I haven't posted about Wednesday yet because I was so disappointed that I didn't have anything better to report. There were lots of improvements, but Ace just can't hold his brain together for a full test yet. His second time out was so promising, then last time he was completely wild in the first test canters. Wednesday was a lot better, but he is nowhere near performing to his inborn potential yet.
He was beautifully calm in the warm up, which was a big improvement. Then we went over to wait our turn and he was lovely and relaxed. Then he had a long long looooooong pee (think Austin Powers!) and stood up and was suddenly "alive" like a switch had been turned. He did the test to about half way thruogh and then lost concentration completely and just wanted out of the arena. I held him together and only lost one canter movement but it wasn't good work.
In the second test he was going well and then I got an error of course (derrrrr!) He felt my annoyance with myself and the switch went again and all the 7's we were getting disappeared in a puff of smoke. Then right at the last corner to turn up the centre line and finish, he threw a complete paddy about the marker and spun on the spot, twice. I walloped him then, because we had been past that corner at least 20 times already and this was clearly just a protest that he wanted to stop work. He behaved then, trotted up the centre line and did a halt that got a 7 score.
I couldn't allow him to be rewarded with stopping work after that behaviour, so we went straight back to the warm-up and I put him into a very forward trot and canter. I have to say that the work was superb and I kept him there only a couple of minutes.
I'm very frustrated by him right now but I know we just have to keep going and going until he stops reacting to being under show conditions. It will happen eventually, and when it does his scores will rocket up. I have to be patient and that is never my strong suit as you know!
I hacked Radar yesterday and he was fit and foward and really quite lovely. He is looking so special this year, now that he is 8 and beginning to burst with muscles :-) He and Jazz are my Chippendale boys! I have a problem with the mikmar bit though. He has erupted uppper tushes (canine teeth) this summer and they touch the top of the wide mouthpiece of the bit. I think I am going to have to hunt him in a different bit this year. The choice is between a pelham and a liverpool driving bit. The latter will be my preference because it is fix sided with roundels like the mikmar and it is much easier to stop him going into his fences sideways in a fixed sided bit. I've got one, so I'll give it a go at the early meets, when I was out of control at the start of last season in a pelham.
I schooled Jazz yesterday and the new half pass technique is working very well for both of us. I also did some lengthening of the trot on a loose rein. He has never been able to do that before, he would simply have run on and then cantered and been very difficult to stop. Yesterday he lengthened down the long side and came back to me with the slightest of aids before the corner. This is a new physical ability for him and he is settling mentally the more physically easy he finds the work.
We have M64 on Wednesday, a tight and fiddly test with 10m circle left out of half pass right, and vice versa. That's quite tuff and I will practise it later today.
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It is far too easy to ride with a little less determination in the show arena. You need to grit your teeth and demand even more than when you are schooling. And, there is no chance to correct a mistake or bad effort. So it's not a bad idea to practice portions of the test at home riding very strongly and positively from one movement or another, not repeating to fix something.
ReplyDeleteCreating a "show horse" is not an easy task, so don't beat yourself up about it. Ace needs to know that every time you get on him, you are going to demand he do it right the first time (if it's an exercise he knows.) Only then will you be able to reproduce good work in competition.
That is why there are some riders who always seem to win. And good "catch" riders are the same. They just never let the horse forget its work ethic.
That's why I wasn't always a good "show rider." Like my horse, I would be somewhat distracted by the whole event and often forget to really ride....Takes a special brain to do it well. Not me. (Except in the hunters where horse and I were stars....but so much easier than dressage.)
Think of those 10m circles as kind of completing the half pass by pushing his hind quarters into the outside rein as you start the circle. That will help bring his forehand in for the complete bend, activate his hind end and energize him into the circle. Make it fun!! Challenge the both of you to do it well and the rest of the test will just flow.
I made Ace work tonight Jean. He came out argumentative and I just kept sending him on hard at every spook and fidget. He got the message. I have told him that he is a spoilt princeling who isn't as precious as he thinks he is and it's time to knuckle down to some serious work. I think he heard!
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I was going to suggest just taking him to shows and only working in the warm-up but actually I think Jean is right. Ace and you both know the difference between the warm up and the actual test so I guess there is no substitute for the real thing. Would riding a test that's easier than you normally would do with him be a useful tactic? You might be more relaxed but maybe that isn't what he needs. It seems determination is what gets his attention.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the only easier tests that a prelim are walk and trot tests, and it's the canter that he explodes in, so I'm not sure that it would help. Next time, I will try to drive him on more like Jean says.
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