| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 29 2009 : 9:16:27 PM
Wow! Oh Wow! You HAVE to watch this You Tube video!! Absolutely breathtaking! Even if you aren't a horse person or a dressage person. AMAZING!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZhtiCqBAGM&feature=player_embedded
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| yasmine |
Posted - Sep 11 2009 : 12:19:45 PM
I AM [i AM][/i] AM a horse person! That was beautiful! Thanks for sharing Alee! It's something fun to watch on this rainy day! |
| Tracey |
Posted - Sep 10 2009 : 08:10:54 AM
Lovely. Even City Boy stood here and watched.
Take a Ride on the Wild Side!
http://mustangdiaries.blogspot.com |
| HeatherAnn |
Posted - Sep 09 2009 : 9:34:14 PM
oh this made me smile. I've always loved dressage. ballet on horse back. thank you
Heather Ann
Apartment Farmgirl
"You got to look at all the good on one side and all the bad on the other and say 'Well, alright then.'" - Aunt Eller, Oklahoma
www.plumblossomknits.etsy.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 09 2009 : 07:48:59 AM
Thanks Wende! It's amazing! You almost forget how big the horse is!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Wende |
Posted - Sep 09 2009 : 04:23:12 AM
Alee, this is the youtube clip of a Clydsdale doing dressage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=871FNPkCCU
Hope you enjoy. It will link you to other Clydsdales in horse shows. The Royal horse show in England is unusual too.
Thanks.
WENDE
You know your a Farm Girl when... |
| yarnmamma |
Posted - Sep 03 2009 : 07:27:41 AM
The horse was so awesome! Loved watching it.
Linda in Scranton, PA
|
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 03 2009 : 07:15:47 AM
Thanks, Wende! You too!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Wende |
Posted - Sep 03 2009 : 05:12:58 AM
Alee, I thought it was joke at first, then she sent the clip.
The American Royal Show starts this month here in KC. I hope I can get tickets for it.
It is a huge livestock and horse show with some spectacular events. The last one I attended was the Concert for Champions. The horses paraded to music played by the Junior Symphony of KC.
I will find the clip or have Heidi send it again.
Have a wonderful Thursday.
WENDE
You know your a Farm Girl when... |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 8:57:43 PM
Wow Wende! I would love to see it! Clydsdales are so beautiful, but certainly not what you think of when you think about dressage is it? LOL :D I bet he was stunning!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Wende |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 7:37:01 PM
Alee, I have a friend North of KC who is a horse trainer. She sent me a clip of her with a dressage CLYDSDALE!! I was astounded. I have never seen such a huge horse be so graceful.
I will look for it and post it. She is a tiny little thing from Germany, but she can make a horse do anything.
I met her through the feed store when I wanted to learn to braid manes and tails. She was a great teacher for me.
WENDE
#660
You know your a Farm Girl when... |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 09:02:14 AM
Hosanna- Tala is actually from some pretty successful lines of Halter bred arabian with a smidgeon of some more "sporthorse" type thrown in via one of her great grandfathers. So I can pretty much do whatever with her. I am currently training her for sport horse in-hand since I won't ride her till she is three, and then only lightly. I will also work on training her for Halter. I plan on entering her in a few classes in May in a big Arabian show here in town! She is very willing. About the only thing I haven't considered is English Park because I don't want to do the shoeing and such that it requires. She has very flashy natural movment with that moment of suspension in her trot, so I know she could do it, I just don't have the dedication to that discipline I guess! I would like to eventually train her in dressage, but I will need to get some training in dressage first! LOL
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 08:17:07 AM
Alee, you can totally use a surcingle for training if you want to..... but it is not like a huge "must" that you have one. I've seen people train piaffe and passage just using their saddle..... I have never done it myself, just seen it. Is your horse a "sporthorse" type arab?
Cherry; I looked closely at the photos you posted of your friend Ben riding in the Celebration..... I am pretty sure that horse is wearing a shoe package. I've been to a lot of TWH shows and been to a lot of TWH training barns, and to get that gait they have to be wearing the shoes. (I work as a farm manager for a lady who raises TWHs and sends them off to TN for training for the shows. I used to ride the "plantation" walkers myself; that don't gait like that and don't wear the shoe packages; just heavy "keg" shoes on the hind hooves.)Anyways, Ben looks like he's got quite a horse there! To get to the Celebration, you have to be pretty dang good! I love Walkers, and I think they have the best personalities! I don't have one, but the ones I work with are just great. But then, I think all horses rock.....
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 07:21:00 AM
Ben sounds like a great guy, Cherry! And his horse is beautiful. If there is one thing that horses will teach you, it's patience. I think even more than motherhood!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| CherryMeDarlin |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 07:02:40 AM
You girls are right, Ben works with the TWs. I'm really ignorant about anything past saddling and bridling a horse and taking a simple ride. Ha! But I do know that Ben doesn't use the shoes during competitions and I've never seen him use the rattles while he was training. But then, I've only watched him less than a dozen times, so he could have used them on other days. I just feel so much admiration for Ben. It takes a lot of discipline to train a horse for any type of competition and Ben's done it since he was a boy and throughout his teenage years, when boys are typically all over the place! While his brother and friends were riding dirt bikes around the track, Ben'd be out there riding his horse in circles. I know he's learned a lot of patience, too. When he graduated from high school last year, he moved to a stable in Shelbyville, TN, to learn more about horse training. His dream is to own and operate his own stables one day.
Because I know Ben, I can fully appreciate the journey you've begun with Tala, Alee.
~~Cherry~~
http://cherrymedarlin.blogspot.com
www.cherrymedarlin.etsy.com
"A thing is as simple or as complicated as you make it." --TT Murphy |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 01 2009 : 12:03:17 PM
Right- I wasnt' trying to say that the TWH gait is part of dressage. Usually they compete in English Park which judges on lift and extension.
It's good to know you don't have to have a Surcingle to train to do the passage and piaffe! I can't wait until Tala and I get to that level of training! It will be so much fun! We started upping the training momentum this past week (I think she was bored before) so I am excited to take the next step forward! Still, though, the passage and piaffe are a long ways down the road!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Sep 01 2009 : 11:48:20 AM
I did a riding clinic with Mitzi Summers, a rider with the Royal Lippizan Stallion Tour. She was really an amazing rider. They're certainly gorgeous. I've never ridden one of the horses, though. I also did a clinic with Jane Savoie, a dressage guru. Dressage is really quite an art form. I am more into hunters and Eventing; but do dressage to improve my overall riding skills. It is true that it can take many years for horses to learn upper level dressage "moves", that is why I was surprised about the horse in the clip being only 9. Most horses in international competition of the level in the clip are in their upper teens, to even their twenties.
You don't have to have a surcingle to teach a horse piaffe or passage; although it is helpful. I have a surcingle and I hardly ever use it, except for young horses in "pre saddle" stage.Piaffe and passage is just a matter of building on basic gaits until the horse eventually reaches this level. Keep in mind also that not all horses have the athletic ability to perform at such a level. Most horses that do are warmbloods, or sporthorses.
Also, dressage is not the same thing as what the Tennessee Walking show horses do.... those movements are a result of the TWH's natural gait and heavily weighted shoe and pad "packages" on the horse's front hooves. The lift in the dressage horse is the result of a highly athletic horse, free of weights. TWH's do have a natural lift, but in competitions, are aided by the weights.
Just a few thoughts, there.
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 01 2009 : 07:25:48 AM
Totalis does seem to be moving to the music, but the horse is actually responding to the rider's cues. Well trained horses can feel you clench your buttock muscles even through the saddle and know what to do. The goal of dressage is for the horse to perform as close to perfect with as little visual cues from the rider as possible. When you watch the video, you can see Totalis is wearing a double bridle- two sets of reins going back to his rider. Things such as a moving a finger or lengthening the reins are hard to detect unless you know what to watch for, but that gives a whole set of commands to the horse. The rider either picks music that he likes and builds a routine around it, or he builds a routine and then fits music to the horse. However, you have to really know your horse's rhythm so you don't pick music that is to fast or too slow. As far as how they train the horses- I haven't ever been in a Dressage only barn or ridden at the Dressage level. So I don't know too much about it except that it can take YEARS to get some of the manuevers down. One article I was reading was saying expect as much as 3-4 yeas to get the Piaffe (The trot in place) maneuver down from the start of training. To train for that and the Passage you would need a training circingle (like a girth strap but without the saddle and it has rings in certain places, a bridle with long reins, a lunging cavesson and a helper. From what I have read they have to know how to do the collected trot and basically you keep asking them to collect, slow their pace until they are trotting at a slow pace, but still with the two beat trott rhythm and forward impulsion. After they have learned the Passage, you can ask them to try the piaffe where they seem to trot in place yet actually move forward one hoof length at a time.
I am not sure how they teach the horses the Airs above the ground like the Capriole. (Where the horse jumps into the air and kicks out with front and back feet at the same time and lands all four feet at the same time). I would imagine that they start with teaching it to rear and kick the front and back on a command along with jumping on command and slowly bring it together. If you watch Youtube videos of Airs above the ground, watch the handler. The when the horse does the one (I forget the name) where he rears and hops forward while striking out with his forelegs, the handler hops forward as well. So some of the cues are body language from the handler.
Cherry- It looks like your friend's son competes in English Park where they teach the horses to high step. Some of the exaggerated movement is caused by rattles placed on the horses leg above the hoof and padded shoes with weighted toes. The extra weight from the rattles and the shoes helps throw the foot even further forward and causes them to lift their legs higher. It looks like maybe his horse is a Tennessee Walker? The barn that Tala boards at breeds and trains Tennessee Walkers and I got to ride one. They are lots of fun. But the stable I board at doesn't do the weighted shoe thing anymore because the horse really can't safely be taken out for trail rides when they have the special shoes on. They really need a flat soft surface.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| CherryMeDarlin |
Posted - Sep 01 2009 : 05:56:53 AM
Alee, that was absolutely breathtaking! My friend Allison's son shows here locally. It's not a very good pic, but here Ben is last year at Celebration in Shelbyville, TN. They just finished up this year's competition and I haven't had a chance to see Allie's pics yet. I love to watch Ben train. He has so much patience with his horse. It's a beautiful thing to watch!
Here's another pic at a smaller competition.
~~Cherry~~
http://cherrymedarlin.blogspot.com
www.cherrymedarlin.etsy.com
"A thing is as simple or as complicated as you make it." --TT Murphy |
| prairie_princess |
Posted - Sep 01 2009 : 05:53:48 AM
yes, i saw that movie when i was a kid (i was a horse nut!). i used to be SO into horses as a kid, but never had one. alee, do you know how they train these horses to perform these beautiful maneuvers? it just blows my mind that they can do these things! like when Totalis was moving to the music! i was wondering if they just practice the routine and the horse knows what do do and when to do it, or if the rider is working with the horse as they go through the routine but the riders movements are very subtle so we can't see him doing it? i must not have read much on dressage when i was young, so i don't know much about it. but after watching that video, i'm more interested and want to know more!!!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 4:41:32 PM
Elizabeth- The Lipizzaner horses are amazing. They go through a rigourous training regime. Their moves are actually based on war manuevers. The Lipizzaners are one of the last remaining true warhorses (Arabians are another, but different type of warfare). The "Airs above the Ground" blow my breath away. Those incredibly gorgeous and graceful movements were actually created to protect the riders from attacks from the ground!
And actually "Dressage" just means "training" so the Lipizzaner's moves are actually a form of Dressage- so you are right to see the resemblance! Have you ever seen the Disney move "Miracle of the White Stallions"? It's actually the true story of how General Patton saved the breed at the end of the WW2!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| prairie_princess |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 4:16:03 PM
WOW!!! i have never watched dressage before, but maybe i'll have to start... that was beautiful! i don't know if any of you have seen them, but the lippizan stallions actually came through a couple years ago and are still touring. my hubby took me and it was amazing! reminds me alot of this dressage....
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 08:24:54 AM
Isn't Totalis amazing? I couldn't believe the extension he gave! Amazing!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 07:58:28 AM
Wow. I love watching freestyle dressage. THIS is incredible, esp. from a 9 year old horse! I did my first judged dressage test at a CT show a few weeks ago; nothing like THAT of course. Next time I do a test I will IMAGINE I am riding THAT horse, and maybe those good thoughts will make my test scores come out better.... lol. :)I will have to go watch that again........... I got goosebumps!
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com |
| ponypower |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 07:34:06 AM
Fabulous!!!!! Thank you Alee for starting my day off right!! SO inspiring!!! Words escape me!
xoxo
Lily |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 07:47:22 AM
Julia- you are right! Dressage is not just about training- The horse has to be willing and it is a true partnership between the horse and rider. That horse is AMAZING! He's only 9!! Which is very young to be at such a high level of performance. I seriously started crying from how beautiful that was!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
