DefinitelyDressage.com

mari

Sorry to hear about the disease outbreaks in your area mari. Dealing with such vector borne diseases is so hard especially the ones preventable through vaccination as are the majority we deal with here. AHS is always on our radar for reportable foreign diseases. Thankfully we have dodged that bulle...

mari

I had a great lesson yesterday with Molly at the show grounds. All of Junior's flying changes were clean and in the air. His contact was pretty solid and we really dug in and got him into that right rein honestly. Most importantly I had a forward pony. When we got to the show today, Junior was as c...

mari

Great clinic notes Blob, I love the comment about hand position, specifically.

mari

Thanks Exvet and Moutaineer, thanks for your words and kindness. I know these things rationally, but I'm in a bit of a funk after yesterday I guess. Which is unlike my usual riding mindset so I'm at a loss about how to make it go away :lol: Moutaineer - the impulsion vs. suppleness, you nailed it! W...

mari

Had a show today, first one in ages. 3-1. I thought it went really well except for a big mistake where he broke into the most awful camel trot after the final extended canter. But the scores were terrible. I ended last in class of about 16 people with 57%. I'm very bleak, especially since my instruc...

mari

I realize that Junior's growing in from a body clip winter coat is quite brittle and am hoping that the rubbing isn't due to a ill fit of saddle. Actually today, Junior found his shoulders like he never knew he could reach his forelegs that far forward. He really galloped for me to day and it was g...

mari

Great photos and scores Exvet!

mari

I had a lesson yesterday, we are practicing test riding (3-1). I don't feel great thinking about it, it was pretty ugly riding. I've had Odin for 15 years, and he is totally amazing, and I have become a much better rider and horse-trainer because of him. Both my instructors consider him a proper sch...

mari

I heard there was flooding in Randburg. Are you all ok? Yes, thank goodness. I'm more to the North, in Centurion (closer to Pretoria). Here in Centurion there are lots of low bridges, and they flood, and EVERY SINGLE SEASON people try crossing anyway and get washed downriver. Bonkers. My suburb is ...

mari

I think many of you know I have JRTs and it's for the purpose of rodent control. Well Troy decided to join their pack. Yesterday it was clear when I got home from work (I had all the JRTs with me) that Troy stomped a mouse (to death). Whether he was playing with it (most likely), accidental or out ...

mari

So much rain here. There is a joke going around that 70% of the earth is covered in water, 69% of it is covering Gauteng currently. Our arenas are all uncovered, and if it's too wet we don't get to use them. And of course I have a show in a few weeks :lol: I took advantage of a few minutes of dry-is...

mari

There is a Dorothee Schneider clinic here in mid-February. Here in South Africa we very rarely get international clinicians, so I was super keen to spectate, but they suddenly moved the dates from weekend dates to Monday/Tuesday, and now I can't get leave. Very bummed.

mari

Exvet I had to read your LY exercise quite a few times before I could figure it out :lol: We also have some homework this week. We're working on counter canter a lot at the moment. The single changes are pretty established, but he anticipates a lot, and the more complex CC work is to teach him to re...

mari

Flight - I think I'm going to fall in love with Bear a bit!

mari

I see now I haven't written my goals. Riding: Still on the MORE journey. It has really paid off imo, and the next two months will be very focused on trot lateral work, and a more reliable very collected canter. Myself: I started the FUEL workout series by Caroline Girvan yesterday. I did her IRON se...

mari

Lipsmackerpony88 wrote:Chisamba I hope you are feeling better and I hope you can tell us more about your trip to Ireland soon

Ditto!

mari

I had a really lovely final lesson of the year. We got rained on, and had to stand under a tree for a few minutes to wait for the worst to pass. But fortunately it was just drizzly rain with no lightning. We played a bit with changes on a 20m circle, definitely something we will pick up and refine f...

mari

Flight that is a LOVELY picture! Blob, your clinic notes sound very productive. It's a balance between getting the basics at the level you're in very very good, and pushing for new things. In my (admittedly limited) experience, the messiness of learning new things can weirdly help to elevate the bas...

mari

I have two lessons a week with Stephane Cheret, and obviously Saiph is my primary focus, but I alternate between horses for the second ride, either based on what eye I need, or what horse is going to help me improve myself. So I switch between Fly, Pauletta and Kimba. Of course he says i have too m...

mari

Wonderful photos Moutaineer! Well done Flight, what a lovely jumping pic. I left the house early this morning, drove 40 mins to my lesson, and upon arrival realised I'd forgotten my saddle. It is " no stirrup November: " I don't mind no stirrups, and I love riding in just a bareback pad. ...

mari

Wonderful photos Moutaineer!
Well done Flight, what a lovely jumping pic.

I left the house early this morning, drove 40 mins to my lesson, and upon arrival realised I'd forgotten my saddle.

mari

Don't hate me, but never have I ever had to groom mud off a horse

mari

Ermagerd, we are at an awkward stage where canter half-passes and flying changes are lovely, supple, easy, but the rest... Medium/extended canter is a disaster. He just bulldozes off. Half-halts do not register. The available power in my arms and body cannot do more than it currently does. Trot late...

mari

My broken-record goal is as usual just MORE of everything. Except for power in the canter. We need LESS of that :lol: It is monstrously hot here at the moment, it was just over 30C when I tried to ride yesterday morning, and Odin was like a zombie horse. Just no go whatsoever. This morning's lesson ...

mari

Such great updates! Straightforward - What a stunning photo, magazine-worthy. Tanga - The ones were AWESOME! Well done! Exvet - It's a pity about the scores but it sounds like the overall result is worth it. You should definitely be able to increase engagement without resorting to a tight frame, it'...

mari

Odin and I are carrying on as normal. The sheath is still swollen every day, but looks a lot better after trot/canter work. So we are taking it day by day. He is feeling very full of himself and keen to work, so that is what we are going with. Today we went back to counter canter after months of pla...

mari

Very happy with Joplin yesterday and our first foray into 3 rd level. Could not ask for her to be any better at dealing with hauling and show atmosphere. Wouldn’t mind just a bit of an energy bump from showing but that is just not Joplin. I just need to ride a bit better for better score. 60% with ...

mari

Loving all the updates and videos! Odin is home. Third course of antibiotics are finished, and he's on anti-inflammatories until the end of October. Yesterday the sheath was hot and swollen again, but went right down after working him. I guess the test is going to be what happens when the pills run ...

mari

Mari, wow, I'm sorry. I don't think I've heard of anything like that. One of the horses in the pasture (the woman who was the director of Hoof Dreams) got a little wound on his shoulder that made him very sore, then got cellulitis, and then ended up at Davis with a rare infection that she could hav...

mari

It is terrifying to read about your hurricane experiences, such huge weather just boggles my mind. Odin is still in hospital, and still on antibiotics, but the swelling is down and because of that and the pain meds he's acting like a happy loon, tearing around the enormous vet paddock. I'm going to ...

mari

Odin is in hospital with a very bad sheath infection. Getting litres of antibiotics and painkillers and anti-inflammatories. Being walked and cold-hosed 5 times a day, and is wearing a sling of pressure bandages. I wish I could magic him better.

mari

Have you considered partly covering your existing big arena? I've seen some lovely examples of really large jumping arenas that are covered at one end only.

mari

which school of thought do you belong to, A don't ask until everything is great, the basics are there, et al. Or B, nothing us ever perfect, ask and persist. When Kea was obnoxious about fitting in the flying changes on a diagonal, I took her out on a half mile track and just kept asking until she ...

mari

Woohoo well done Exvet! Great results! I've given my instructor instructions to really drill us in the trot lateral work. Lots of it, lots of sideways, and lots of prompt response to my leg. I just don't have the capacity to do this strict work much by myself at the moment. Today we had a good day, ...

mari

One of my challenges is the trot lateral work, too, Mari. I know he can do it, so it's me. I'm pretty sure the answer lies in greater impulsion, but I'm blocking him somewhere. I'm not so sure Odin can do it very well :D He's got a pretty upright pony trot, and moving him around in trot is just so ...

mari

I don't have clear goals. Everything we're doing is new to me and I guess my goal is just "ride better" :lol: Trot lateral work is such hard work for me when Odin is not fully on board. I don't really know how to make that better without REALLY getting after him. I'd like to work on a much...

mari

Chisamba wrote:https://youtube.com/shorts/q4y72_KyR4s?si=aKBteadeW5n6WDsw

What a lovely panther walk!

mari

For fun, here is a pas de deux Denny and I did 27 years ago! I talked him into doing it with me, did the music and choreography, and went over it the day before, and I was telling him what to do through the whole test. Yeah, I know my Appy's neck, but he was happy and sound and doing the work to 31...

mari

Oh wow Tanga, jingles for you that you can find some sort of normalcy soon. That must be very difficult to deal with, especially if you're used to being active and outside.

mari

We had a first attempt at Third (test 1). It was very workmanlike, and we ended with a score of 61.3. The canter work was better than the trot work. The walk work was great, but he had a jog step at the end of the extended walk which dinged us badly. We can do a pretty halt, but the decorum and subm...

mari

Mari for medium canter I'd say don't write a check with your seat that your hands can't cash. So if that's a smaller difference then so be it. An exercise we've been doing is actually asking for smaller collected canter at K then going forward and coming back, it's helping us figure out that the lo...

mari

Mari, I don't remember the exact exercise, but there was an Emile Fauri video I can no longer find, in which he would do medium down centerline out of CC. I think it can be helpful for getting control of the power. You can always bring it back after a few strides and then either do a half circle ba...

mari

Exvet good luck! People are asshats... Flight - loved your video. Norsey has such a lovely floaty canter. Guys, these medium canters in 3-1 are going to be the death of me. Wrestling my dragon back under control in preparation for 10m circles and FCs is not happening. Medium on a circle? Super okay ...

mari

I haven't watched even a minute yet, tried via VPN a few days ago and it was just a mess (I'm in South Africa). So I gave up. I've been reading the play-by-play type threads on COTH, and following on Fb. I'm hoping at least some of the videos will be available on youtube in the next few days.

mari

Congratulations Aleuronx you are a star!

Exvet, congrats on your new prospect! It is so exciting. If I could, I would get another in a heartbeat.

mari

Sending lots of healing jingles for all the humans and horses who need it. Seems like a medically fraught Jul/Aug for our group. To add a gross note, Odin's penis is swollen on and off every few days, and super gunky. Another sedation-cleaning combo is looming. We have entered our first show of the ...

mari

Khall I'm so glad you got better news at a second look. Good heavens, what a scare.

mari

Mari, hoe gaan dit daar ? Jy laat my glimlag <3 The horrors persist, but yet, so do I :lol: I've had a very quiet time lately with riding. Part of it is work things, part of it is feeling a bit lacklustre and grey. A part is also due to the fact that my very very close friend isn't really riding an...

mari

Moutaineer ouch! Jingles for healing. The vet was out again on Wednesday for a penis check-up. To my nearly teary relief everything looked so much better. So much better that she decided not to biopsy. But this was an expensive month. Saturday we had a lovely play-around ride, and he felt so good th...

mari

Such great updates and videos, you guys are all awesome.

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