See The Land Man » dressage

What is a good breed and saddle for Dressage?

admin — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:03:30 +0000

I am looking into dressage because I’ve been riding for two years and I’m to cautious to continue being a jumper. I love Henri De Rivel saddles, so if any one has another kind of saddle to share, that would be great! Thanks!

I would recommend finding a good saddle shop in your area. They should come out and fit a saddle to your horse and you. Bit those saddles are really pricey. Frankly, I’d buy a cheap on to start with, make sire it fits you and your horse. When you get to the point where you decide you love dressage and nothing else in the world compares, then go buy a good saddle. I’d hate to see you spend several hundred or thousands of dollars for a saddle when you’re still trying to decide whether you even like dressage. The saddle isn’t that important as long as you and your horse are comfortable.

As far as type of horse – you want one with good angles in the shoulder and hip. A strong stifle, and croup. A horse with a shorter back will be easier to collect at higher levels. The neck should tie in high to the shoulder. Stay away from ewe necks, thick throat latches, too short or too long necks.
Ideally it should have short loins, be close coupled, with a croup that is long and slightly sloping. the lumbosacral joint should lie as far forward as possible, which then makes the croup bone long.

There are some good websites that talk about the ideal conformation for dressage horses. Just google it.

Main thing is finding a horse with a brain, and that likes to work.

Any breed will work if it has good conformation. You can buy a warmblood, but you still have to know ideal conformation or you’re stuck with a lower level mount that you paid 20-50 grand for. Why bother? I’d suggest finding a horse based on temperament and conformation regardless of the breed. You can find some fantastic cross breeds with 2nd and 3rd level training for a fraction of the price of an untrained Hanoverian or Oldenburg.

how long should I ride before competing in Dressage?

admin — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:03:39 +0000

I’m a novice rider, I’ve never done anything more than a trot on a horse. So I would need to learn basic skills first. I’m planning on taking lessons at a local stable that teaches dressage/jumping. I’m wondering how long should I train before competing. I’m a stay at home mom and my daughter is only 1, so I’m not interested in competing until she’s at least in middle school, maybe even older. Is this too long or not long enough experience riding before competing?

As soon as you can control your horse in the situation in which you’ll show, go for it. Showing isn’t just for advanced riders. dressage is a great place to start because you do it alone–you don’t have to worry about controlling your horse in a group of unfamiliar horses. Can you handle your horse safely at the walk and trot? Is your horse reliable in a new place? If you don’t know, try hauling him to a few places and finding out (if you’re inexperienced and expect him to act up, get someone else to ride him first). You can haul to another barn for a lesson, a local show to practice (not show), a public arena, etc. Once you know that you can safely control him in a new place with other horses around (although they won’t be in the arena with you showing), find a local show and enter. Dressage is great because they have so many levels. The lowest level is Intro, and it’s only walk/trot–so it’s a perfect place to start. You can even have a friend call out the test if you can’t memorize it or are worried about forgetting.

By the time your daughter is in middle school, you could be a fairly accomplished rider if you start taking lessons now. There’s no reason to wait to show if you want to start now, unless you simply want to wait. The whole reason most small shows have beginner, walk/trot, novice, etc. classes is so that beginners can have a showing experience at their level. I think it’s great that you plan to take more lessons and want to be fully prepared, but I think you can show much sooner than you think, and especially since you’re doing a class that doesn’t require you to work in a group (where you’d endanger everyone else if you lost control).

Can you use a dressage girth with a jumpung saddle or a all purpose saddle?

admin — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:12:01 +0000

I am looking to buy a girth for my english saddle. Its a jumping saddle and i also have a all purpose english saddle. And i was looking at girths for them, and i kept seeing really nice dressage girths that i like. Can you use a dressage girth on a jumping or all purpose saddle and compete in it?

No, dressage girths are almost half the length of a typical all purpose girth. This is because a dressage saddle has extra long straps, you can see in this picture:
http://69.94.109.132/media/klimke/klimke.jpg
Sadly, you are going to need to buy a new girth. Horses are an expensive hobby/business

What are some good places to take dressage and jumping lessons in GA?

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:14:31 +0000

I want to move up, and my final goal is to go international. What are some good places and people I need to meet? I live in GA and I might as well start here Ive been riding for 24 years and am doing training level dressage and jumping a little stadium jumping and cross country. I went to school and now that I’m out, I want to get serious. I’m 27.

If you want to get really really serious and get to the top, you have to work REEEEEEALLY hard especially since you are starting so late. If you want to make it to the top now, you’ll have to throw away a life of leisure and fun to have a life of hard work and longs hours. But, you still have horses . My suggestion is for you to look at an even larger scale( north america) and look for a live in working student position with a good trainer/rider. Like…a world-renowned grand prix rider. But, you’re going to have to choose a discipline(if international is your goal). If you do jumping, you’ll do a lot of cross training with dressage anyways though since dressage gives the fundamentals for riding. Choose what you feel is best for you. Don’t pick a discipline because of what anyone else thinks, go with your gut feel. Do what you enjoy because if you plan to get to that level, you’re going to do a hell of a lot of riding in that discipline.

Suggestions of future goals:
-get a good resume so you can get a good working student position
-ride as many horses as often as you can and take as many lessons from the best instructors you can get
-then…ride more
-and then…ride more
-…and more
-then..compete
-and compete even more, and even more

-do you get where I’m going? If you want to get to the international level, you’ve got to get out into the horse sport industry. If you’ve got lots of money, then you won’t have to be a working student for a good coach, you can just buy a nice horse and take lessons from a good coach.

People you need to meet: as many top trainers, breeders, coaches, horse owners, riders as you can.

Good luck!

What is a good song to play during a dressage test?

admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:22:11 +0000

What is a good song, (about 5 minutes) to play during a dressage test? I am looking for classical and slow, but am open to anything!

Ederlezi by Goran Bregovic
Pavee

What is the most attractive helmet for dressage?

admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:55:40 +0000

I ride in an IRH and i’m looking to upgrade to something that’ll look better on my head. I really love GPA but someone told me GPAs are more appropriate for hunters and jumpers. Then I looked at Charles Owens and again, someone said those are typically better for eventers. Any suggestions? My IRH makes my head look twice as big and call me superficial but if i’m showing dressage I really want to look good.

Thanks.

Charles Owens are not only for eventers as GPAs aren’t for hunters and jumpers only. Either one would be fine. I used to ride in a IRH but now I ride in a Charles Owen Beagler for Dressage. I get a lot of compliments with that helmet.Check these out.
http://www.somersetsaddlery.com/6m7/for-the-rider/helmets-and-covers/dressage-helmets.html

Who did the dressage demo on the night of the Big Ben challenge?

admin — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:17:07 +0000

Who did the dressage demo on the night of the Big Ben challenge? The Big Ben Challenge is a top level invitation only show jumping challenge held each year at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. I don’t remember who did the dressage demo, and I was just wondering if anyone else remembers. That’s really all of the information I can give on the subject.

Try Ashley Holtzer riding Pop Art-hope that helps!

What kind of music would be good for a beginner level Dressage test?

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:07:29 +0000

What kind of music would be good for a beginner level dressage test?
I am looking for a classic Arabian or 1990’s type music.

Any Ideas???

This i s what I have, tell me what you think:
Golden girls theme song
Girls just want to have fun
Love is a battle field

What do you think???
I would LOVE some Arabian classic songs.

Im thinking Love is a battlefield – It’s got a decent beat for the rising trot! heh. Another song to consider maybe something on the hair band side – Perhaps posions – Nothing but a good time ? Either way have fun

What do you like about dressage and jumping?

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:25:27 +0000

What are some things that you like about dressage? What are some things that you like about jumping? If you like one better than the other, which do you like better and why?
Thank you!

Dressage… the absolute dedication of it. To have a horse and rider that in sync and a horse that well trained is enthralling and amazing.
Jumping… the rush, along with galloping flat out nothing can give me more of an adrenalin high.
As a youth I definitely favoured jumping over dressage. I considered dressage boring BUT… I’m as I’ve aged my opinions have altered!!! Although jumping still is more fun adrenalin wise… dressage is something else when it comes to discipline and its something to aspire to.

What do you like about dressage and jumping?

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:30:00 +0000