Teezer

[teezernbreeze]

Okey , So i decided To start a training log on teezer bc i may need some major advice from u fellow english riders bc i'm totally green when it comes to riding english ahah!!

Okey So today I rode my girl up to cache rapids and did some balancing work in the ring Large circles small circles and figure eights!! Shes starting to respond really well and is starting to use her hindquarters alittle more!! Then Shelly knowing how to train a youngin and all helped me with some suppling drills!! small small circles at a trot and walk and wow it was really hard!! n this is when teezer started to get contrary aww my sweet mare!! haha!! he didn't want to trot ne more so i had to insource to my spurs abit more and she would kick up at my feet once in a while in fustration and annoyance!! but i must say she did really well! Also i started doing leg yeilding and turn on the forhand turn on the hanches and sidepassing with her today!! she totally has no clue what i'm asking of her but seems to be getting the point of moving off my leg!! I'm soo proud of her ;D

Soo i was wondering if ne one could help me out here!! can ne one tell me ne advice on drills to help me keep my seat in an english saddle bc wow it's so different from western !! not having pommels high is really different and i don't know how long my stirrups are supposed to be!!

Also i would like some advice on choosing a bit for teezer bc she's a lover for chewing and i'm thinking maybe she don't like her bit! i currently have her in a fullcheek snaffle! any suggestions ne one??

Well that pretty much sums up my day with teezer ;D

[teezernbreeze]

Rode Teezer again today and it's sooo beautiful outside ;D
I started teaching her to lift her shoulder when circling and she picked up on it really fast! at first she swished her tail and kept dropping back down to the walk from being unbalanced but in the end she really improved alot ( she's really really hard to keep going haha)
I also started pole work today and she did awsome with it!!
Also I practiced leg yeilding and sidepassing ! she's doing soo well with it i'm really amazed ;D she's now taking 3 steps left and right for sidepassin and leg yeilding very very well!!
I'm very proud of her ;D

[teezernbreeze]

Sad to say it but my baby girl came up lame she has an absess in her right forefoot! thankfully enough it we caught it in time and it was only verry verry small and as soon as we cut it out ( or broke the it what ever u want to call it) she started to put more weight on it! she is now walking almost perfectly thank god But i'm waiting another week before continuing training

[teezernbreeze]

Also u can see pictures of my baby at community.webshots.com/user/teezernbreeze
there are new ones of us into my cabin and the new experience for teezer was awsome she behaved like an angel and never feared a thing !!

[happilyeverafter]

no one responded to your questions so I decided I will

1. Your stirrups should hang to the ball of you ankle, when you have your feet out of them. This is an approximation for english flat work, jumping should be 2 holes (approx) shorter, and dressage- a whole or two longer!

2. If she's mouthy on the bit, try her in something with copper rollers- the rollers spin so she has something to do with her tongue. You could also look for a bit with "keys" on it...but I believe they're less common...at least in NL! Hahah!

3. As for keeping your seat, think about the same way you ride western!!! Stretch your leg long through your thigh and think about pushing down in your knee. Liz (the coach at King Ranch) always tells me to imagine I'm wearing a huge western belt buckle (haha sadly I actually own one) and think of pushing that buckle out for everyone to see, with each stride. Also, make sure you're sitting up straight - imagine a grand prix dressage rider!! - because if you arent it will make it harder to sit...oh and dont pinch with your knees cause that will make it harder too!

The best way to get used to sitting trot is to do no stirrup work!! It will be really really hard at first but it pays off! Haha I can attest to this from my first few times riding Nick! Michelle is my witness hah

[happilyeverafter]

I'm going to be bold and ask whether she is ready for the leg yeilding and that just yet? And if you are new to english, are you sure you know the aids??

I'm not second guessing your riding or anything at alllllllll so please dont take it that way, I just know from my own training experience that if the rider doesnt 100% know what they're doing and is completelty confident in their ability, then the horse will just get confused and frustrated!

Better to keep silly mares happy and continue to work on and strengthen things you can really do well!!!

That said, many western things transfer to english really well, so I'm sure you're doing fine!!!!

PS: If you do want some help with it I can post again

[splash]

I second the "don't grip with your knees" advice since it is the most common mistake folks switching make. To practice without stirrups just take your stirrups (while they are run down) and cross them over your horses neck and then continue as you were (so to speak ) Best of luck

[teezernbreeze]

thanks guys! N Happilyeverafter , She is ready for leg yeilding in my opinion ! n yeah i do know the aids well bc i thought my horse breeze how to leg yeild and side pass and everything else i needed for my riding levels 1 2 n 3 ! but thanks for the advice!1 also i was wondering since i am training her to be english and am very green at it then is english leg yeilding and sidepassin ne different then in western !! i know forhand and hanches are but i was just wondering about the leg yeilding and everything !! thanks for the advice on the ridin haha n thanks for saying don't grip with my knees bc i do it very often oppys! lol but i'll now set to working on that thanks loads guys!!



Noww too my mare lol
My mom rode her today ! she's still healing from her absess but is not favoring her foot at all! my mom rode her western today and she didn't seem to mind the change in gear and bit ! she almost seemed to enjoy it actually! since we only went for a peaceful trail ride to some apple trees and plum trees we didn't do much with her bc in my opinion traill rides should be for relaxation not work ( but that's my opinion! others may not have the same opinion! ) ne ways she was really good and mom was using alot of leg aids and also tried neck reining and she only resonded once the doll! well that was our peaceful ride of the day ;D

[teezernbreeze]

oohh and she's not for sale now thanks god!! after cryin to my mom and setting out a schedule for myself I am now aloud to keep my baby girl !! i'm sooo happy

[happilyeverafter]

Sounds like things are going good

I dont know barely anything about a western side pass, only enough to say that it is pretty darn different from a leg yeild.

In an english leg yeild, the horse is flexed in the direction *opposite* that which you are travelling (ie. if you are leg yeilding left the horse is flexed to the right). Leg yeilding is not a directly side ways movement. It is always forward going with a side ways sweep, that moves the horse gradually right or left.

The aids for a leg yeild are squeeze with your legs to get the forward momentum, half halting with both hands (to say "pay attention!"), and then use the appropriate leg (at the girth) to ask the horse to move over.

You may want to shift your hands slightly in the direction you want to go- that is, if your leg yeilding to the left, have your hands slightly more to the left then you normally would.



A good way to start teaching leg yeild is to go from the inside track (a meter or so off the rail) back to the rail. Horses have a tendency to want to go back to the rail anyways, so this will help you out. Always start off practising in walk, and then try it sitting trot, as it will probably be easier then posting!!




Good luck with it - I know what its like trying to teach these things! It can be frustrating at times but also very rewarding!!
Keep us posted!

[shelly]

^^^Same as a western leg yeild

Ashley, are you taking either of your monsters in the clinic next month?

[teezernbreeze]

Thanks happily Ever After they are the same as western n i know how to teach my horse that thought breeze ;D thanks for the advice!

N shelly nope i can't i wish i was though ! i really want to take both my horses but the money iss wayy to much i can't afford it! 90 bucks for 3 lessons is way out of my price range at this time of the year!!
r u takin willow in??

[splash]

Teaching (and doing) a leg yield in English is similiar but not identical to western leg yielding. As HappilyEverAfter pointed out there is the use of the inside track, something NONE of my western coach's ever used to teach me leg yielding (though it makes it considerably easier for reasons that HappilyEverAfter pointed out). Also the use of the half halt is very important in English as is the use of BOTH legs to create impulsion (though obviously one leg is stronger than the other). Mayhaps you should google english leg yeilding and or half halts? While "similar", riding and training western and english ARE also VERY different as anyone who has trained in both disciplines can tell you. Best of luck with the training . I'm sure you will do swimmingly

[happilyeverafter]

90 bucks for 3 lessons is way out of my price range at this time of the year!!

Whose doing the clinic? I'm insanely jealous. The last couple clinics I was in were $180 for two 45 minute lessons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[teezernbreeze]

WOW , holy crap I would never be able to afford that much money for a clinic ! i'm simply don't have that much money to spend!! And the clinic is at cache rapids with sandra from southren cross! I would really love to go but my money is really tight right now

~ splash-- Thanks for the advice i'll defiantly google that! plus i can't wait to come out to st johns to do english lessons so i can learn the little things that seperate western from english ;D