With a few championships coming up rather soon and the goal of getting onto a team to represent the Northern Region at British Dressage, I decided what I needed was some lessons and quick!
I was recommended the lovely Amy and set about the difficult task of finding when we were both free to have an hours lesson.
Over the last 12 months I have been told on numerous occasions that "cobs can't do dressage", "Ceaser will never make a good dressage pony", laughed at for riding a pony despite being 22 and even other bits and bobs. When I told Amy it had really knocked my confidence in believing in myself and being able to go out there and do it she said "well surely this has wanted you to go and achieve more, to prove them wrong?". Which funnily enough is exactly what I said to Mark a mere few days ago.
So, here I am, more determined than ever to go out and succeed with my "little cob".
Amy started off with watching Ceaser and I warming up which was quite interesting in the pouring down rain and asked what my comments had been on my recent score sheets when we had affiliated. We are constantly getting told Ceaser needs to work from behind more and Amy spotted this instantly.
After a couple of hairy moments which involved Ceaser moving around on two legs rather than four we were all warmed up and Amy jumped on him. I wish I'd have taken a photo of them both now as she got him going beautifully! I am very envious of how well he looked with her aboard but I am hoping I can get there one day.
She instantly noticed he needs to be off my leg more as well as a little more switched on at the same time. She also feels in being more switched on he will stop his spooking and bucking which has been causing a problem lately when schooling at home. As well as this she said that his trot felt a little stuffy and although it looked pretty and well put together, it wasn't taking her anywhere so to speak.
Whilst I have been concentrating on getting everything a little more "together" lately, I have made the mistake in not sending him forward enough to be able to allow him to work from behind and carry himself better. Doh! Amy explained that it is all about finding that happy medium in sending him forward to work properly but not allowing myself to rise too quickly to give the appearance he is rushing. Apparently in ponies Ceaser's height, this can often give the "sewing machine effect" which isn't what we want.
We also worked on working him down at the bottom end of the school where he often spooks and makes a rather large U-turn back to the top of school. Amy feels that if I keep him together and "underneath" me a little more by feeling him through the seat, legs, hands aid, then if he was to spook I could quickly get in there before he had chance to and correct him. Also, by keeping the bend in his neck to the inside he would not have a chance to look to the outside to find something to spook at.Overall she said she thought he was a lovely little pony, with a quirky attitude and three very nice paces that was more than capable of going and doing a Novice, if not Elementary affiliated test. However, I do need to be aware - and I am very much already am - that he may not look the part for an Elementary test against the large warmblood types. One thing I liked that she also noticed is that his mind needs to be kept busy. We have always said, right from getting him as a three year old that he gets bored easily and if you do the same thing over and over his mind switches off and rather than concentrating on the work I am asking of him he finds something to spook at.
In just an hours lesson I could really feel a noticeable difference in our trot and it went from both feeling and looking stuffy and like it wasn't taking us anywhere to something rather nice. We also did lots of work down in the bottom end of the school without any mishaps which is rare!
Who needs a warmblood? Give me my little cob any day!
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