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Post by sarahfox on Oct 14, 2007 21:52:00 GMT 1
I know what you mean about klaus' fees,heather!! When is the 4 ecoles performance? who is it?other than the portugese school? ( is the last a thick question??!)
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Post by heather on Oct 14, 2007 21:56:02 GMT 1
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Post by Donnalex on Oct 14, 2007 22:02:29 GMT 1
Yes he does, he can leg yield from 3/4 line to menage wall in walk and trot, spiral down and back out on the circle (use this to ask for canter which helps) turn on the forehand. Hes very responsive out hacking for gate fastening and so on. Anything else that might help? Thanks!
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chitori
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Posts: 1,485
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Post by chitori on Oct 14, 2007 22:35:28 GMT 1
I'm riding Scarlet on Wednesday again, positively excited thanks to this rather inspirational thread hehe
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Post by heather on Oct 14, 2007 22:37:45 GMT 1
Was pm'd asked, quite rightly, why I dont comment on your positions, given that is my speciality!! On most threads I do! But on this, I wanted to get the ideals of self carriage across first!
I hate having to say this, as people assume I am trying to flog them a Fhoenix saddle! But your saddles are all not helping your position. It drives me nuts when I see riders struggling to attain the correct position in a saddle which is pulling them out of it! I am just writing an article for Horses For Life online magazine, on the standard of riding instruction, and the poor design of saddles which causes the rider to sit badly, forever fighting the very blasted tool that is supposed to be assisting them.
But as I commented to Nettle, look where the stirrup bars are in relation to the centre of the saddle? You would have to hold the stirrups back at a 45 degree angle in order to be able to sit in the correct ear shoulder hip heel line. This is why we are forever hearing instructors yelling 'get that leg back', do they think all their riders are somehow anatomically challenged?
If only saddlers were not stuck in a time warp, and still designing and making saddles which put the rider in a chair seat, riding would be so much easier. Treeless saddles in general all have the bars further back as they cant be put further forward or they would create pressure over the withers. Even the cheapest £300 Barefoot Cheyenne puts the rider in an infinitely better position than many an expensive dressage saddle at £1500 or more!!
Sure, if a rider is a professional riding six to eight horses or more a day, they can compensate for just about any saddle, but for riders who ride only an hour a day, or less often in winter when it is is dark in the evenings, they just do not develop the musculature and poised needed to compensate for the saddle. My argument is they shouldnt have to compensate, if the things were designed properly in the first place!
I hate to say it, but if I put you on one of my saddles, or even another make of treeless saddle with the bars in the right place, or on one of my treed saddles I used to make with Barrie Swain, or any saddle with adjustable stirrup bars that will go back a couple of inches, the difference would be literally instantaneous.
I do it at demos all the time. We had a rider at the Cheshire demo, sitting really badly in a terrible GP saddle. She had stopped riding in it, because she felt so bad, and had been riding bareback for weeks! I suggested she take the saddle off, and ride bareback, but she pleaded with me to try one of mine! I didnt like to suggest it, for fear of appearing to try to 'plug' my own product! But I put one on as she requested, and an audible gasp went up from the audience.
I just wish we had some photos! She had gone from a hunched, chair seated rider, to a tall, elegant dressage rider, instantly. This truly is the difference a properly designed saddle can make. Her pony changed instantly under her too, having been er.........Parelli'd for many months, he came to life working beautifully on the bit, light and soft. She couldnt believe the change!
I cannot stress how important it is to get the position right to enable the horse to carry himself, but if you look at the photo of Sara on Lloyd, in the trot pic, ( think the size of that canter jump left her a tad behind in the canter pic!! ;D she is carrying herself a lot better, because he is carrying himself a lot better too. In the snaffle photos, she looks as if she is having to work so hard on him, she has forgotten to monitor herself!!!
I was lecturing at the Horse Event in Holland two years ago. I was given two students from the National School of Equitation to teach, the second was a 21 year old show jumper, but who wanted to improve his flatwork.
He came in looking very typically show jumper, hunched over, legs stuck a bit forward, horse was hollow and strung out too! He was absolutely great though, really did put into practise everything I told him. I only had half an hour with each, and in that half hour, he completely transformed.
But it wasnt so much just his position that I had altered. I taught him how to absorb the horses movement so that he was in complete sync with it. From that, comes balance, and from balance, the rider can improve and maintain position. He was riding in a dressage saddle, but the bars were still too far forward. Nevertheless, being a professional rider, he was extremely fit and able to hold the position without too much effort. At the end of that half hour, he had improved so much that people swamped our trade stand afterwards to comment!
But what they also commented on the most, was the fact that although I hadnt worked on the horse at all, he had changed shape underneath the rider, rounding up into an outline, carrying himself, even though the rider had done nothing other than alter his position and the way he absorbed the movement.
But if the horse is working well, and is light, it is far easier for the rider to sit and absorb the movement correctly too! A chicken and egg situation, if ever there was one!
Heather
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Post by sarahfox on Oct 14, 2007 23:16:33 GMT 1
Fantastic post,heather! And thanks for the link,I would like to get to that.
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Post by sophiews on Oct 15, 2007 8:57:04 GMT 1
Hi Heather, I'm in Warwickshire. I'd love to come down and do a course with you sometime as I'm increasingly unhappy with the way I'm riding (needless to say at a BHS - (norty word!) - establishment) I will have a look on your website to see if you have anyone near me, but not having my own to ride makes it trickier! This thread is great, thanks for being so imformative and for spending time answering the questions, I have learnt alot! Sophie
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Post by sarahfox on Oct 15, 2007 12:18:58 GMT 1
Hi sophiews,
Not trying to take business from heather as I think you should do a course too,but if you want somebody that trains correctly in the meantime that is a lot closer to you then take a look at arrow training,it is on the net,and you will see that sueNP is based in herefordshire.
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Post by heather on Oct 15, 2007 12:48:40 GMT 1
Yes indeed, Sophie,
I dont have schoolmasters here now, just the simulators and my own horses, whereas Susie does. Dont waste your money at the school you are at now- you would be better going to Arrow once a fortnight or something, than a typical BHS school once a week!
Heather
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Post by sophiews on Oct 15, 2007 13:57:43 GMT 1
Thank you Sarah & Heather I appreciate it! I will check out Arrow and hope to make it on one of your courses Heather in the near future. Sophie
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Post by Casper on Oct 15, 2007 15:05:48 GMT 1
Sophie, you could also perhaps think about Peter Maddison-Greenwell at Holdenby. Heather mentioned him to me in the past, so I know she approves. I've had a couple of lessons with him and he's fantastic - lots of clarity in his teaching plus gives you lots of schooling tips too.
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Post by heather on Oct 15, 2007 15:41:30 GMT 1
Peter only takes advanced riders on his own horses, Casper, whereas Susie takes all standards, and also specialises more in the seat, which Sophie may need after her current school!! But for the advanced rider, yes, indeed! Heather
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Post by Casper on Oct 15, 2007 15:51:57 GMT 1
I cheated and took Bobby! Bet Peter nearly died when we rolled up... He is a fantastic instructor, no question. If you ride one of his other horses first, once he is happy with you as a rider you can then ride his schoolmasters. How amazing would that be? I'm happy to just dream...
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Post by sophiews on Oct 15, 2007 19:28:14 GMT 1
thanks guys, I wish I had some pics to post but don't I'm afraid...maybe thats a good thing! ; )
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Post by sara on Oct 15, 2007 19:34:20 GMT 1
Had my first schooling session in the pelhm again after about 6 months of trying to persevere in the snaffle. He wasn't as light at all as he used to be, maybe he has just got into the habit of leaning, but still miles better, Warming up Some walk work And a bit of trot, What do you think?
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