For Kody fans

[hobbyhorse23]

Okay, so I look like an idiot in these photos. My only defense is that I was trotting circles around the photographer trying to get pictures of the horse and cart and not thinking about dressage and proper posture, but BOY do I need to sit up, put my shoulders back and pull my elbows further in! :new_shocked: Eep.

Anyway, the shots were so great of Kody I had to share anyway. This is our second outing with the new Bellcrown less than twenty-four hours after receiving it. He is wearing his Ozark Mtn. carriage harness with a Camptown Freedom Collar and the combination seemed to work very well for him. With the lower draft (note the singletree down low near his hocks) he does indeed seem to pull more easily and between that and the larger 23" wheels potholes were far less of a problem than in the past. I'm glad I wasn't using a regular straight breast collar with this setup. While many horses can get away with it, I think with Kody's low neck set he would have been pulling from far too low on his shoulder and asking for trouble. Part of me sure wishes I could afford a nice patent collar to use with the gig style shafts for dressage and pleasure shows but the FC works nicely and will have to do. He certainly seems comfortable and moves very freely.

I obviously need to make some adjustments in the harness like raising the tug loops one more non-existent notch but I haven't had much time to tweak yet. Plenty to do in the next few weeks!

So on to the pictures. I was thrilled to see that he's begun carrying himself a little higher at this point and the new Myler has made all the difference in how quiet his mouth is. I know he has the basic skills for Prelim at this point and so do I, and seeing his frame in these pictures finally made me sure of it. We'll finish training level at Ram Tap next month (hopefully not doing something stupid or embarrassing ourselves) and if all goes well will move up to Prelim at Happ's.

Here is Kody walking...

A nice working trot...

And my favorite picture. I wasn't even asking for a lengthened trot! :new_shocked: :aktion033:

Your opinions and constructive critiques are welcome. I've going to make a set of trace carriers for the breeching, do something with the neck terrets so I can use them, adjust the traces a bit, and lose the kick strap for showing as well as of course fixing my own posture. Anything else you see?

Leia

 

[FairytailGlennMinis]

I think you have a very nice ride there. You guys have grown together and progressed beautifully! I am proud of you both!

 

[Bluerocket]

Kody looks SUPER!!! - wow - what progress :risa8: Definitely look ready for Prelim.

Why do you think you need to raise the tug loops -- I don't see how they are too low - I don't have much experience with that sort of shaft setup though.

Love the breastcollar and the harness combination. I need the same for Platinum -- but will not go to the expense as I don't think he will do cross country well -- Will see with the next horse I am starting to work a bit now.

You look PROFESSIONAL!!

JJay

 

[whitney]

I have to say my favorite picture is the working trot. That is the definition of working trot right down to the horses expression. Much GOOD!

 

[BlueEyedPony]

Leia,

You guys look great! I am sooo jealous! The cart is very cool, I would be excited too. It's always so much fun to get new stuff! :aktion033: Congrats on preparing for Prelim, I bet you'll have a blast. Kody looks great, keep up the good work!

I was hoping to point Duncan toward a CDE this year, but with all the farm repairs I need to do, wedding planning, and 3 other horses to work, I just don't think it's in the cards. Maybe next year!

What type of myler did you get? It looks like he really likes it!

Nikki

 

[sedeh]

You two look good together. Love the cart and harness. Good luck........and have FUN!! :bgrin

 

[MiniHGal]

Hey I've already told you I think you two are ready for Prelim!

Kody looks awesome and that last picture really shows how far you two have come. I would agree with raising the tug loops one hole--little low. But looks very nice, overall! :lol: Can't wait to see it all in person in about a month!!

Oh and adding trace carriers is a very good idea! If you want pictures of how we modified our horse harness for the marathon, just ask! Its very simple, just a loop from where the holdback straps attach to the breeching.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

JJay, thank you! :saludando: The reason I want to raise the tug loop is because the flat part of the shaft down by the basket is angled downwards a little and should be sitting level if possible. Under my mom's slightly higher weight the cart shafts float right up where they should be regardless of where the tug loops are but I've haven't gotten it doing that for me yet. I either need to add more weight in the spares basket, take off the wooden dash up front, or move the wheels forward one more notch to change the balance. Any of those would probably work.

Now I just have to experiment!

Breanna, the trace carriers are easy to figure out. A bunch of people up here use them so I know what to do.

:

Nikki, he's in a low port mullen mouth (#32 I think?). A friend happened to have one and it looked good so I borrowed it and he loved it immediately. I went out and picked one up at Estate Horse supply the same weekend.

Thanks for the comments everyone! Don't hesitate to ask questions, you may point out something I haven't spotted yet and you know I love constructively picking apart harness including my own! LOL.

Leia

 

[susanne]

Leia,

You guys look great, and Kody looks very happy -- hehhas a great work ethic, from what I've seen! I can't wait to see you two at Happs so I can study the new cart...speaking of which, you've got mail...

For the time being, I must satisfy my CDE lust vicariously, and you and Kody haven't let me down! Good luck at Ram Tam!

 

[Shari]

Phiffle.... you look fine as always! Nice ride...so.. are you going to guess what I am going to ask? :lol: :new_shocked:

How is the ride? Weight?

I like the draft on it....and almost hate to ask how much a Bellcrown costs.

Now that I manage to make myself more gimpy..am still searching for another cart for Maggie.

 

[Sheryl]

You and Kody look GREAT! I like the looks of your new cart, tell us more about the spec's

 

[CheyAut]

You guys look great, and I love the cart/harness

Prelim's a lot of fun, I think you'll both enjoy it

Jessi

 

[mondak]

I sure don't know much about the marathon and cones sections and he sure does look like he is ready to move up, but I do have alot of dressage experience (1st level ridden). In Dressage I think it would make all the difference if you picked your hands up a bit. He is bending nicely at his poll, which is nice to see as most horses bend behind the poll

: , and I think if you lift your hands it will ask for a bit more flexion and suppleness. I really like the second picture. He is working nicely off your outside rein and moving forward from hind to fore. He is also bending laterally and through the poll very nicely and I think if you were to raise your hands and take up a bit more contact he will come right through, he definitely looks like he knows how too. Good Job with him!!! :aktion033:

Courtney

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Thanks for your detailed critique Courtney! :aktion033: I agree with you fully, my posture was awful in all ways. I guess I really need to work on "sitting pretty" whether I'm actually working dressage or not as I know it effects the horse and you sure regret it later when everything in a picture is perfect except you! LOL

By the way Blue-Eyed Pony, you said something similar about the last set of dressage photos I posted and I more or less politely made excuses and pretended I wasn't really doing what you said I was with my hands. I was! LOL. A little time and distance from the photos now makes me cringe and I just wanted to say you were entirely right. :stupid: :worshippy: Thanks for being willing to say it!

Anyone who is wondering about the cart, there was another thread on that specifically. You can read it here. :bgrin

Thanks again for all the nice comments.

:

Leia

 

[Bluerocket]

Leia -- that is an excellent explanation

The reason I want to raise the tug loop is because the flat part of the shaft down by the basket is angled downwards a little and should be sitting level if possible. Under my mom's slightly higher weight the cart shafts float right up where they should be regardless of where the tug loops are but I've haven't gotten it doing that for me yet. I either need to add more weight in the spares basket, take off the wooden dash up front, or move the wheels forward one more notch to change the balance. Any of those would probably work.

I see what you are talking about in the 3rd picture - can't see it in the first two.

I guess with MY WEIGHT we would be dropping them a bit

: (but I am on a diet to fix that).

I can't wait to see how you like it in competition.

JJay

PS I have a question for all the Driven Dressage experts (please note, I am NOT one) - I read the comment about Leia needing to raise her hands a little bit -- Do you also need to have your thumbs up? with driven dressage? (e.g. fists held so the hand is vertical to the ground and the thumb is up?) or are horizontal (or nearly) hands/fists what you need? Why am I asking? Seemed to me when I was doing dressage (never was very good at it) I was told to keep my thumbs up and fists parallel to each other. So -- What is the best way for driving?????

 

[ClickMini]

Leia, the two of you look wonderful! I thought you were ready to move up last summer, so I am POSITIVE you are ready now. The equipment changes seem to have worked very well for the handsome Mr. K. :aktion033:

Will you be showing in the breed shows at all this year? I would love to see the two of you!

LOVE the Bellcrown! It is really nice! :aktion033:

 

[hobbyhorse23]

JJay, I'm no expert either (obviously!) but there is no hard and fast rule for posture in driven dressage. You are judged on your effectiveness and general style not specific positions for each body part. That said however, there are postures that work for your horse and postures that don't. Mine there was slouched, putting my weight forward on the shafts, and my hands and elbows were too extended which makes me inclined to do large movements instead of small adjustments and generally makes me harder-handed than I'd like to be. Your horse will mirror you so if you want them to look collected and brilliant than you'd better be sitting up and holding yourself well too!

: The whip is supposed to be held up and across the horse at a 45 degree angle and Achenbach method absolutely requires your thumb to be held straight up in the neutral position, so yes, generally speaking your hands should be held with thumbs up in order to be correct. They will move with application of the whip, turning, etc., but the standby position is upright.

Click, last year we were so not ready! LOL. Kody did very well and I was very proud of him but a lot of it was still in spite of what I was doing wrong and that needed to be fixed. He was very fussy with his mouth, we were still establishing consistency at the working trot, we had no lengthened trot, bending was still iffy and he still had very much a training level frame. He was good at training level, but not good enough for Prelim yet! LOL. Now I think we are.

Leia

Edited to add: Yes, we'll be doing a couple of AMHR shows this year mostly for fun as usual. Guess I need to work on my jumping! LOL

 

[mondak]

Your welcome Leia, you have a great little guy there. I am getting started in ADS and this year I am actually going to take my boy to some events :cheeky-smiley-006: (we have been training for the phases for about a year).

JJay, you keep your thumbs vertically up and down to allow for a soft hand. If you turn your thumbs in you interupt the connection to the bit and become stiff in your lower arm, not allowing it to give and take as you ask for suppleness and acceptance. I would assume you drive much the same as you ride. I have never driven with my hands horizontal, so I couldn't tell you which had better results. The goal, especially in the ridden dressage training scale, is to result in a willing, supple, and balanced horse through the use of your seat, and hands in a soft and subtle manner. Driven dressage would use your whip and voice in place of the seat I would guess, maybe someone else could help with that. Hope that helped

Courtney