Curate's Egg - good in parts

Mmmm. Not as good as we had hoped. First the good bits.

I was pleased with how he went in the lovely big space - an indoor arena 65 x35 metres , absolutely huge. I was especially pleased with his lengthened strides that he has struggled hard to master for me. After warming up, she described him as an eyecatching horse with 3 good paces. And she found very little to comment on in my riding - she said I had good hands, and pointed out a little less security in my right leg than my left. And she had me put my stirrups up one to keep my heel down more. OK so far.

Here come the buts.

There were jumps in one corner at A and a piece of decking for viewers in the other. For a reason that defeats me she chose to provoke Jazz by making us work at that end of the arena. It was totally counter-productive when there was so much space to do a "Jean's Kenny Harlow" and work him gradually closer to the bogiemen. He was perfectly happy in 80% of the school and since it was so huge we needn't have gone anywhere near it.

I don't know what she was trying to achieve but "inside leg into outside hand" doesn't work with a horse of his strength when he's turned himself inside out with fear of the poles and decking. We would have cured him much quicker by a)taking him away and working him back to it gradually b) using inside and outside hand to hold his head and neck to the line we wanted and pushing his body to follow.

I was not happy with her instructions to "polish the saddle" with my seat or to "shove him forward" or to "drive" with my seat. I prefer Heather Moffett's way of "asking" the horse to rise with me under my seat, not to drive him out in front of me by pushing at his back. I happily ignored those instructions and used my leg instead to gain more oomph.

I was very disappointed that she had no intention of getting on him. She got on my friend's horse in both her lessons. I did wonder if she didn't want to risk him making her look bad. By the time we finished it was pretty clear that she doesn't like him. She pretty much refused to answer when I asked her if she thought he was worth the effort of carrying on with him as a dressage horse. And as we walked out of the barn she said "it was nice to have met you, anyway" which sounded as though it was missing "but don't come back". She clearly has no interest in taking us on as a project.

I guess it was asking too much of an event rider not to write off a horse that won't jump. I could see her face close over as soon as I explained his fear of showjumps. I don't think it helped him, either, that he's Dutch and she's German. There is tremendous rivalry between the German and Dutch breeding. I don't think that she had any problem with me, just him, and I was very pleased with how little she found to comment on with my riding. It's so long since I've had a lesson I thought I'd got into all sorts of bad habits.

I'm going to have to try and find us a pure dressage trainer, who realises that at 6 he has a long way to go yet, and that horses like Bonfire and Dolendo were practically unrideable for several years before they got their acts together to win Grand Prix. It's a real shame because I think that she is a very good trainer for my friend, and I envy her being able to go to that wonderful place and learn with her.

SH and I both believe that Jazz has huge ability, and the dressage judge we competed with last said she would pick him to take home. So, on with the search to find a trainer who actually likes him, which I think will help.

C