hey all you dressage riders, wannabes and try hards...

why do instructors always try to correct a horse and not the rider???

I think so many instructors get it too refined in their own riding they probably don't even realise 1/2 of what they're doing to remember to teach it!

crappy poops, is it supremely lazy that my gear is filthy and I just can't be bothered cleaning it for tomorrow? Then again I only know one of my tests too....

LAZY ARSE!!! At least clean your bridle!!!

I know and that's the grottiest too! need to do the boots and chaps too but at least they're upstairs! I'm just tooooooo tired

Clean your crap you lazy tart!!

I think the reason is that instructors get into the whole "feel" thing - ie: feeling your horse improve by doing xyz.

Also, it is harder to identify what is going wrong with the rider, than it is to see what is going wrong with the horse. Some can't differentiate between what the rider is doing wrong, and therefore making the horse do wrong, as opposed to what the horse is doing wrong due to a failure or breakdown in training....

agreed. Was talking to mum about this the other day. Unless the rider is graphically doing something wrong or uneven I guess it can be hard to see, ie, harder to see that the weight is on the wrong seat bone unless they are tilting with it, I still don't think a lot of them know how to pass the rider correction on too... maybe they feel if they pick on the rider the rider will stop coming and they'll stop getting money, easier to blame the horse and hope by correcting the horse the horse will help force a correction in the rider LOL. I mean to say, with my wiggly ass boy, there was a point when on one rein he'd always strike off on the wrong canter lead, every time a coconut... because of that I had to stop and ask what the actual canter aids were (hell I was a pony club kid! kick till they canter!) because I was sure it was me cocking it up rather than him LOL. Imagine me coming to do a flying change, I wouldn't know how the hell to ride one, I'd never get one!

YAY! Was chatting to Liza at dressage today and she gets what I want to do! (and gives lessons) She also arranges for Jody H to come to town and she'll be here in December and does stuff with Bill Noble (god knows where) so perhaps, just perhaps I can get someone local to help me (and visit Kerry when in CHCH LOL)

How did your dressage go today KA?

Just off to todays lot, will see what I report after that