DefinitelyDressage.com

mari

This morning our dressage arena was finally finished! I've been schooling in a jumping arena for the last 6 months, and while the space is lovely, it certainly does my already-wonky geometry no favours... So this morning I broke in the new arena, while my jumping instructor was measuring out and put...

mari

Cauliflower cheese macaroni, sauce made with sage, bay, cream and smoked cheese. Was delicious!

mari

Odin got a 5th place in the 1m class yesterday, piloted by my coach. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/brqAKajjCA0SU0Ir7NabsD2gBnp6rj8iROLGEOr95EoKpJhYYRQdR7AOxX7KWcJ1N8Xdzcki3n41VXAYVySyoHAGMeGMr15zcI8JqEzfZhQxk_jb1E4oOJBKCuk54kBOGKXjRghp72nzpkIyWspDDLL4U133OrebmUC8CHqqlt2NCHdq1D_DGVrwSRdvZ1kig_NNW...

mari

Oh yes, and I myself am obsessed with submission. Odin, on the other hand, is less interested...

mari

I am obsessed with figuring out to consistently execute power and forward flow through trot-canter-trot-canter transitions. I know this sounds ridiculously easy, but it isn't for us! We have spent too much time with me accepting little power gaps and throttle leakages through these transitions, whi...

mari

Great notes!

Now trying to think where on my body I can tattoo "A half-halt is not a dialogue"

mari

Goodness Chisamba... I wish you well!

mari

Flight - I think Ding looks lovely. For flat flying changes that need a bit more jump and expression, I always have that Charlotte exercise in my head, where on the long side you start in collected canter, then have 3 steps of lively medium, then the change, then immediately collect again.

mari

I'm not sure why my pics won't show. I use the [IMG] tags, and Google photos, and then right click and select "copy image address", and that goes in the tag. Very odd...

Does the link work?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/q1GzU4KsTufZefEl2

mari

I did a post and the forum ate it... So hopefully this is not a duplicate. Xanthoria - Such lovely photos. In that last one he looks like a giant! I've had an unproductive dressage month, pretty sure we went more steps back than we actually progressed forward. But on the bright side, the jumping has...

mari

I love love love the pin/browband combination, so pretty. I absolutely detest stock ties, but I will need one this year. I want the plainest one I can find, still on the lookout. Everything so far has ruffles or some kind of shine. My jacket is plain black, with flat silver buttons. It has a velvet ...

mari

Odin grows about 2 hands at a show. This must be an exhausting process, because he is very energetic and fiery for the first 20 minutes, and then turns into a slug. Also, I tend to stop breathing at shows, so a long warm-up could prove fatal. So we generally warm up for 10 intense minutes, then mooc...

mari

We are working on submission. I had the kind of lesson yesterday that made me consider rollkur and draw reins as very reasonable training methodologies. What are your thoughts on submission? For me it means an active and supple horse with all of his attention on me. I need access to the front end an...

mari

Caveat: I have never trained flying changes before the current horse, only ridden them on horses who had them easily (young TBs) or schoolmasters. p.s. No, this is not the recommended approach. In my first comments, I will say that doing changes with a short-backed, not huge-strided horse has led m...

mari

If I can just manage to wrangle my work schedule to ride more than twice a week, that would be amaaaaaazing

mari

If you're not an advanced rider, rideability to me also means that the horse will absorb some mistakes and try to figure it out, without losing the plot.

mari

Helloooo everyone! I had a nice long holiday at the beach, but now I'm back at work (uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurgh). Got on Odin for the first time in 4 weeks yesterday. He felt about as much in the mood for work as me... Just did some trot and canter work to loosen him up, and ended with transitions to ...

mari

Flight - so sorry to hear! Lame horses are the worst... Good luck!

mari

Had a lovely jumping lesson this morning. Two relatively uneventful flying changes. In the one he changed behind first, before sorting the front end out, but he kept going straight, in a even rhythm, so that for me is a win. Anything where he doesn't kick up and twist is a bonus at this point. Here ...

mari

You poor North Americans. Is now a good time to tell you that my next few months will be sunny and hot, with afternoon thunderstorms to cool things down a few times a week? :lol: Goals for me: 1) Continue yoga and pilates, all in the service of getting my neck better. 2) So much lateral work, partic...

mari

Can someone explain how to embed the photos again? I got it right on a thread a few months back, but now I'm lost. I use Google Photos, I open the photo, I click on "Share" and then "Get link". I copy that link, and using the full editor, I add an IMG tag and paste the link in th...

mari

Thought we'd end the month off with a fun show. Odie came first in both classes, with my instructor. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eg7WGFRMhYGmRpe1Iq5r8j3fQazYKjLzjxn37Q4TpdWGSARdG9cMZTl2Ac9Jqf9kJnY_1eCwJ5LYYzZFliH2EZFZgZTvCIp_YHVp75H9-jpZxvO_k-K1Tr45mS4FaizM7HrXBj8bdPltlj7Hwp5m8xCBcjrxsNLBbp4Nn...

mari

mari

One of my goals was to keep my horse jumping fit, so he could compete at the post derby show with my jumping coach. He did both classes very sweetly, but had a pole in each. I think I love showing just because of the photos... :lol: How on earth do I get these images to show again? I used the "...

mari

In the last 5 years I've evolved from being a passenger to being very aware of what/how I'm teaching my horse. Because I started as a greenie on a greenie, our progress has been snail-like, with lots of challenges. But it has been such a huge learning curve for me. Odin is currently competing 2nd le...

mari

I can always do with some half pass discussion. My guy's stiffer side is to the left. He moves off the right leg well, but getting the bend without the quarters leading is tough. So yesterday, for that side, we prepared by going up the long side in SI, with a slightly lifted inside rein, and *insist...

mari

greenholmeshandy wrote:Do the same movement well twice, the first time might be just a fluke!

I need to laminate a poster and stick it to Odie's neck every time I ride... Thanks for the report!

mari

Odie is on the walker 6 days a week, regardless of whether he get ridden or not. I ride 5-6 days a week, ideally one day being a walk out for about 1.5 hours. Arena work is half dressage, and half jumping. For jumping, there is lots and lots of canter, often 15 minutes of solid canter work as warm-u...

mari

piedmontfields wrote:-Just work on the damn changes. Don't avoid them. Be calm and do a few each session, no matter what.

Also the damn changes for me...

mari

Mari - cool vids! Do you event at all? He's certainly keen!! I think you ride him well, especially if he's so strong. *snip When I first used a double on Ding, he was definitely backed off at first. It took a little while for both of us to get used to it. I kept the sag in the curb rein and just wo...

mari

demi wrote:Nice vids Mari! I can only remember his still photos jumping, so when i saw the vid I was surprised at what a forward boy he is.

Thanks demi! He's a machine, I just hang on for the ride

Ryeissa - that's a lovely slinky walk!

mari

I'm jumping a bit more than I'm doing dressage at the moment. The forward seat is easier on my neck. Two weeks ago, we zoomed through a gymnastic exercise *very* enthusiastically. He never looks very fast on video, but he is unstoppably deliberate and strong. Last week Thursday we did a lot of caval...

mari

Rosie - Awesome pics! I also tend to round my shoulders bareback, I think it's because I have to tilt my pelvis a lot more than I need to when in a saddle.

mari

Borrowed Freedom wrote:Yes I am mari, have been out of the competition scene for a bit when I retired my old man and am now prepping my mare for competitions. I'm actually based in Pretoria

Awesome! Our yard is in Glenferness. Not many South Africans on here, nice to meet you

mari

Borrowed Freedom - are you a fellow South African?

mari

Love these threads. I don't have hardcore goals, my only real one is to baby my neck along so I can continue to be active. Every ride is the ride-of-a-thousand-transitions for us at the moment. I thought we were doing a lot before, but nope! It is really helping Odie to be lighter in the bridle, som...

mari

Attempted a gentle jumping lesson last week Tuesday. Odie was ... enthusiastic. To the point where I pulled up, thanked my instructor and excused myself to go and dissolve some Cataflam in red wine and cuddle an ice pack. So dressage lessons last week and early this morning focused on a squillion tr...

mari

Rosie - I agree with Gwen, that is a lot of trot to sit! Lovely video. Gwen - Well done! She is very very pretty! If I'm ever in a position to get a 2nd horse, I definitely want a dressage pony! Odin was off with a cough and a snotty nose for 2 weeks. He was in light (walk) work last week. I attempt...

mari

Mine varies. Appaloosas can't learn a pattern, because otherwise you might as well get off and let them get on with it by themselves :lol: We do 15 minutes of walk (on the buckle, but active) on hard ground before entering the arena, every ride. A legacy of suspensory rehab, and something I stick to...

mari

Lovely photo Chisamba!

mari

Usually about 4 days in the arenas (at least one of those in the jumping arena, actually jumping), and 3 doing dressage training. He's on a walker every day, and we try to go out for a hack once a week. I don't like hacking by myself, because there is quite a bit of busy road before we get to open s...

mari

Am I the only one who can't see spotted Pal's photo? (I would like to admire her, too!). Imperini, I do love your "zombie arms" phrase. I look forward to more Odie photos! Hope you are continuing to heal Mari. Think I've stabilised into a sort of permanent-low-level-discomfort phase :lol:...

mari

StraightForward and Demi - you rock! I will edit my post

mari

Question: How can I embed photos, so they show up as a photo on the page, and not just a link? I used to use Photobucket, but the current level of popup advertising on there makes it impossible to use. So I've switched to Google Photos, which is better to use, but it doesn't create the embedded link...

mari

Odie did his first 1m show this weekend. Here are some pics of him zooming around the speed class, for a 3rd place :D https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9o0Fe154JFzzHMPAkEkcTNT3SUZOp6h82VwwaEWPNs6lTuMKuQX-PH60akevx9QaxBNRqlQrQ587Z0Fa6yZnVASQ3l2v6j9T5h3rCHa3qUBfS8MiPSUvF-kXzNVvrAvJh204_9cY-zIyfNedMMcL...

mari

Imperini your spotty princess is LOVELY!

I'll second Dresseur - Find the middle of your saddle. Sometimes we get tense and tend to push off our feet a little, pushing our bums back onto the cantle.

mari

anyway, I said even horses of the same breed are individuals, so every horse is different and one must be adjustable as a rider to the differences in horses. However, it does not matter what kind of horse you ride, an OTTB, a slinky athlete with a huge trot, or a chubby quarter horse with a small s...

mari

I started writing something and thought I saved the draft, but, poof! In any case, there are a lot of "if's" in arm position, rein length etc. If the rider doesn't have t-rex arms or orangutan arms, if the horse has an ideal neck, coming out at an ideal angle, if the horse maintains that ...

mari

Thanks! I'll have to try the book then

mari

Does the blog still exist?

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