More Observations...

Continuing on my "A" show observations...I, naturally, look at movement while the horses are going through their tests. Not only do I watch the horses, I watch the riders.

Out of the twelve or so Dressage tests I watched, more then half of the horses were "off." This "offness" ranged from very subtle to pretty blatant.

"Very subtle" was a minor uneveness in the gait, which was generally most noticeable at the walk.
"Pretty blatant" was marked -what I would call- lameness where the horse was highly irregular at ALL gaits.
Another observation of "offness" was tail-swishing. If nothing else, tail-swishing is indicative of tension, which usually masks some form of pain.

I saw several SchoolMasters packing around less experienced riders. These horse are WONDERFUL for teaching a learning rider the correct "feel" of movement when cued in a correct manner. However, there is a time when these horses just need to be retired. Of the three I watched, only one looked comfortable. He had no irregularities in his gait and his expression was very pleasant. He was packing his rider a bit, but she was doing well. Of the others, it was clearly unpleasant for the horse. These good old boys still packed their riders, but barely. How much can a rider learn from a painful horse?? The answers the horse gives the rider are pain-based, so they are not "correct" movements, leaving the learning rider with a wrong interpretation of the correct movement. They were clearly in pain...an observation that should be made by the trainer/owner. An observation that should lead to the decision to retire these faithful horses.

I guess my point is...PAY ATTENTION!! Note the physical movments your horse makes when you ask for different moves or gaits. Then try to analyze what you feel or see. Maybe you don't feel anything...If you don't, you should. That something to think about. Maybe you don't feel anything wrong. Great! But think about having someone watch you ride and point out things they see. Experienced eyes on the ground are always good. Then you can ask...Was that a head twist? Or did it come from the hindend?? Why did my horse pop-up when I asked for the canter transisiton? Is it me? Is it him/her? Does he/she understand exactly what I want?? Learn the BIO-MECHANICS of CORRECT MOVEMENT.

It's not just for Dressage horses anymore!

Correct Bio-Mechanics applies to every discipline of riding...Because when your horse moves correctly, he/she is comfortable. Comfort encourages relaxation. Relaxation encourages learning. And learning is our goal.