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Re: [RC] DQ's and boring arena work - Karen Sullivan----- Original Message ----- From: "Cindy Collins" <ccollins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> OK. I have one final story on taking dressage lessons. First, know that I HATE arena work and avoided it with contempt for 45 years of my life. ......... So, I still HATE arena work, but believe that it is the very best thing I've ever done for me and my horses. It's been worth every dime. Thanks for listening. Cindy *Yes, yuck, but that is exactly what I am doing with my just turned 5 year old. She has 4 1/2 years on the trail from babyhood up....and I did start her. She has done really well, but the dressage lessons we are doing are making a difference in how she carries herself and moves. I rode her for awhile, but we were both clueless and not making much progress, sigh. Finally the instructor agreed to ride her in the lessons. The improvement is remarkable...and it makes much for sense for the instructor to train her at this point, then give me the lessons......this will be LONG, process....another friend is coming on 2 years with this instructor and her horse improving all the time. It makes much more sense, to me, to do this over time, as the horse matures and muscles up (than the classic 30-60 days at a trainer and the horse is "supposed" to be finished). Yes, this takes longer, but the whole process is enjoyable and less stressful to the horse. I continue to trail ride her and use cues we have developed in the arena. She is rounding up nicely at the trot, learning how to extent the trot....leg yield, pivots, etc. We have been at this over 20 lessons and have not even begun to work on canter cues (though I do canter her lightly on the trail). What hit home was the time the arena was too muddy, so we did the lesson on a long dirt road. I was on the 4 year old, and my instructor on Fawn, the 5 year old. She did all the bending and leg yields and trots on the trail....and was blown away by how focused Fawn was and not distracted by stuff on the trail. I just laughed and said she has already seen everything on the trail already..... Anyway, am enjoying the process and having a light and responsive horse. At age 48 this becomes more important than a horse that can run a 50 right now. Maybe some day.....but we aren't going to be really moving out fast until all the training is in place. This is too nice a horse to ruin. So...I drive her to the lesson, enjoy watching, get on some, but spend a lot of time picking rocks out of the arena, which everyone appreciates. while the TRAINER rides my horse! BTW, I have done a lot of riding, conditioning and trotting over the years. Nothing about that was as hard as trotting a circle in the arena, focusing keeping the mare light, on contact and coming up under me....my legs were aching after a few circuits!!!! Karen S ============================================================ At the end of the day maybe the definition of endurance isn't the length of the ride but rather the spirit in which it is ridden. ~ Maryanne Stroud Gabani ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================ ============================================================ And remember, an arab's fourth gait is the spook! ~ Jeanie Miller ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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