This message is from: Paula Steinmetz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 22:12:08 -0800 From: "Jean Gayle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Choppy trot
This message is from: "Jean Gayle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I have one problem with it and that is that my new horse has = "dead" sides. It will take a bit of work to get him to feel the leg. = Jean Jean- Jane Savoie had an excellent article in Dressage Today (May 1998) for getting the horse "thinking forward" that is, responding to the leg (and seat, voice and whip) with a light touch, even if the horse has been "dead to the leg" for a long time. If you send me a SASE, I will send you (and anyone else with this problem) a copy of the article. I wonder if the tripping and lack of response to the leg - driving aids- aren't related (?). A horse that isn't "in front of the leg" and working from back to front, is going to be on the forehand (where the majority of the weight for our guys is) and prone to tripping. I am thinking out loud here, but once mine was responding to a light leg aid, the tripping (except for the inattentive moments!) has ceased to be a problem. After putting Jane's lesson into practice, his progress (and mine as rider) increased dramatically. He went from Intro level (no canter) to second level work since May last year! Inattentiveness can be dealt with with a simple half-halt which she also explains in this article, but it means "riding" (read - rider attention on the horse) all the time. My address is Paula Steinmetz W166 N8596 Theodore Avenue Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
