[Mike Matson]

Most riders complain about the snow. Others embrace it. It looks so easy.

http://youtu.be/7SxhiniCbDE

[quietann]

Nice!

I would like Casa Lusitana better if they hadn't brought their stallions to a schooling show at my barn (we are a few miles apart.) They took over the warm up area, showed off a lot and scared a lot of people and horses. My poor mare lost her brains and I ended up scratching her.

The horses and the riding are gorgeous, though.

[merrygoround]

Most riders complain about the snow. Others embrace it. It looks so easy.

http://youtu.be/7SxhiniCbDE

Mike, I hate to break it to you. That's what we Northerners, call a dusting. That's not SNOW!

[alto]

Mike, I hate to break it to you. That's what we Northerners, call a dusting. That's not SNOW!

I opened the link expecting SNOW, that bit of white does not merit mention

[alto]

Nice!

I would like Casa Lusitana better if they hadn't brought their stallions to a schooling show at my barn (we are a few miles apart.) They took over the warm up area, showed off a lot and scared a lot of people and horses.

Bad manners indeed, not sure where the steward was though ...

Disappointing that you had to scratch.

[sterling2000]

That's not SNOW. That's a sneeze. It's not even halfway up the hoof; I've shown in deeper sand than that.

In reality, as long as it's the right consistency snow is a fine footing choice. I wouldn't jump in it, but for flatwork snow is just fine. It can even be pretty fun!

[Tallac]

I love riding in the snow!! If you pull shoes, or put snow pads on, the horses do great. Good workout, its like riding in water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpa9NYjtDGI

[ideayoda]

(How did they scare the other horses?)

[TropicalStorm]

I love riding in the snow!! If you pull shoes, or put snow pads on, the horses do great. Good workout, its like riding in water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpa9NYjtDGI

haha that's pretty much the snow I'm used to! You look like you had a great time!!

[longride1]

Having had to school young training level horses in the same ring with Grand Prix horse I would say all they had to do was a few extensions and some tempi changes. Amazing how intimidating that is to a horse that hasn't had to deal with it before. Only thing similar is suddenly being surrounded by Walking Horses at full running walk. And doing what you do every day isn't showing off. It's schooling. Been accused of it myself when using shoulder-in to warm up at small open shows. The sad thing is that I didn't have upper level horses around me all the time so my young horses had been exposed to all that energy in a crowd.

[reay6790]

I love riding in the snow!! If you pull shoes, or put snow pads on, the horses do great. Good workout, its like riding in water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpa9NYjtDGI

Love this!! I would love to ride in snow once or twice

[RedmondDressage]

Having had to school young training level horses in the same ring with Grand Prix horse I would say all they had to do was a few extensions and some tempi changes. Amazing how intimidating that is to a horse that hasn't had to deal with it before. Only thing similar is suddenly being surrounded by Walking Horses at full running walk. And doing what you do every day isn't showing off. It's schooling. Been accused of it myself when using shoulder-in to warm up at small open shows. The sad thing is that I didn't have upper level horses around me all the time so my young horses had been exposed to all that energy in a crowd.

I was gonna say when I saw that previous post... I had to wonder if they were actually "showing off" or if they were really just warming up and the poster isn't used to sharing an arena with upper level horses... If you're going in to ride an FEI test you can't just warm up with 20m circles like a TL horse will be doing. You warm up with the movements you need to perform in the test - i.e. pirouettes, tempis, HP's, etc. It's not their fault that the less experienced horses were upset by this and as long as they were following arena etiquette they shouldn't have to alter their warm up.

I loved this video because of the long slow motion shots of the tempis! I'm still struggling a bit riding them and its been hard to find videos with long enough footage of them to really study. I'm loving watching how well he uses his seat in the changes. I will be channeling that picture in my practice this evening

[quietann]

I love riding in the snow!! If you pull shoes, or put snow pads on, the horses do great. Good workout, its like riding in water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpa9NYjtDGI

I love, love, love riding in the snow... and we certainly have it coming.

As for the schooling show... I'm not objecting to the presence of stallions (there was another one, owned by someone else, at that same show and he was a doll). But... these shows are really basic. Think 2-phases where most of the riders are Beginner Novice and lower, and the dressage-only part of the show rarely goes above Training Level. Lots of little kids on ponies, too. I use them to school my mare as much as anything, because she can be difficult to keep focused in crowds. But tossing in upper-level horses doing tempi changes, very collected work, etc. -- much of which stallions "courting" a mare might do on their own -- and you're starting to get way out of the comfort level a basic show should have. I did suggest to the BO that having the CL people come do an exhibition ride would be a fun treat for everyone. Hasn't happened, sadly.

[quietann]

I was gonna say when I saw that previous post... I had to wonder if they were actually "showing off" or if they were really just warming up and the poster isn't used to sharing an arena with upper level horses... If you're going in to ride an FEI test you can't just warm up with 20m circles like a TL horse will be doing. You warm up with the movements you need to perform in the test - i.e. pirouettes, tempis, HP's, etc. It's not their fault that the less experienced horses were upset by this and as long as they were following arena etiquette they shouldn't have to alter their warm up.

Um, see above. Schooling show, rarely higher than training level, lots of little kids on ponies. CL was not there to show, just to get some of their horses "out and about."

I've shared a warm-up with FEI level riders and they were far more polite, while still doing their appropriate warm-up routine.

[RedmondDressage]

Um, see above. Schooling show, rarely higher than training level, lots of little kids on ponies. CL was not there to show, just to get some of their horses "out and about."

I've shared a warm-up with FEI level riders and they were far more polite, while still doing their appropriate warm-up routine.

Um, no need to get snippy. I did see above and there was no mention of them not showing, nor was there mention that there were no FEI classes. Which is why I began my comment with "I had to wonder if". FWIW We have FEI classes at virtually every schooling show in my area and there are usually at least a few FEI riders showing in said classes at every show. If they were impolite that's not cool, but having not been at the schooling show you can't expect the rest of us to know that it was lower levels only and that they weren't actually showing.

[Carol O]

Lovely riding. Yes, a dusting. Up here we have the white stuff, with ice underneath... Grrrr... I have lived in places with "good" snow. Good snow is there for a few hours, then gone.

[equinekingdom]

Snow??? that doesn't count as snow, lol!!

That being said, I hate snow....it ruins business. this is my favorite kind of snow, the kind that comes, then leaves the same day b/c it melts.

[LilyandBaron]

Only bone I've ever broken was riding in snow on a barefoot pony. He slipped and fell, my shoulder hit the frozen ground and cracked a rib. This was in upstate NY, so lots of snow. But having ridden over 300 horses in my 20+ years, very fortunate this is my only broken bone story. But I don't ride in snow

[equinekingdom]

It's supposed to snow all day tomorrow here...highly unusual for this part of NC. This will be our third snow just since the start of the year!!