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(Continued from page 11)
shoulder-in to a canter on the spot before beginning. The pirouette steps should be deliberate, performed jump by jump.
Day Two
This horse goes behind the bit and likes to play with the bit. Therefore, the walk-trot work must be geared at getting him up and forward onto the bit.
Ride him forward and back in the trot, all the way to the piaffe. Keep him active, round, and through in the back. Ride slowly into and out of piaffe.
Trot, almost halt, and ride immediately forward again, keeping him in a constant frame. This will increase his suppleness. This will help him come up through his shoulders and back, and get him onto (rather than behind) the bit. Use the same "little stops" while riding shoulder-in and half pass.
Don't forget to finish the half pass! The hind legs must be ridden all the way to the wall so that the horse is straight. Don't leave the legs out behind. Be sure the horse is engaged and active behind.
Be careful not to lose the activity behind when collecting the horse after the medium trot.
One tempis should be straight, collected and round. Start with fewer (5 or 6 to begin), then ride the horse straight. A few correct ones are better and more helpful than 10 poor ones.
Grand Prix
Melissa Hervert,
riding Florijn,
a 13 y.o. Dutch Warmblood gelding
Flora Jean Weiss,
riding Windwalzer,
a 14 y.o. Trakehner stallion
The horse still needs attention to the walk in the warm-up. The horse must be relaxed, rhythmic and through. The horse should come back immediately with half halts. If the horse leans forward into the halt, ask for one step backwards after he relaxes and chews. This is to encourage suppleness and is NOT a punishment.
Ask the horse to bend to the inside, using the outside rein to prevent drift. Give him rein in order to get him to stretch
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and chew, and subsequently improve the walk. Loosening the back and the neck in this way is part of the preparation for serious work, just as stretches are for a sprinter. The horse cannot perform his best work or do his best learning until his muscles are supple and ready. Work to this end, in walk and trot, needs to become a daily ritual.
A horse that is against the bit needs to be ridden deeper in the neck and allowed to come forward to the bit in order to stretch and become loose. Giving, and asking for forward, must be done slowly, stride by stride, so that contact is not lost.
Ask for the half pass with a soft inside hand. Control the shoulder. Hands should stay low.
In canter, increase engagement and shorten the frame, keeping the horse up and jumping. That jumping should be maintained in the half pass. Be sure to straighten the horse before asking for the change (do not leave his hind legs bent away from the wall). Strive for rhythm, keeping control of the shoulder, and asking for the jump.
Collect the horse so that he is on the spot before asking for the pirouette.
Tempi's should be collected, but still ridden forwards--don't use too much hand.
Ride shoulder-in with a soft contact. Do not allow the horse to turn this softer contact into greater speed--half halt as needed so that the contact remains light and the horse's rhythm is steady. Use the inside leg to keep the horse moving forward in a steady rhythm.
In piaffe and passage, the horse should not be too high in front. Transitions between piaffe and passage should be done slowly and gently. Soften the horse with flexion to one side or the other during the movement, but do not ask him to move his head from side to side. The flexion should be imperceptible to the outside observer.
Passage should be through, and round, with a soft contact with the mouth. If the horse's head is too high, the horse will be blocked in his back and unable to swing.
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Day Two
Be careful in the walk. Don't let the horse hold his breath--although the steps are not irregular, they are not as free as they can be due to the tension and anxiety. Use walk-halt transitions to help the horse relax and stretch through his frame.
Think of the legs as "inspiring" the horse from behind.
Trot/halt to get the horse more up in the shoulders and increase the engagement behind. The response to the aids should be immediate, and the down transition should NOT go through the piaffe. Use half halts and flexion to encourage the horse to chew.
Prepare for the half pass with the correct bend. Get the bend before you ask him to move off in half pass. In canter, ride shoulder-in before, and ride half halts to get him attentive, supple and on the aids. The horse must be forward and round, without losing jump or rhythm. The rhythm must be slow enough to allow expression. Ride him straight at the rail, collect and then change. The correct rhythm is essential. Go straight and then ask again if the rhythm is lost. Use the inside leg to keep the horse forward and jumping in the canter. The horse needs to be engaged behind and not leaning on the hand. Do not use too much inside hand in the half pass--this would prevent the horse from chewing and from carrying himself. Using the inside hand also causes the horse to open his mouth. The half pass must come first with the shoulder--if you do not prepare the horse, the half pass will be poor.
Even during breaks, you must expect the horse to be correct in the walk. If the horse's walk loses quality, you must immediately stop him and fix it.
Reprinted with permission of © Dressage un Ltd.
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