Re: Endurance and Dressage

[twoodcock@lendleaserei.com]

I won't mind warming up less, but Roo has to work out the kinks, decide that it
is okay to not have his nose stuck in the air, decide that no, we are NOT an
English Pleasure horse with our neck cranked up and nose stuck behind the bit,
and generally do some stargazing before he wants to concentrate.  Walking with
some trotting does this for him.  Without a long warm up, a free walk on a loose
rein is impossible.

This is what I'm hoping the dressage lesson will "cure" for him and I.

The local dressage horses at the training barn (all TBs and WBs with one
Percheron) are such pampered/coddled lumps. that 45 minutes in 90+ temperatures
are all they can stand for one day.  Yes, they do move well during their short
lessons, but would never pass a vet check as fit to continue another 30 minutes
of work.  But they come out of the barn mentally ready to work with minimal warm
up.  Trade offs, I guess.

Tamara




"Tracey" <tracey@tbt.co.za> on 07/26/2000 12:12:20 PM

To:   Tamara Woodcock/US1/Lend Lease@LLNA
cc:   "RIDECAMP" <ridecamp@endurance.net>

Subject:  Endurance and Dressage




That's a lot of warmup for a horse which you are then going to ask to work
in a frame!  Don't get me wrong - I warm up for fifteen minutes before
slowly asking my horse to "come down" and "work through" but my warm up is
at the walk, then a posting trot and a posting canter.  Bear in mind that
this horse is being asked to flex his muscles along his back, not trot out
long for an hour.  You ask a marathon runner to flex his muscles for that
period of time, and the guy's gonna tell you that IT HURTS.


There's fitness and fitness.  The reason dressage is good for endurance
horses is because it encourages anaerobic fitness as well as aerobic
fitness.  Now don't go flaming me, all you folks who don't do dressage, by
telling me how beautifully you can get your horse to hold his head, I'm
talking about a horse being encouraged BY SNAFFLE ONLY to hold his whole
body, and yours, with minimum interference from the rider. It takes mucho
muscle.


And that's why I would recommend to all dressage riders that their horses
should also work up aerobic fitness as well.  To which 90% of them scream in
horror "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly take Onduno Nametoolongtoremember X"
OUT.  He might hurt himself!


AND, BTW, my TBs could match your horse any day!


Tracey



>
>
>Well I can completely agree with the fitness statement.  The horses I rode
that
>belonged to my coach, and the horses belonging to the other student riders
are
>no where near what I consider fit!  They are tired and lathered after 45
minutes
>in the saddle, most at a walk.  When I took Roo, I "warmed" (walk/trot) him
up
>for 45 minutes on the trails behind the barn, rode int he ring for an hour,
and
>then cooled down (walk) on those same trails.  About 2-1/2 hours total.
The TBs
>and WBs were dying in the heat after their hour in the ring.
>
>Thankfully (?) Roo tends to shutdown in an arena, becomes more laid back.
We do
>our rearing and occassionally bucking on the trail.
>
>Tamara
>
>
>
>
>
>
>"Tracey" <tracey@tbt.co.za> on 07/25/2000 08:55:46 AM
>
>To:   ridecamp@endurance.net, "Sue Brown" <sbrown@wamedes.com>
>cc:   rockingb@worldnet.att.net (bcc: Tamara Woodcock/US1/Lend Lease)
>
>Subject:  RC:  Re: Re: Endurance and Dressage
>
>
>
>
>Just wanted to add one itty-bitty piece of advice, based on my (limited)
>eventing and (non-existent) endurance, but (different) dressage
experiennce:
>
>
>The average eventer / endurance horse is very fit.  Very.  Extremely.
>
>
>The average dressage horse is not.  At all.
>
>
>So, don't be surprised if the average eventer / endurance horse kind of um,
>how shall I put this, EXPLODES in the middle of the test.  Anyone ever
watch
>Blythe Tait's test on Stanwick's Ghost at (I think) Badmington?  The horse
>REARED at X and bucked the entire time in the arena.  These guys aren't
>interested in collection.
>
>
>Anyway, the idea is sound, but can I suggest you do your dressage test
>BEFORE you go and fitten up your horse.  Makes life a whole lot easier.
>
>
>Tracey
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>
>To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
>Cc: rockingb@worldnet.att.net <rockingb@worldnet.att.net>
>Date: Tuesday, July 25, 2000 7:33 AM
>Subject: RC: Re: Endurance and Dressage
>
>
>>> Endurance and dressage/eventing are very compatible, in fact I
>>>believe doing both improves both.  My horse sure is a lot more fit than
>the
>>>others I saw at the event (to be fair, consider the level).  Hehe.
>>
>>Denny Emerson recommends endurance training to his eventors to help get
>>their horses fit and strong.  At the ARIA convention last year, he said
>>that he thought he knew about fitness in the horse and the rider until he
>>rode his first 100!  He rode it on a borrowed horse...the horse was
>>conditioned for the miles but he wasn't -- he made it but had some
emphatic
>>comments about his comfort level at the end!! <g>  He was definitely
>>impressed at the level of fitness required for both the horse and the
>>rider!  He has the greatest respect for endurance riders and said he
>>recommends endurance conditioning cross-training to his students.
>>
>>Sue
>>
>>sbrown@wamedes.com
>>Tyee Farm
>>Marysville, Wa.
>>
>>
>>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>>Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
>>Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
>>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>>
>
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
>Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
>
>
>
>
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
>Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>