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Discussion on Long and low?
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Member:
Mientjie
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 21, 2006 - 11:56 pm:
I'm a little confused. I have a 5 year old Clydesdale cross mare that I'm training to do dressage(she only has basics now: walk; trot; canter). We had a lesson yesterday and my instructer wanted Amanda to work long and low then changed her mind and said Amanda must work collected. This went on the whole lesson. With prelim dressage must she be long and low or collected?
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Member:
Amara
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 22, 2006 - 9:55 am:
generally speaking you start with long and low to get the horse to stretch its back and learn how to move correctly... most young horses need a long period of long and low, and i always ride a horse long and low to start the day..
if your horse cannot correctly do long and low then your collection may not be correct and your horse will be tight in her back and not swing thru properly
you say she only has basics but that may be different to every person....
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Member:
Canderso
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 22, 2006 - 9:59 am:
Hi Lea-Anne
Dressage is about many things, including exercising the horse's flexibility (suppleness)- there are two main types of flexibility - longitudinal (ability to extend and collect) and lateral (ability to bend)
Sounds to me like you had a lesson focussing on longitudinal flexibility. Welcome to dressage... you are going to be doing this A LOT!
While you probably would not be expected to show true "collection" at prelim dressage, you would be expected to show correct forward movement with contact. Exercising longitudinally helps improve the quality of your contact and forward.
You will also notice in your lessons a pattern of starting long and low, then working with more contact, then finishing with long and low again. This is a nice approach to letting the horse warm up, work and cool down.
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Member:
Hally
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 22, 2006 - 10:38 am:
Lea-Anne,
I know that some horses just tend to go onto the forehand when attempting to go long a low. For a person that is new into dressage and or a green horse this can be a difficult and frustrating thing to deal with as the horse must be engaged from behind to really do a proper long and low.
Like Cheryl says "Welcome to dressage". I have been riding for over 30 yrs and have come to the conclussion that the more I learn the less I know! Its those special moments when you and your horse are totally in sync that keeps the carrot dangling in front of you.
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Member:
Mientjie
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 22, 2006 - 10:55 am:
Thanks everyone. My mare can do long and low correctly but my instructer version is that her neck must be low and straight with the head on the vertical.
Well I have been doing dressage for a few years now but this is the first time I ever heard that the neck must be straight!(according to my instructer  )
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Member:
Kthorse
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 22, 2006 - 12:08 pm:
Why dont you ask your instructor. Ask her the reasons. Let her know that this is the first time you have heard it done her way. So many instructers have slightly different ways. Just let her know after all you are paying her and you need to know how and why you are doing something , just doing it without knowing the how and why will get you confused while making learning all the more difficult.
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