Progress report - training for CDE

[targetsmom]

Just posting this so that others might learn something...

To recap, Princess and I had a clinic with Larry Poulin last month where lack of energy (Princess's) was a big concern. Then we timed her trot and found that the fastest she could trot around our field was 9.2 KPH so we opted not to enter our Driving Club's CDE in June. But we have not given up!! We have been driving as often as our horrible weather permits and sometimes even IN the horrid weather. I have also reduced her dose of Remission (same as Quiessence) and stopped it completely 3 days before the show, then restarted it. The effect seems to wear off very quickly so I think I will continue to do this. I have been working on transitions, bending and just getting her in better condition, alternating between the lighter Graber show cart and the wooden wheeled carriage. Then I finally was able to schedule a lesson yesterday with my former dressage instructor, who helped me so much with ridden dressage. She spent the winter in Florida and was a navigator for a top driver so she learned a lot about driving. I was pretty sure she could help me and I was not disappointed! Here is a link to the beginning of the lesson - Princess got a lot better later but the memory card was full! It was also raining and very cold and there was something going on next door which involved frequent loud crashing noises, very long ladders and a big red truck (not a fire truck, thank goodness!). Quite distracting.



I just drove her again today - no rain or distractions - and she picked right up where she left off yesterday. I am so pleased with her progress!!! We do plan to go to Orleton next month, for dressage and cones and maybe the Saturday ring classes.

Also, if anyone is curious, here is a link to the photos from the New England Pinto show on May 14. The first driving photos on Saturday show the obstacle driving class, obstacle by obstacle, for each horse!

http://garylawrencephotography.com/#/horse-show-gallery/

 

[Peggy Porter]

It sounds as if you are making real progress; congratulations! In watching your video, I noticed that you have the same style cart as I do (mine is from A Silver Penney Farm). My cart originally had the singletree mounted on top of the shafts; I recently moved it underneath the "circle bar" and am pleased with the results. Did you do this also? I can't see the singletree at all on your cart. My thought is: if you do not have a singletree, the traces will be rubbing Princess' shoulders and possibly restricting her movement. Thus the lack of "go". If you do have a singletree, does it move freely? I had to loosen the bolt a slight bit for it to move freely. And I can't say enough about my Freedom Collar and how it allows for more shoulder freedom. Just a few thoughts...

 

[targetsmom]

Thanks for the comments. Yes, this is a Silver Penny Farm cart and it did have the single tree above the shafts. I had it moved down so the angle of the traces is much better. It is hard to attach the traces (not much room) but once they are attached I think the single tree moves just fine. For CDE work (as soon as this weekend's breed show is done) I have my choice of new harnesses with that style collar. I am trying not to make too many changes all at once and had the breed shows May 14 and 29.

 

[RhineStone]

I'll have to look more when I have more time.....

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Looking good Mary! I am hoping to go to the Orelton show to at least watch. Not sure which day I am going yet, but maybe I'll see you there.

Angie

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Oh, she DOES look better! Much more energy and impulsion.

I also enjoyed listening to the lesson as it's been awhile since I've had one of my own and I always enjoy auditing.

One thing I notice is how strongly she's mirroring your own posture. You drive with your shoulders rounded and your head looking down at her rump and she also tips forward at the poll and dumps her energy into the ground. I bet you whole bunches if you fix your own energy and position hers will also improve!

Have you been doing lots of free walks and long-and-low work to encourage her to stretch forward into the bridle? She'll need to alternate that sort of work with the more difficult self-carriage you're asking her to do in order to develop properly.

Leia

 

[targetsmom]

Leia- as usual, your comments are so accurate! I noticed yesterday the effect on Princess when all I did was pull my shoulders back. How you can see that from across the continent amazes me!!!

I do some free walk and actually her walk is quite good. Not sure if that was on the video or not, but Karen remarked about her lovely walk. Long and low is a bit trickier because of the tall grass (our mower is broken and this area is not really fenced for horses). I will try this up and down the driveway which is also where I get her best trot. We have the only unpaved driveway in the neighborhood so I can work horses on it!

Thanks for all the comments. Angie- would love to see you at Orleton!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Leia- as usual, your comments are so accurate! I noticed yesterday the effect on Princess when all I did was pull my shoulders back. How you can see that from across the continent amazes me!!!

Because I've been there, done that myself!

I don't tend to dump my energy so much but you'd be AMAZED how many photos I have of me sucking my inside hand across my body and then wondering why Kody is also stiff as a board and using his inside shoulder like a shield to bull through the turn. Duh! As soon as I relax my tightly held and rounded scapula, arm and neck and reset myself (ignoring what he is doing or not doing), miraculously he also relaxes and breathes softly into the turn on a nice bend. When I lean, he leans, when we dump, they dump. I've seen it many times and noticed it before in photos you've posted but since at the time you weren't asking for any critiques I wasn't going to say anything.

We all have different goals and you didn't need more energy for what you were focusing on.

It takes a long time to make looking to your own posture the first automatic "fix" for a driving horse issue, but it's one that will serve you well. My current lesson for my own driving is to watch how my energy flows. I tend to lock up in my trunk and forget to breathe properly and then wonder why my horse acts like the dressage ring is a shirt that fits too tightly.

That was a major epiphany back in 2008! Since then I've focused primarily on staying "straight" myself and remembering to free up my own "topline" with proper breathing so that my horse can do the same instead of echoing my tension. The rest follows from that.

I do some free walk and actually her walk is quite good. Not sure if that was on the video or not, but Karen remarked about her lovely walk. Long and low is a bit trickier because of the tall grass (our mower is broken and this area is not really fenced for horses).

The kind of long-and-low I'd like to see her doing shouldn't have her anywhere near the grass. She's tending to really curl up and keep her focus in her front end and we want to encourage her to move her consciousness towards her rear instead. I'd like to see you take her back, hold her in your hand for a few moments then push, push, push and give her just enough room to move into the bit. I don't want you to throw her away and have her dog like a QH; I want her to compress her frame like a spring and then expand that spring when allowed to. The MINUTE she starts to reach forward you're going to follow her mouth and give her all the room she wants to stretch out over her topline. She's searching for the bit so don't give up your contact, just encourage her to stretch. Remember stretching does not mean stringing out! It means stretching, pushing from the hindquarters up over the lower back, through the withers and the root of the neck, and the head should go down as a product of that, not because you released your hold on her face. Doing this in small bursts, just a stride or two of being lightly held then three or four strides of stretch then back to working walk or working trot for a few more strides before repeating is plenty for now. She's having to deal with a lot of new things!

Leia

 

[jegray21]

Yea! look how forward she is

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Mary,

I am volunteering at Orelton on Sunday. Will you be there?

Angie

 

[targetsmom]

Angie- Sorry, we are not entered on Sunday. We are entered in dressage and cones on Friday and the three VSE ring classes on Saturday (turnout, reinsmanship and progressive cones).

UPDATE on our progress: We were in a Pinto show yesterday and Princess had a great show. She was very energetic and forward in the driving, despite the fact it was soon after hunter and jumper which involved MANY rounds of jumping over very high jumps (she won). Her extended trot was especially awesome and I was very pleased with her. One of the entrants was the mini that followed us in the Larry Poulin Clinic last month - the one he really liked (hey, I do too!). Well yesterday's judges seemed to think we were pretty even if the placings are any indication! Bring on Orleton!!! (This mini and a whole lot of other VSEs from Kateland Farms are expected to be there).

We WILL however be practicing driving over a blue tarp. Princess: it is the same tarp you have walked over quietly dozens of times in hand - it will NOT attack you!!