Well, I wondered if I would ever reach this level of work in my Classical Dressage training with my horse Baby or any horse, for that matter. I am very pleased to announce that we are joyfully working all the elements of Grand Prix on a regular basis in Baby’s training. Baby is now 17 years old. We started two tempis about one month ago and the funny thing about it was how easy it was for him to do the first try. Then after the success of a few more sessions I decided that we should just throw in for the ones and boom, he did them as if he had been doing them all of his life or at least picked them up where he left off in a previous lifetime.
I am thrilled of course with all of our progress and mostly his progress in the past couple of months with his canter piroettes, his beginning of Passage work and some hints of Piaffe. Now I realize that flying changes are just a lot of fun for horses so flying changes really are not surprising to do in any number be it fours, threes, twos or ones as long as the horse is listening for his queues from the rider. Baby enjoys doing them and that is what is the most pleasurable about doing Dressage for me. My horse needs to have fun doing the work or we won’t puruse it. He listens for his queues like a good soldier awaiting the call of duty.
I work him on these things twice a week and ride him without tack on three days of his four day a week training routine. I work all of the elements bareback and with no bit, just soft reins attached to his halter. He loves this and volutarily moves in self carriage with his poll the highest point. He could raise his poll and give in his jowl a little more, but that is a goal that I expect him to reach in his time. I refuse to engage in any forceful struggles of yesterday, embarrassed and humbled as I am to admit our past mistakes. He has long since forgiven me for my ignorance and is most appreciative that I have become more educated.
I am going to begin working him in hand in the Piaffe any time now, then we will work him bareback as he gets it from our in hand sessions. I have some visions of adding Corbette, Capriole, and Levade if things really go well and I learn the process from the Lippizaner trainers. He loves learning new things and I am ever amazed at how quickly he learns. It is almost as if he tells me. “It’s about time you caught up with me!”
I only tack him up completely on one day of the entire week. I firmly believe he does his work with complete soundness and pleasure because he feels me on his bare back being completely dependent on our harmony to do the work. He also appreciates my light touch or trust in him with no touch on his mouth when working with no bit. When he is tacked up we use the snaffle bridle and perhaps once a month we use the full bridle. As show season approaches, should we attempt to show at Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I, II or Grand Prix, we have no clue. I see the realm of the High School to be something I will work and hone to a competitive level for show if we enjoy it enough and if we have all that money we need to purchase FEI level required memberships, passports and all that political Dressage Show horse bureaucratic nonsense. I have more artistic goals in the near term in mind. Dancing and painting with my horse. You might see us in our own ballet some time on You Tube or Yahoo videos once I get something put together.
Keep checking back for this living Classical Riding Portrait in the making starring Baby and I…;)
