DefinitelyDressage.com

Ponichiwa

Dresseur, sounds like your guy and my guy share shoulder habits! I too have been working on the feeling of narrowing in front to make sure that he's not escaping out the outside shoulder in lateral work or during turns. We're not quite as far along as you and Miro, but already I can feel the progres...

Ponichiwa

Took a lesson today with The Melty Cheese and ended up executing about a million transitions. I had gone in asking for some help with solidifying the connection. While he is in fact a Very Good Boy, the connection breaks during most transitions of gait, exercise, or direction. And, shame on me, I've...

Ponichiwa

Demi-- I don't think that photo shows her too low at all. It takes quite a bit of strength to carry that front 1/4 of their bodies up and balanced, and she might not just have it yet. You guys look great! I'll also pass along the kind compliments to Queso. Can't resist, so here's a picture of him tr...

Ponichiwa

Agree with that, Piedmontfields! I was cruising around on Queso yesterday and was struck by the realization that there's nowhere to hide an imperfect connection with him. He's the sort that needs to be very straight and correct through his body (especially his shoulders) before he can be honestly on...

Ponichiwa

I third the appropriate title comments-- especially given that I've already committed to canter cultivation with Queso. We've got a decent and reliable working canter but it's time to start adding grades of collection and extension to it. We had a lot of success yesterday with a "rubber band&qu...

Ponichiwa

Well, it's almost the end of April, and gotta say I'm pretty happy with how the last two months have gone. Since mid-March, the dogs and I have logged some 100+ miles of lunchtime walk breaks. I'm hoping the heat stays away while this work-from-home phase lasts; it's been a very relaxing break in my...

Ponichiwa

If he's stepping big but slow behind and has issues compressing the canter a bit (and I recognize in a 4yo this is a big ask), take a look at his stifles. He may be compensating for imperfect stifle action by taking bigger strides. Avoids having to compress and load the hind end with a quicker stride.

Ponichiwa

Exvet, you and your horses are the ones that TAUGHT me it was possible to get a non-Warmblood to FEI :lol: So this is all your fault. Chisamba, that is such a great point! I appreciate that so much. I had a friend who rode the GP tell me "you need to practice that test 100 times" but your...

Ponichiwa

Kelo-- awesome news! It's super hard to maintain that level of focus, and 61% isn't anything to sneeze at. Congrats to you and the cowpony! I will say that while I could nail the 15 1-tempis at home, every time I went to a show I made a mistake somewhere in there. 13, 17, 8 + stride + 7, etc... my m...

Ponichiwa

I'm also in work-from-home mode, which is both frustrating (as I battle for bandwidth with 50k of my coworkers) and satisfying (as I take my lunch break via a walk with my dogs). Can't fault the commute, though, and I'd be lying if I said my personality didn't fit right in with the social-distancing...

Ponichiwa

We made it through Jan/Feb! I'd had a pretty ambitious slate of things on the docket for these two months, and it'll be a depressing roll-call to check against actual accomplishments. So in the spirit of always-forward-never-back, here's what we managed to do these past 8-9 weeks: Queso: - Went to h...

Ponichiwa

Chisamba wrote:Has anyone on earth been given more trained top horses to ride than Steffen? Two already trained grand prix horses for every olympics on a platter

At least three-- Floriano, too, was GP prior to Steffen getting the ride on him.

https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/dr ... r-floriano

Ponichiwa

Spatial reasoning is a skill that takes time to develop. Nobody's born knowing what a 12' or 14' stride looks like until they've paced it off (a lot). Nobody's born with the intrinsic knowledge of what a 10, 15, 18, or 20m circle is to ride until they've ridden tons of them. I can lay down a 20m cir...

Ponichiwa

Oh, honey. Oh, sugar. Oh, sweet summer child. My horses have been on the back burner due to work, but this year I'm going to be more purposeful about my riding. I don't think the work stress will disappear, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the horses' work has to suffer. It does mean that I ca...

Ponichiwa

Only downside to rubber vs. metals is that they tend to rub more hair off/pull more hair out with use. So you may avoid the staining but get a bald patch.

Ponichiwa

I love these threads, despite having sat out for the last two. Self-imposed work-related dressage exile. But I'm back in the saddle, literally and figuratively, and have had 2 solid weeks off work to get re-centered. Things we're working on: Kiwi: - Relaxed posture even when the work is tougher (lot...

Ponichiwa

2020 already! Could have sworn yesterday was March 15th. My horses have been on the back burner due to work, but this year I'm going to be more purposeful about my riding. I don't think the work stress will disappear, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the horses' work has to suffer. It does mea...

Ponichiwa

I almost made a new thread for this, because it's clearly not a small annoyance. It's an abomination. But here goes:

Coworkers who microwave fish in the communal break room.

Ponichiwa

I will say, you can see just how small you have to make the canter on some horses. Interestingly, the horse did the R/L change a few times cleanly, but she stopped and re-struck cc. I'd be curious as to why. In my mind, she should have pushed the horse forward once the change happened cleanly, othe...

Ponichiwa

A riding partner can help, too. Follow-the-leader can work wonders for the tenser/more anxious horse. When the tension ebbs, you can start working separately on your own things. If the tension ratchets up again, follow-the-leader until things settle. Rinse, repeat. The tensest moments are usually wh...

Ponichiwa

I don't think I would've known that either. I mean, I've heard about them, but none of the shows I go to even offer I-A or B as a possible option....so how are you supposed to ride them, then? They're typically offered via FEI Test of Choice classes. This has been a rule for a while, though-- I rem...

Ponichiwa

Typically you need to borrow on the opposite of the movement you're in to improve it. Pirouette canter improves lengthened canter, and vice versa. Extended trot improves passage which improves extended trot. Piaffe/half steps improve extended trot. Reinback can also improve piaffe, depending on how ...

Ponichiwa

Men might refer to younger women as a "little lady" if the person is obviously older than a child, maybe in their teens or 20's, but not middle-aged. One typically hears that term coming from older men. I can't remember having heard a 20- or 30-something refer to a female as "little ...

Ponichiwa

My travel plans must be cursed. I was in Calgary during the June '13 floods, for example. And now I'm still waiting for a flight that can take me back home-- although it looks like I've finally got one. Luckily for me and mine, we got minimal rain. My heart goes out to those on the east side of the ...

Ponichiwa

In discussing this with someone else, to segue on to what you said earlier about conformation, I wonder if it has something to do with the types of horses she prefers. She seems to pick horses who are piaffe/passage masters, and is there something about that conformation that leads to not being abl...

Ponichiwa

Where are you showing? the impressions of "the state of US dressage" varies widely. I have known and see many different breeds successful at GP but I do understand the concerns. Can we see pics of you lovely horse? where have you been showing and what is the vibe? are you happy with your ...

Ponichiwa

I always struggled with the nose-points-to-where-the-foot-lands argument... because clearly if that were the case the nose would move during the stride as you cover ground. And would it just point for the one foot or both feet? The mechanics just don't work. I do think there's a tendency to use idea...

Ponichiwa

That may be why the programs that gave winters off back in the day were able to get back to where they had been fairly quickly-- all the training is there, you just have to rebuild strength (and you have the opportunity to do that in a systematic and even way). I don't buy into that, but it's my op...

Ponichiwa

Ponichiwa, what is happening with the palomino? He's doing super. We're in the very boring-to-update but necessary phase of training that's nothing but building muscle and improving reactions to the sideways and forward aids. But he's definitely my go-to horse for a low-stress ride. He tries really...

Ponichiwa

It's just funny in an embarrassing way that when your body has the muscle memory to do x, your perception of the forces being applied is very off. In a way, this injury has re-set all that, so I have beginner muscled strength with the mind/knowhow of an advanced rider, so I'm taking this opportunit...

Ponichiwa

I've been abstaining from posting for a while due to pervasive ennui-- very hard to keep up progress when I can only ride in the afternoons during the week, and temperatures are still > 99F until the sun goes down. This summer, just like all the other summers before, has been brutally hot. I'm not c...

Ponichiwa

Agree with the prevailing winds here, but will also add that external aids like this (and like the belly bands/KT tape/etc.) don't ever offer release for the horse, and you can accidentally work yourself into a worse injury if you're not cautious.

Ponichiwa

Tsavo wrote:So then what is the correct word for denoting that a trot does not vary versus a trot that varies but both maintain the same tempo?

In a word-- that horse is lame.

Ponichiwa

Metronomes fix tempo, but the rhythm is free to go bananas. Rhythm is the precise regularity which evokes the metronome motif. The absence of tempo changes. Rhythm is actually the pattern of repetitions of beats. Think of a classic oom-pah march; the oom-pah is the rhythm, but you could play it at ...

Ponichiwa

Metronomes fix tempo, but the rhythm is free to go bananas. You can canter along to 60 bpm, and you can trot along to 60bpm, but you're still putting the full sequence of footfalls for those gaits within that tempo. When I hear "metronome trot", I think of horses that keep a consistent tem...

Ponichiwa

A couple years ago, I had an intern for the first time. My first stint at management! Was tough to navigate those professional waters with just a couple years between me and college graduation, but I was (I thought) nailing it. Until I walked out of the building one day in my breeches and heels-- be...

Ponichiwa

We don't know that the Morris accusations aren't more recent. His PR firm has put out a statement alleging that the events occurred '68-'72, which has done a great job of framing the story in his favor. But we, the general public, don't know if a) that's true, and b) there aren't additional complain...

Ponichiwa

Our criminal justice system will not be the arbiter of justice for the majority of sex crimes. well, it should be. there is a huge difference in code of conduct issues and criminal issues. SS isn't picking a lane and is acting like a court but isn't .... The mandates of the members goes too far in ...

Ponichiwa

Our criminal justice system will not be the arbiter of justice for the majority of sex crimes. The standard for evidence that a crime was even committed is high. The social cost of bringing charges is high. The standard for determining guilt is higher still. Rightly, we live in a society where it is...

Ponichiwa

Oh no! Heartbreaking news from Brontoland. I'm so sorry!

Ponichiwa

Trend in my area: Sparse lower-level classes, but surprisingly full 4th+ classes (especially amateurs). May be linked to the increases in costs; suspect that as a population people in this area are waiting to show til they are more advanced. We may also be experiencing an ebb in new-to-the-sport int...

Ponichiwa

Teenagers do not have good risk-assessing abilities. They don't. They drive too fast, they seek thrills, they push boundaries.

That's why the onus is on the adults to behave, you know, legally.

Ponichiwa

Although it's written as you say-- half pass to letter, half pass away from letter-- it looks more polished and rides easier if you "land" the first half pass a stride or two ahead of the letter, straighten, and embark on the next half pass. So in your example, I'd ride it like this: K to ...

Ponichiwa

RE: canter timing... I always ask for transitions (incl. lengthening/compression of the canter) so that they happen in the "up" beat of the canter. That's when the canter stride begins, which means you're not breaking the canter stride to end up in a different gait. By the time the hind le...

Ponichiwa

The worst part about crimes like this is that they just don't stick with "just" one accusation. Yes, but it was consensual. Yes, but they were an open secret. Yes, but he's a really sexy guy and can't help that young women throw themselves at him. Until one more comes forward, and one more...

Ponichiwa

And another thing! I firmly believe the rules apply to everyone. That's feminism. That's equality. Nobody should get an exemption from acting lawfully because they're attractive, or talented, or rich, or their family loves them, or whatever. The world hasn't always been like that, but I for one am g...

Ponichiwa

I think it is interesting that feminists, and I certainly consider myself one; I had a strongly political feminist mother and was raised with prochoice marches, MS magazine, Betty Friedan, etc etc etc. have somewhat of a disconnect regarding women and victimhood. Women should be soldiers, firefight...

Ponichiwa

Who should I have reported to? EVERYBODY KNEW. He was found not guilty in an actual legal proceeding. What is the protection for an accused against potential liars and vindictiveness? Or is it just a too bad for you buddy/girl if you are falsely accused? The top sentence does not paint the picture ...

Ponichiwa

Lifetime bans are not getting handed out because someone dated a 17yr old for 2 weeks before their 18th birthday. As in everything, context is key. That said, I'd argue that probably you should have just waited 2 weeks before going on a date. There might not be an emotional difference between 17.98 ...

Ponichiwa

Sex crimes are very hard to convict because the preponderance of evidence is testimonial. He said/she said. Add in the "but it ruins the man's life!" element, and there you go. Lots of exit ramps to end without conviction. But the paucity of hard evidence does not make rape any less a crim...

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