dressage in general question?

Question

I am more of a hinter/jumper gal but the barn i recently started riding for is mainly dressage..now i am training this ladys 4 yr old TB mare in hunter/jumpers and dressage (eventually a 3-day eventer) I will have lessons for the dressage part when I get past basics but just wondering about how to teach these moves just so I have a headstart. can you like tell me what exactly this is and how to do it.

-leg yields
-shoulder in
-lengethening strides ( how to get your horse going more bouncier i guess without getting to fast..)\
\
anything else you dressage people know of..

Answer 1

To teach any horse any move of any kind you need to be able to do it yourself on an experienced horse first. Old horses for young riders etc. There are various levels of dressage competitions.

Leg yield is not a recognised movement in a competition but is a schooling movement, it is used to ask the horse to move away from your leg in a sideways and forward movement and not just forward . To execute this movement you turn up the three quarter line in the school ride straight for a few strides and then move your outside hand away from the horses neck, be careful not to pull him over. At the same time move your inside leg slightly back and put a small amout of pressure, increase this if no response. The horse will initially run on forward as this is what he is expecting to do. Check him with the rein and re ask. If he turns his head to the outside balance him with the inside rein. He needs inside bend and he should smoothly move over keeping balance and rhythym.

Shoulder in is a more advanced movement. To execute this correctly your horse should be rounded over the back, actively stepping forward and remaining soft in his mouth. He should be attentive at all times. To execute shoulder in - instead of passing c and riding on around to m turn slightly earlier so the horse is almost heading on a diagonal back to h, hold you outside rein so the horse doesn't turn too far of the outside track but use your inside rein to encourage him to stay slightly of the track, put your inside leg slightly back and encourage the horse to travel sideways but forward. The shoulder in is ridden on 3 tracks. Inside track is your inside fore, 2nd track is outside fore and inside hind and the last track outside is the outside hind. This movement takes time to perfect and you will probably benefit from a helper on the floor.

Lengenthen strides shouldn't be attempted until your prelim horse is remaining, balanced, forward, soft and rounded through all transitions, he must be remaining straight on straight lines and bent correctly on turns. Ride in a steady rhythym at all times count quietly to yourself, watch your horse is still moving forward actively, not rushing. If you perform this movement too soon you will unbalance your horse and ruin anything he has learnt so far and you will also loose his confidence. To perform this correctly your horse needs to be able to collect and extend with a strong back.

Early collect training for dressage is important and there are no short cuts, the more correct effort that is put into the horse the better the outcome. If you rush things the horse he will not become truly supple and able to carry out the movements when you ask.

You would be well advised to get hold of some basic prelim tests maybe even walk and trot tests and practise some of these? Get yourself a good instructor not just any instructor but someone who specialises in dressage at least up to Prix St. George level. Be patient!

Answer 2

Well, sorry to say, but those are not the basics- you need the basics before you can start doing any of those movements. Those are all considered 1st and 2nd level movement in dressage, which I know is different in numbers than the levels in eventing.



Basics to work on: getting your horse to go round with an even stride at all gaits. They should be smooth and suspended, with the horse's motion coming from the hind end. You will see the abs sucked up and feel the back being used -you can feel a raised bump underneath your butt- basically it feels like they are pooping constantly :) Your horse should be tracking up as well, possibly overtracking depending on the conformation.



the horse should be able to do all gaits and transitions without jerking the head up into the air or the nose way out- their head should be vertical, nose slightly out, and the poll raised. Transitions are a sit back on the haunches before going up or down a gait, you should not have it feel like the horse just plopped down randomly or on the front end.



Your horse should move well off the leg and seat cues. Shoulder-ins, for instance, you move the front end over independently on it's own track, but keep the hind going in the original track. Basically, you should be able to move your horses front or hind end over independently of each other. If you move them both over at the same time ( body straight, legs crossing and movign over while going forward) you have a leg yield. You cannot have a correct leg yield without leg cues.



Well, here is a bit to get you started, dressage takes a lot of work for most horses to get the basics down. Some are naturals, true, but very few are.

Answer 3

In agreement with Danielle - those are not beginner moves. In eventing, you do not see these moves until training or above. So you won't see them for a while. Since he is already jumping, you could probably start Beginner Novice or Novice in Eventing.



This is a walk/trot/canter test where attention is paid to transitions and how well your horse listens to you. Like Danielle said, balance, level head and roundness are all keys here. You will be asked to do a 20 M circle at both the trot and the canter and you will be asked to do a free walk, which should look decidedly different than the medium walk.



I would suggest you get a good dressage instructor sooner, rather than later. Already having experience, you can probably have a lesson once a month, or so, at first - while you are getting the basics of long and low and balance down with your horse.

Answer 4

Ok, I am not a big dressage fan, and haven't done a lot but I do know some.... for leg yielding, press your inside leg hard against his inside shoulder, and turn his head slioghtly in, and he should step over... this is also taught in Hunter/Jumper. When you feel him do the slightest bend, release the pressure and let him walk forward, it'll take some time, but eventually the horse will get good, :)Lengthing strides...I think this starts with collection, which you can teach by doing circles.Also getting the horse relaxed wioll help. Also work on lots of bending. Work on transitions and keeping balanced. Keep the horse strait and try to keep haunches in. Good Luck and hope I could have been help!

Answer 5

I sure hope this horse's owner knows you don't have the slightest clue about dressage and I hope she's not paying you to "teach dressage" to her horse! Especially your guess at lengthening strides - the clue is right in the name, it's not about being bouncier!



If you are serious about doing dressage with this horse, you should really start taking dressage lessons now on a school horse, so it is not the blind leading the blind when it comes time to train this horse.