Anyone Take a Winter for Dressage work only?

[Hidden]

I have had my ups and downs with my lovey dovey, but we have finally managed to place in the ribbons in a maiden event (I think everyone else fell off). Anyway.. I have my own issues with my jumping and they are not resolving as quickly as I might like. So I have been thinking, that perhaps I should spend the next year just focused on Dressage. If a XC schools offers, I would go. But really focus on Dressage only. Take lessons from dressage trainer (trailer out to them at least once a month) etc. If I did this my goal would be to make it thru to 1st level by spring (which means I'm getting 65% or better on my training 3/4 tests). Then next summer start thinking about jumping again. I've been thinking that Jumping has never been my horses' issue, just mine from a lower leg/balance issue. So if I really push on the dressage, with a real goal that might make me a significantly better rider at the jumping next year. Thoughts/Comments?

[Sightunseen]

I have taken time to only do dressage to work on my horse, but not so much from a riders perspective. Dressage can only help your jumping, but I would highly recommend doing it 2-3 time a week in your jumping saddle, adding in LOTS of no stirrups and two point, especially through transitions, this will strengthen you and your horse.

[EventingDiva]

I agree,

Your flat work can only improve your jumping. However your dressage saddle positions you differently so if it is a positioning problem, not much will get resolved. Use your jumping saddle and make take a break from jumping for santities sake. I still suggest doing lots of two point exercises as well as ground poles/grid work.

[TheHunterKid90]

Yupp....every winter....starting around mid November until about the end of March...I put away the jump standards and me and my pony become dressage queens. =D
It really does wonders.

[Ajierene]

I do much more work on the flat in the Winter, but in early spring I like to get out trail riding as much as possible also.

I trot up and down hills in two point to help my leg position and strength.

I agree that flat work, dressage included, without stirrups in you jump saddle will be greatly helpful.

Dressage work will be helpful, but as others have said, the dressage saddle puts you in a different position, so it would be good to at least supplement it with two point trot work and/or work without stirrups in you jumping saddle - for fun, practice posting without stirrups, that will definitely help leg strength.

[clivers]

I took a year off to work on my dressage when I was 19 and moved to the US to be a working student for Kenneth Dyrby (now in England). It was good and bad for my riding - I had lots of fun learning what the grand prix movements feel like and riding horses that were the antithesis of my...er...lively OTTB, but it was no good for my horse who didn't fit in well with that "system". I also found that a year off jumping is too long for me and I need to jump a few times a week to be any good at it. Plus, my horses appreciate alternating between jumping and dressage.

One thing I will say, though, is the whole experience DID pay off in terms of my own dressage riding, and I still kinda get a kick out of bringing my event horses to the dressage shows and kicking the "dressage ladies'" butts!

[Hidden]

based on the input so far.. It sounds like what I should do is do my focus on Dressage work and add a day or two a week in my jump saddle doing no stirrup and two point trot work (poles etc). Sounds like a plan to me..(I do no stirrup work already so not that hard to add)

At my level almost everyone can get around the jumps.. unless they go off course or fall off to get eliminated. So the dressage score is an even bigger separation in the placings. So it sure couldn't hurt me to have a good dressage winter and come out nice on those scores. (in case we have a stop at the water or something?)

[Appsolute]

my event trainer always had us do much less jumping in the winter, and would take our stirrups for the month of december.

The no stirrup work will help improve your leg and your balance.

And for my horse, he needs variety "just dressage" certainly wouldn't cut it. But only flat work, with lots of trails, hill work, maybe poles and other exercises, sure!

[enjoytheride]

I disagree. I would definetly focus mostly on your dressage over the winter (jumping maybe once a week or every other week). Dressage improves your jumping because it improves your control of the horse via improved steering, responsivness to the aids, bending, and forwardness. So your "dressage" between the fences improves and how you put your horse to the base can improve control wise which can improve your jumping via speed/control/clear rails.

However, it does squat for your eye over fences, your position in a jumping saddle, your fitness in short stirrups and 2 point, your position in the air, your release, and your landing. So I think you really should concentrate on both, even if you do mostly dressage and then tons of simple trot in gymnastics.

[Jenne]

No No No!!!! My gosh no matter how many times you work a dressage test it will not help you find a jump. It is so important to work on everything from dressage through stadium. People are dying at cross country so wouldn't you practice your jumping. You need to jump 2x a week in order to try and create habbits. No matter how bad the dressage may be it won't get you killed. And don't write in telling me that jumping is just dressage over fences. If this was true then all dressage trainers should be able to ride a top level GP course.

Has no one learned the importance of finding the jumps????

[Crazy_Eventer]

At the same time though Jenne, one of the classic problems with event horses is that they break down much faster since they have so much more stress on their legs/hocks/feet thanks to all of the pounding crosscountry puts on their legs. A horse only has so many jumps in him.

At our barn, our trainer has us give our horses late Oct-Dec completely off from jumping. We then start jumping and doing laps in our indoor in January, then head south in Feb. for 2 weeks where we start getting "serious" again about the show season. We do dressage but also just give our horses down time to chill out after the event season. The natural horsemanship is also really big for us in this period and we do alot of free-lunging (and in dec we start adding free-jumping in there too just so they start tuning themselves up).

In terms of the safety part, a big part of what I've heard people saying is that because of the increased emphasis on dressage, horses aren't thinking for themselves anymore and therefore can't get themselves out of trouble when their rider makes a mistake (which even with the best, everyone makes mistakes). The free-lunging and free-jumping allows them to get this thinking back and forces them to make decisions without a rider up there dictating their every step.

[flyingchange]

Whenever I have taken the winter to just work on dressage, the jumping, once I have started back (usually in late Feb/early March) has been a much bigger deal than it should be. Resulting in kind of a loss of confidence and morale on my part. So ... I don't really recommend foregoing the jumping for any amount of time - especially when you are learning.

You don't have to beat up your horses legs to practice. The jumps can be set at 18" or just ground poles. I think ground poles are actually very, very hard to canter over correctly without breaking the rhythm - especially on a really "game" horse that wants to jump for the sake of jumping (I have one of those).

So I guess I am saying that, if I were you, I would "keep on keepin' on" with the jumping exercises over the winter. just keep things low and simple - you will be glad that you did come spring.

And I agree to do the flatwork in your jump saddle a couple of times per week. It will really help to improve your leg strength and overall jumping position balance.

[scubed]

I've taken winters, I've taken summers, this year the plan was to take the spring. I've had horses that were always easy to jump and much harder to do dressage on (yes, probably me not the horses, given the repition of pattern). However, I always take a jumping lesson every couple of weeks, and hack out regularly, even during the "dressage-intensive" periods

[subk]

Taking the winter off to do just dressage will do good things for your dressage. Since that is usually my weakest link I'm familiar with the concept. If it was such a great idea to improve jumping wouldn't that be the standard plan for jumper riders of all levels?

Years ago I was auditing a David O'Connor clinic and something he said knocked my socks off. I had been struggling with the canter work on a young horse and had been spending lots of time trying to improve the trot--rhythm, balance and connection--thinking it would cross over. David said, "If you want to improve the canter, you have to canter." It's a very simple concept but for some reason I think it is on of those things that's not so obvious. (Well to me anyway!)

If I wanted to improve my jumping over the winter I would focus on jumping more not less. But I would go back to basics--I'd do gymnastics...ad nauseum. Find everything you can in books (Wofford, deNemethy, Kursinski all have good ones) then start at the very beginning. Keep the jumps very small and work on all the small details. I'd also find some one to put me on the lounge line without stirrups, in a jumping saddle, and be very, very demanding about my position.

If you want to improve your jumping, jump more.

[scubed]

Although, even if you can see a spot, if your horse isn't adjustable, it can be hard to get to that spot and dressage can help a lot with that

[kaluha2]

I'm confused by the title of this thread. Here's why:

When we get on our horses, if we are not riding for forward, improving suppleness and balance and straightness with ONLY acceptance of the bit then what exactly do we do up there ----otherwise ? Just what type of flat work would we do?

Dressage at the lower levels is just good riding, the basics with only acceptance of the bit to be shown with a couple of 20 mtr circles thrown in and a lenthening. No one is asked in any dressage test for eventing to put the horse on the bit and show 15 tempi changes across the diagonal.

So, why would we need to stop jumping and ONLY work on dressage especially at this level (lower) when this most basic level of dressage can be (and should be) an everyday routine.

Or is riding forward, in balance on a straight and supple horse showing acceptance of the bit just a seasonal thing.