by cadence » Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:46 am
#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#My very first dressage horse was an Arabian and he went fourth level. He was the only dressage horse I've ever ridden that got consistent perfect 10's on his extended trot, which was so big it was very, very difficult to sit and often I ended up cheating a bit so I wouldn't get thrown from the saddle. (Interestingly, he got the "lightbulb moment" in learning the extended trot right in the middle of a Jr. Show Hack class - we won that class, were spot entered in the Open Championship class, which we won, then he repeated his new-found lesson in the dressage test and we got our first 10 and won that dressage class. You should have seen my mom and coach, they were jumping up and down...and I'd never seen that much excitement from my coach, ever! I was 14 years old and so it has stuck like glue in my memory and I was hooked on dressage from that day onwards). You have to win to learn how to win, thus winning breeds more winning, and his percentages on tests were well into the 80s and he frequently won his tests. He had phenomenal movement, temperament, heart, intelligence and go-go and the judges absolutely loved him. Sadly, he was already a gelding when we bought him as he should have been kept as a stallion, but on the other hand, since I was so young I would not have been allowed to show him had he been a stallion. His carriage and attitude were second to none. He taught me the most, I had the most fun with him, and he holds a dear and special place in my heart and forever will do so. By the way, I still have this horse and he is now 33 years old. He is looking a little frail and I'm not sure he'll make another winter but I'm enjoying his elderly years for now. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#My black-grey Han/TB gelding has the talent and movement to go Grand Prix but I'm not sure he has the right mental attitude yet - his work ethic is excellent but he can be argumentative and unfortunately this horse is quite in love with a snaffle-pelham which you cannot show in and he gets bullish with a snaffle. As some clinicians have stated, he is not a typical woman's horse as he can be very strong, but if anything he has taught me to develop an even more secure, independent seat and very strong core (abdominal) strength as it wouldn't take much for him to yank a weak rider over his head. I'm waiting for another year to see if he will mature out of the arguing or get set in this way. He is one horse that "trainability" is the issue, which is the only reason we gelded him as his conformation, talent, and temperament are superb with personality ++. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#So out of all the pure dressage horses I have ever ridden, my Arab is my favorite. Otherwise, a close second was a big, beautiful fire-copper chestnut Hanoverian/TB stallion, called Whispering Hope. His owners had me train him for 3-day eventing and then he was sold to a woman who, unfortunately, over-faced him and he quit jumping within 6 months of being sold. You just wanna strangle some people. This horse could easily free jump 7 feet (when he wanted to visit the ladies in the field over yonder) but it's always different with a rider on the back. I used to play tag with him in his pasture and he often would snuggle up for a cuddle with his big head in my chest with my arms wrapped over his nose, and close his eyes and give a huge sigh. A big suck, that's what he was. I could ride him with any horse, including a mare, as he knew his job was to work under saddle. He was glorious, but not a pure dressage horse, although he could do it well enough for the eventing.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
Patience! Practice! Persistence!