Transforming a Hunter Into a Dressage Horse? Help!?
well, i have a 24 year old quarter horse mare who is formerly a hunter. we’ve stopped jumping due to her age, so now were starting dressage. she responds well, and is coming along great except for one problem. she carries her head super low, and it looks and feels very awkward, especially while riding in the dressage saddle and circling. i know in low level dressage, it’s not very important, but i feel like i’m riding a camel sometimes. that’s how awkward her movements are.
and while circling or coming down centre line she will pull her head down and have it go to one side or the other, making it impossible to get a straight line.
any tips on how to get my hunter pony to pick up her head ? or is that something i cannot change ?
thanks (:
Dressage Arena – Dressage Riding Arena
Kudos for taking the time to retrain your mare. It sounds like she has a pretty firm "head set" which is what is typically required of hunters. Unfortunately, it is the opposite of what you want in dressage. In dressage the horse needs to flex at their poll in order to lift their back and engage their hind end. This is called being "on the bit" versus "in a fake frame" which hunters usually go in.
The first thing you need to do is build up her neck muscling so she is able to lift her head and begin to flex through her topline. I would recommend lots of hill work, circles, flexion on the ground and undersaddle, as well as lounging (NOT in side reins – this will only encourage her to "set" her head improperly). Once her muscling begins to build you will start to notice a difference but you’ll have to be patient – when done correctly, this change doesn’t occur overnight! Use your seat to really "drive her from behind" meaning you want her to push herself forward from her hindend, not drag herself forward from her frontend. Keep schooling her in lower level dressage and bring her to a few shows. At the training level, the judge is more concerned about consistency in the gaits, overall rhythm, and accuracy of the movements. Collection and being on the bit does not come in to play until first level and beyond.
Good luck!!