The Art of Natural Dressage

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 Post subject: Hello
PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 3:45 am 

Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 3:33 pm
Posts: 15
Hi, my name is Alex and I'm new :) I came here to learn a new way with my horse. She can pick things up with her teeth, point out the difference between colors (we only know basic colors like yellow and purple), roll balls with her nose, target things, follow me at a walk and trot at liberty, as well as turn and stop and back up. She also knows basic cordeo work. She can walk, trot, turn, stop, and back up. We have started on the spanish walk, we've been doing it for nearly a year, she can do several steps but they are not perfect. She can also flex her neck side to side (both sides) and we've started on ramener. She can back up by me standing in front of her and flicking my finger. I only go to the barn 1-3 days per week, so I don't get to work with her every day. Plus, every time I go, I don't like to work with her every time, so we work a few times a month, very short sessions. Some days I just like to sit with her. I don't ride or train with a halter, I begin and continue all training in a cordeo only. I hope it's okay that I don't ride, and I don't train with head gear, just personal beliefs I have :)
I was wondering, where do I go from here? I've read more about cordeo work in this forum (I was previously in Nevzorov Haute Ecole but they're very vague, and aren't answering a lot of my questions that I'm having trouble with). I read on this forum that I have to teach her to lower and raise her head, which I haven't taught her yet. As for in-hand playing, I don't know how to get her to lope beside me (I'm a beginner, only been working with horses for 4 years). She has loped at a few different points throughout this year, but she hasn't stayed by me. She had begun loping, ran out, bucking and doing leaps and some rears, then ran back toward me and continued trotting beside me.
To introduce my horses, I have a 10 year old mare named Destiny (in a month she'll be 11) and a 15 year old gelding (almost 16) named Prince.
Prince has been started. He currently follows me around at a walk, does turns and stops. This is wonderful, because he used to run away from me and wanted nothing to do with me. Wouldn't even glance up, so I'm glad he comes when called and follows at this point :) Not looking to do much with him, we have a lot of growing to do as friends first.


Last edited by ValiantPaints on Fri Dec 11, 2015 10:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Hello
PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 10:15 am 

Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:22 am
Posts: 211
Welcome :f:

You don't HAVE to do anything, but if you are looking for inspiration, than you will find a wealth of information here :yes:

You will also find more people here that don't use any halter at all, though I myself still use it, as my horse doesn't seem to like the cordeo, or just the fact that he would need to learn new signals that way ;) What I really love about this forum is that it is very tolerant, and all search for the best ways of communicating, playing and being together with their horses.

I look forward to reading more from you!


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 Post subject: Re: Hello
PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 10:20 am 

Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 3:33 pm
Posts: 15
Thanks for the welcome! :) I've already read most of what was posted here yesterday and today, and everybody seems so lovely :) I love how there's nothing but encouragement throughout the forums. Go on any other horse forum and there will be constant uncalled for, negative critique. I'm really looking forward to learning new things with my horses and making new friends on the forum.
jaz wrote:
Welcome :f:

You don't HAVE to do anything, but if you are looking for inspiration, than you will find a wealth of information here :yes:

You will also find more people here that don't use any halter at all, though I myself still use it, as my horse doesn't seem to like the cordeo, or just the fact that he would need to learn new signals that way ;) What I really love about this forum is that it is very tolerant, and all search for the best ways of communicating, playing and being together with their horses.

I look forward to reading more from you!


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 Post subject: Re: Hello
PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 11:21 am 
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Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:20 am
Posts: 6281
Location: Dresden, Germany
Welcome, Alex, nice to have you here! :)

Like Jaz said, there is nothing that you have to do, and no particular order in which you and your horses should learn. However, if you want some practical guidance with specific exercises, you can check out the Groundwork Exercises, and the Links to threads are a collection of different discussions that i thought were worth collecting in one place. Enjoy! :)


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 Post subject: Re: Hello
PostPosted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 3:45 am 

Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 3:33 pm
Posts: 15
Thanks! I kind of thought maybe some of the exercises had to be done while riding, so I was confused whether I had to ride or not. I checked out the exercises! I still have to teach Destiny more with the cordeo, like how to lift and lower her head, and ramener. And to canter with me at liberty, which I don't know how to teach lol. When I used to ride her, I didn't even teach it to her in the saddle, we just walked and trotted. And when I used to round pen her, I'd only do walk and trot too. So I honestly don't even know how to start on teaching her to canter in-hand. Did you teach your horse(s) to canter in-hand?
Romy wrote:
Welcome, Alex, nice to have you here! :)

Like Jaz said, there is nothing that you have to do, and no particular order in which you and your horses should learn. However, if you want some practical guidance with specific exercises, you can check out the Groundwork Exercises, and the Links to threads are a collection of different discussions that i thought were worth collecting in one place. Enjoy! :)


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 Post subject: Re: Hello
PostPosted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 7:33 am 
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Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:20 am
Posts: 6281
Location: Dresden, Germany
ValiantPaints wrote:
So I honestly don't even know how to start on teaching her to canter in-hand. Did you teach your horse(s) to canter in-hand?


My interaction with my horses isn't really about me teaching them things, it's more like playing together and finding out what the other one is interested in. But yes, we can canter together when the horses want to. We have a sticky about Forwards movement and running, if you need some specific ideas. Once a horse wants to run with me and I can vary the way in which we run, this makes it possible for us to work on particular aspects of canter. But for us the basis is a genuine motivation to run and play together. The orderly and controlled stuff comes later. ;)


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 Post subject: Re: Hello
PostPosted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 9:50 am 

Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:22 am
Posts: 211
For me its similar as with Romy, friendship and play came first. I got Panti when he was only 1,5 years old, and anything other than play was just out of the question. That was great for me, because I learned how playing can lead to so many things in a very joyfull and together kind of way. I just ran around with Panti at the pasture, and sometimes he was very wild, other times not so motivated to run and we then played around with other stuff. He was always free to veto or offer alternative, and invented quite a few games fully by himself.

Therefore canter was never a topic for us, it was always an optional part of playing around, which he offered freely.


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 Post subject: Re: Hello
PostPosted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 12:05 pm 

Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 3:33 pm
Posts: 15
Thank you! :) That makes sense.
Romy wrote:
ValiantPaints wrote:
So I honestly don't even know how to start on teaching her to canter in-hand. Did you teach your horse(s) to canter in-hand?


My interaction with my horses isn't really about me teaching them things, it's more like playing together and finding out what the other one is interested in. But yes, we can canter together when the horses want to. We have a sticky about Forwards movement and running, if you need some specific ideas. Once a horse wants to run with me and I can vary the way in which we run, this makes it possible for us to work on particular aspects of canter. But for us the basis is a genuine motivation to run and play together. The orderly and controlled stuff comes later. ;)


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 Post subject: Re: Hello
PostPosted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 12:09 pm 

Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 3:33 pm
Posts: 15
Same here :) I was just asking about the ball game because Alexander said it's impossible to get a horse to do haute ecole movements without learning how to pick up a ball and put it in your hands... So it made me wonder if that were true. I think Destiny's favorite game is with the jolly ball. She prefers it if I throw it and she'll chase after it, rather than pushing it along with her nose. She'll trot beside me too, but I can tell she enjoys it with the ball more, because of the tossing of the head, leaps, rears, and bucks. Then when she reaches the ball, she'll bat it around with her nose until I finally reach her to pick it up to throw it again. I've tried holding out a whip to her and tossing ropes, but she doesn't like those as much so I'm sticking with the ball :)
jaz wrote:
For me its similar as with Romy, friendship and play came first. I got Panti when he was only 1,5 years old, and anything other than play was just out of the question. That was great for me, because I learned how playing can lead to so many things in a very joyfull and together kind of way. I just ran around with Panti at the pasture, and sometimes he was very wild, other times not so motivated to run and we then played around with other stuff. He was always free to veto or offer alternative, and invented quite a few games fully by himself.

Therefore canter was never a topic for us, it was always an optional part of playing around, which he offered freely.


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