goodbye cavesson

This morning after barn chores I was amazingly free of sweat, Keil Bay had finished eating breakfast and was munching on hay, and the temps were in the low 70s... so I decided to psychologically make the switch to our autumn routine, which means riding happens after equine breakfast but before human lunch.

Keil Bay loves this routine. It's obvious that in his life before me, his rides were generally in the morning. He knew instantly when I put Salina and the donkeys on their side of the barn that he was in line for a ride.

My son had groomed all the horses earlier, so all I had to do was pick feet and tack up. When I got the bridle on and was buckling the cavesson, I had my hand inside the buckle so I could feel how tight it was. Keil opened his jaw and I realized that even with my setting the buckle to the first hole, which is where I normally put it, his jaw can't open all the way. Because of where my hand was, I felt it in a way I don't think I ever have before. So in that one moment, I decided to remove the cavesson and ride without it.

A big thank you needs to be said to Ann and Jeeves, at Transitions, because it was Ann who told me she'd removed Jeeves' cavesson long ago. For some reason it had never occurred to me to just remove the thing - I had been thinking of buying a western bridle! A good example of how we can get stuck with "the way things are" to the degree that we can't even perceive how easy change often is.

Anyway, this morning I realized it was time, so I unbuckled the cavesson, slid it off Keil Bay's head, and watched him explore his new freedom from the noseband.

I'm guessing he has never been in a bridle without one.

He immediately opened his mouth as wide as he could, just to test it. He did a huge dramatic yawn. He lifted his nose up and jiggled the bit around in his mouth. He lowered his head and shook it from side to side. (for a moment I thought the bit was going to come out, but it didn't)

He had a look of complete amazement in his eyes. Suddenly there was nothing there but the headstall and the bit, and he couldn't quite believe it.

Off we went to the arena. I can't attribute everything to the lack of cavesson - last night was the coolest we've had since spring, fall is definitely in the air, and I'm sure Keil Bay was feeling all of that as much as I was. Still, he seemed excited and eager to move, and he was freer in the head and neck than he normally is when we start out.

I've tried bitless bridles with Keil and he didn't like them. He does enjoy when I ride with halter and clip-on reins, but today's experiment without the cavesson is the most successful change I've made in terms of bridling.

He has always fussed when I buckle the noseband. The only worse thing was the flash, which I removed years ago. He hated that thing, even when it was buckled so loosely it dangled under his chin. And the cavesson is not as bad, but he always bobs his head when I buckle. And now that frustration is gone.

I cleaned it up and hung it beneath his bridle, with the flash. The bridle looks so bare! But I think this is how we'll be riding, at least for now.

ending the day on a lovelier note, with Klimke and Ahlerich

Look at Ahlerich's floppy ears! That is a relaxed horse.

*******

I'd like to add that part of the reason I posted all these videos is to offer an alternative view to the mainstream opinion that Gal's ride is what we who study dressage should emulate.

The other reason is that I want to make sure that anyone who reads here when I write about loving the study of dressage clearly understands what it is I'm studying. NOT what is being seen with Totilas. I want no association with that.

For me, it's about developing a relationship with the horse, and then working together to become balanced and light, with a mutual language that is invisible to anyone watching.

The definition of dressage in my experiential dictionary is a minute or so about a year and a half ago, when I was riding Keil Bay up the long side of our arena. It was chilly, but we were both warmed up and enjoying the warmth of the sun on our bodies as we worked. We were trotting, and as we came onto that long side, something clicked perfectly. He offered his back, and I received it with my seat. Suddenly the sitting trot was effortless.

About mid-way up the long side he slowed into passage. I didn't even realize what we were doing. All I knew was that suddenly we were in perfect harmony, and we seemed to be moving in slow motion.

We had stepped outside time, together, and entered Joy.

In the moment all I could think was that what was happening was so beautiful we had both acted together to purposefully make it last longer. It took what felt like a very long and very perfect time to get to the end of that long side, and when we did, the passage ended.

That's the dressage I'm studying. And in a competition, as an observer, I want to see some evidence that horse and rider have found the joy of harmony at home, in their quiet space, and that they have done it enough times together they can bring some shred of it to a competitive arena, to let all of us in on the secret.

a little more on Totilas

A still shot showing his extended trot. Note the front legs and then look at the hind legs - and the tracking.

Note the position of the horse's face - behind the vertical, and the poll. Note the angle of the curb shank.

As for the riding position, see if you can draw a vertical line from Gal's ear down through his hip, and through his heel.

This got a 90.75%???

And a video I found with Gal showing some of his training work with Totilas. I don't understand what he's saying, but the riding and technique speaks for itself.

If you're not a horse person and you're reading this, try to imagine what the horse can see when his head is cranked down to his chest. And try to imagine how well he can breathe with his throat latch closed up that way. And finally, try to imagine how it feels like to canter like that.

I'm disgusted.



Xenophon was the first one to claim that horses can become only more beautiful with correct training, never uglier. I would like to add to this that if the horse becomes uglier in the course of his work, it is the unmistakable proof for a wrong dressage training.

~ Colonel Alois Pohajsky

classical versus competitive dressage

While I'm not an advanced dressage rider nor am I an international judge, I think all students of dressage should make it a point to look at the high-scoring rides as a means of furthering our education and developing our eye.

I'm curious what you think of this horse's movement. My comments follow the video.



Edward Gal on Totilas earned a score of 90.75% with this performance and created a new world record in the process. One article I read this evening called him the world's greatest dressage horse.

I love the way he looks out of tack, but I am not fond of the way he moves under saddle.

The first thing I noticed in this video is that he was heavily sweating when he entered the arena. He had white foam all over his chest and down his front legs. What kind of warm-up did he have?

Immediately, he looks overly bent to me, with his poll lower than the top of his bulging neck, and his face behind the vertical. I kept reminding myself that he's a stallion, so presumably his neck is very thick as a result, but still... the bulge at the top looked to me like it has developed from being ridden in that overly bent frame, which imo is not correct. (or kind, but that's another post)

His movement seems mechanical, rather than fluid, and after the opening sequence with the collection and then the extended trot, when he comes down to a walk, the right front leg seems to be punching the ground. (and he is not really tracking up behind during that extravagant extended trot, though you have to watch for that b/c the front end is so "busy" it's easy to miss what's going on behind)

The intense swimming quality of the front legs in the extended trot also seems like wasted motion and not a natural movement at all.

During the latter part of the video I tried to focus some on his mouth, which was covered with foam and open at least some of the time. It almost looked like he couldn't close it, but all I could see was a lack of relaxation.

Even in the parts of the ride where he was allowed to (and supposed to) stretch that neck and head out some, he looked tight to me.

He is of course, a handsome horse, and majestic, but if this is movement that earns 90%... I'm really glad I'm not involved in competitive dressage.

It's scary that this ride will influence so many people's vision of what top-level dressage is supposed to look like, or achieve in terms of relaxation and schwung.

more signs of autumn approaching

This week the dogwoods started to turn. It's not as noticeable from the house, but when I drove into the driveway one afternoon, the slight tinge of red stood out. The changing of the leaves here is one of the things that marks the passage of time for me, in a very deep way, and seeing that first hint of color has a tremendous and positive effect on my mood.

Also this week I noted three garden or "writing" spiders around the house. Two are by my bedroom window, and one is front and center on the front porch. As much as it would terrify me to have one on my skin, I love these yellow and black beauties, who represent writing - both in the webs and in their egg-building phase which comes later in the season. Last year I was able to watch one go through its entire process - living all summer and into the fall on the porch, building two egg cases literally over one long night, and later dying and falling from her web.

Last night my son pointed out the first of the "Halloween" spiders, as we call them. This particular one has a lovely orbed web outside of our sliding glass door. When you turn on the outside light, it's illuminated perfectly, and looks almost like a Halloween decoration.

I love these spiders because they generally take their webs down each day, curl up near the side of the house, and then rebuild in the evening when the sun sets. Watching them set up for the night, in what must be something akin to whole house cleaning, makes me feel better about the cyclic nature of chores.

A sure sign of fall for me is the cleaning out of closets. It hit suddenly, yesterday afternoon, and I managed to get the front closet completely cleared out, cleaned, and organized. Winter coats are there, and all the hats/gloves/scarves. I also tend to stick things for the thrift store there, or things I might try to sell, so I ended the day listing a number of items on Craigslist.

A closet a week should put me square into autumn, and then I can stop and enjoy the color and the coolness.