaining.

Come on up. The weather is lovely. The lessons are payable in Bundy rum.

Originally Posted by John

I think that the tough school teacher may have had something to do with it!

Me Lil ol innocent me Never. I can't be too tough, I have more people than I could cope with who want lessons.

Originally Posted by iridehorses

EXCELLENT point and well done. The proof is always in the pictures. (Would love to see video)

Video could be pushing the friendship just a little. She was kind enough to give me permission to use the photo's.

I will take more next time and with her permission will keep you updated on her progress.

[farmeress]

Originally Posted by iridehorses

EXCELLENT point and well done. The proof is always in the pictures. (Would love to see video)

Oh me too videos such fun

But this dial up with an old computer thing really does suck since it does not allow me to view videos.

Great photos of what can be accomplished with patience, a rider who is positioned properly and a relentless instructor ( ) who know not only what to do, but how to do it.

Thank you for the examples

[equestriandynam]

Tension carries to the tail. In every pic of the horse with its headset correct (the first one his head is slightly behind the vertical) his tail is stiff and he looks uncomfortable. It takes muscle for a greenie upside-down horse to carry himself like this for long periods of time if i am not mistaken. I agree that an upside-down horse is an unhappy horse and the results of it are bad. But alot of people, even upper level dressage riders make the mistake of forcing a horse into a headset or into collection brick wall style. (they do it or else) And in turn you can get a very tense and unhappy (and sore) horse. You wouldnt ask a 10 year old to bench press 125lbs, would you? Horses who go upside down as you know arent using the muscles they need to carry the rider and engage their HQ's so its not a far fetch to say they might be 'weak' in those areas, so you would in a sense want to slowly 'condition' your horse into that frame. Slowly working up to 5 minutes, then 10.
These are only a few pics so i am not pointing a finger saying 'this is wrong wrong wrong!' but its something i noticed in the pictures. Head back, tail up, head out, tail down. Up, down, up, down, up, down.
He doesnt have his mouth cracked open which is a good thing, but unless he is very gassy, the tail speaks volumes about how a horse feels. Why do you think dressage judges like wiggly tails?
We had a QH mare that did the same thing with asked to tuck her head in for too long. The longer we kept her in frame the stiffer that tail would get.