Dressage Training and the PRE
Bambu XX, purebred spanish horse now training, showing and available for breeding in the UK, had a privileged start to his dressage career in Spain.
With classical bloodlines to his credit,
he trained first with his owner there, an experienced horseman who has proven to have an exceptional way with young horses; then spent a year with Emilio Ordoñez, graduate rider of the Royal School of Equestrian Art in Jerez de la Frontera.
Emilio visted us for the BAPSH National PRE Breed Show, 2008.
Show Report.
Videos of BAPSH
Bambu continues his dressage training in the UK.
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The Bambu Training Blog - Dressage Training a PRE
As it happens
BAMBU TRAINING BLOG 2009
Dressage Training a PRE - In Hand Work Blog July 16
Regarding in hand work,I think it depends on the individual horse, the expertise of the handler/rider and what you are trying to achieve at the time.
I work B in hand every day for about 10 minutes before I ride, mostly suppling/stretching exercises at walk, and find that very useful. It’s also useful to start new exercises in hand in a manner that is easily transferrable to the saddle, and of course, it’s invaluable as work for young horses.
Becky (Becky Holden at EE) is a true expert at the in hand work. She can probably acheive even more from that than ridden. I personally find I can achieve more ridden, partly because that is what I am better at.
But basically you can achieve an awful lot working in hand/on a loose line/on long lines, as long as you remember that there is almost as much skill to doing it well as there is to riding well.
Dressage Training a PRE - Working Deep Blog July 10
We had our monthly lesson with Andrew (Andrew Murphy of the TTT) today, and first off we had a chat about working deep and round.
I would summarise it as follows:
It’s quite ok to stretch your horse deep and round/long and low/flexions etc as long as you arent using force, or holding him there, and you are aware of the horse working correctly through his whole body, and you dont overdo it!
It’s useful to stretch him (gently!!) in directions where he has stiffness.
What is important is that you can place your horse where you wish, so for example if he gets fixed behind the vertical and you cant easily get him back up, then you are doing it wrong.
Same goes for if he gets fixed at the vertical - he needs to be flexible and supple enough to simply be able to reach wherever he is asked to.
The whole point with any of it is about releasing tensions and finding the ’key’ to unlocking the horse’s back. This varies from horse to horse and from day to day.
You should be able at any point to ride the horse where you ’put’ it.
What isn’t useful at all is doing a certain type of stretch just because it is fashionable. You need to know why you are doing it at any given time and as soon as it has achieved the desired result (back up, /swinging) then you do something else.
I guess horses are much the same as humans really, in that its good for us to stretch each part of our body. But if we kept stretching one part in the same way it would cause damage.
So this was the theme of the lesson
- can I ride B low and stretched? - yes
- so can I flex him in each direction whilst he’s there? - yes
- so can I ask him to come up by activating the hinds? - yes
- so can I shorten the stride whilst he’s low? - yes
- so can I lengthen the stride without changing his frame? - yes
- so can I ride him up from the hindlegs? - yes
- so can I keep his back swinging now he’s up? - etc etc.
Dressage Training a PRE - Spanish Walk Blog June 14
I’ve actually gone really slowly with the Spanish Walk training - we originally started with Becky last summer. I’ve only spent a few minutes a couple of times a week on it though as I wanted to build it really gradually.
Anyhow,most important thing to begin with is keeping the walk going when you do it - Becky had us doing one leg at a time until you could do 5 or 6 strides on that leg quite easily, then start alternate legs.
Also, although you can ask for a high lift in the jambete - standing still - dont insist on much extravagance when they first start walking. The walking forward is more important. Its easy enough to add the extravagance later when they have the strength to do so without wobbling.
When its really easy in hand to do 20 steps or so then you can start asking from the saddle, although you can ask for the jambete before this. By this time you should be able to cue the SW mainly with a click and a lift of the rein, the stick just asks for a bit more extravagance/effort.
So from the saddle use the voice; use the legs to encourage the walk (alternate with the swing of the belly); and lift the rein to address the front leg on that side.
You can cheat and get most spanish trained ones to do it just off the whip but that doesnt give you much scope for getting the quarters activated.
The important thing to remember is that it is actually quite difficult for them to do well - it requires really good balance and decent strength in the quarters, otherwise they wobble and cant go forward properly. Thats why its important to not expect too much ’expression’ too early.
SW is good for freeing the shoulders, also for training them to lift from the shoulder ready for passage later on. Good for balance too and also,if done correctly - i.e.keeping the hinds in clear forward walk - it helps strengthen behind.
Plus it looks really cool when you can do it like this
spanish walk video on youtube
Dressage Training a PRE - Transitions Blog June 9th
Well I finally got back over to Suzies on Sunday for the first time since the Erik clinic last August.I was supposed to be going for a lunge lesson but couldnt resist taking B in the end as I really wanted Suzies take on how he is progressing kind of a ’correctness’ check.
Anyway,I was delighted that she thought he was going really well and along the right lines.
She was pleased with his level of work and where we were at, and felt it fine to work from there which meant doing some work on keeping him really coming through from behind into his downward transitions.
I realised I had been trying to keep them a little too ’pretty’ and this meant the back legs werent quite there enough - especially when doing the simple changes. So we did quite a bit of work on really snappy direct transitions - medium trot to halt isnt possible though - right???!
Also did some exercises to help our 10m canter circles which involved cantering down the centre line then doing a half circle in the corner and across the school to another half circle in the opposite corner.
So that was Sunday. On Monday I schooled him at home and was amazed at how quickly he learns and improves!
He really is quite remarkable in how quickly we can move on, his transitions were already much sharper, his collected canter is coming along really well, to the point that I’ve now entered a test on the 19th with the dreaded 10m canter circles. I even asked him for a flying change and got it! He did a couple with Emilio not long before he came over but I hadnt felt he was ready to start training them until now.
We had our usual pootle round the fields, but we’ve not been for a hack for a little while as it always looks like theres a downpour imminent lately. Still,he doesnt seem to mind and is happily heading towards the school rather than trying to suggest we go the opposite direction out of the yard. so I get the impression that he is becoming much more enthusiastic about his work now that it gets a little more interesting.
Dressage Training a PRE - Elementary Test Blog June 2nd
Things are going pretty well. B gets stronger by the day and we are gradually increasing the collected work.
His simple changes are coming along pretty well, just the occasional trot step in between now. Changing from counter canter is practically there, changing on the 10m half circle is pretty easy,but changing across the diagonol is still not quite ready as its hard to get him to ’sit’ enough not to fall into trot.
I really could do with having him in the double for the parade class at the end of June so have been playing around with that again, tried using a kk lozenge bradoon instead of the spanish single jointed and he seems to prefer that.
In a moment of madness I entered our first elementary test for this saturday. Only doing the training section to see how it goes though, as theres nothing to qualify for until July anyway. Winter regionals start again then, so I dont want to waste points.
Dressage Training a PRE Blog May 23
Had a brilliant lesson with Andrew Murphy today.
He’s really pleased with how Bambu is going and wants to concentrate on lots of collected work now to really get him using his quarters, which is great as that’s where I felt we were at too.
Did lots of switching from SI-travers-renvers-shoulder out etc on the circle; loads of transitions within the gait and then from trot-reinback-trot,and canter-halt-rb-canter.
B was responding really well- he picked up the canter-halt-rb-canter really quickly which was great as that will really help work in our simple changes.
Also insisted that he work in self carriage throughout, and felt some really lovely swinging through his back.
So now that we have qualified, the plan is to do one or two tests in the training section in June to see how we get on, and if things go ok then start trying to qualify for the winter regionals at elementary level in July.
I think he will be ready by then but if not we will leave it until he is. Hes strengthening up so quickly now though, that I hope he will be ready -whether or not I am is another matter of course!
Dressage Training a PRE Blog May
I had a brilliant lesson with Andrew Murphy today! I only get one once a month as I have to wait till he comes up for a clinic but its so worth it!
Andrew was really pleased with his progress since the last lesson and said he was ready to start the next stage which is about slowing it down, asking him to round and lift and starting to work on impulsion,cadence and self carriage.
He stood quiet whilst I tacked him up and we went to the school with him calm and walking nicely again. When I got on although he was absolutely perfectly behaved it was like riding a ferrari! He did some beautiful work, really concentrating and elastic. I barely had to use my legs at all he was so lovely and forward.
I put some poles out and did the side pass along them in hand. He was rather concerned at first and absolutely thought I had lost my mind, but he did get it after a while and did it really nicely. (why does the fact that there’s a pole there suddenly render them incapable of going sideways?!)
We also did the rein back between poles which was easy, but havent got any cones yet, so left it at that. I wish I had vid of him in the field, he was so funny!
Dressage Training a PRE Blog April
Andrew Murphy explained in great depth how I needed to use my seat to feel what the Qs were doing and ask him to bring his back up, then just tapping up his inside hind at the appropriate moments whilst keeping my elbows at my sides.
This was amazing! His back would come up first, then his hind would come through, and the neck soften and truly take the rein. At that point Andrew asked me to reward him with tiny yields on the reins.
I couldnt believe it was so simple! But Andrew makes things so clear with the horse there that it all fell into place - HUGE lightbulb moment!
Anyway, to precis: connect the seat bones into the saddle (I tended to hover a little) to bring the back up; soften and melt the seat to steady the pace; then activate the inside hind with either leg or a gentle tap with the stick. Passively resist with elbows glued to sides, - forearm and wrist still belong to the horse and are pushed forward. Wait for the horse to yield his back and stretch into the rein, then reward with tiny yields.
Dressage Training a PRE Blog Feb
I’ve started doing straight lines off the track and down the centre line in walk as it really helps me to focus on straightening and getting an even stepping through from behind.
Followed by some SI in walk, then into trot. Everything was really easy, he was instantly soft, round and with his back up in the trot. Easy transitions and easy to straighten by small half halts from the seat.
Some lovely transitions into and out of canter too. We may even be ready for our next test in March. I only worked him for half an hour as he had been so good,then we toddled off for a wander round the fields as thats his favourite.
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