I love dressage

I'm still high from a great time on a school horse in Cologne. A typical, dead mouthed dead sided German school horse. But I rode in complete confidence and that was what made it fun. Within 5 seconds of sitting on that horse I felt safe and went to work. The trainer/owner said "He will test you." but I got no test, woo!


I'm sitting here refusing to take off my breeches and halfchaps cuz it just feels so good - I feel like a rider.

Of course when I got home the first thing I noticed is how freaking elegant Baasha is - what a shock, an Arabian is exquisite after a hundred non-Arabians. (Including fancy Fresians and Peruvians.)

Again at this Cologne stable I watched a riding lesson, and saw another person fall off - this time the girl hit the wall on her way down and lay there a long time. I was freaking out but she was OK.

I was invited to take part in their group lesson (Abteilung, it's called, where the riders all ride patterns together and such) but I really hate that. The horses mostly follow each other so you don't really learn much. And I have no skillz at sharing an arena with 8 other girls. I know the rules, I just don't want a first ride on a strange horse to be weaving my way through other people's intentions.

I have to clarify. I have ridden in group lessons in America. They are very different. You don't just copy each other for most of an hour. In Germany, riding is a very very popular sport/hobby/activity. It's common for parents to send their kids to riding lessons, just like soccer back home. And the riding instructors here, all certified, whatever that means, offer very cheap lessons. They're cheap because they're mass-produced. You are in a factory line of riders learning to ride, or enjoying riding after learning.

I could not fathom this before living here. Reitsport is huge. Any certified trainer wants to take as maniy students per hour, for the most money and the least effort. So it's common to have huge group lessons going. Very cheap - 10-16 Euro per hour! I paid 50$ per hour at home, private. I want that attention. I want the exclusive attention of the person I'm paying, not just to sit on a horse that stubbornly refuses to NOT follow the one in front of him. Yah, the horses are well cared for, but they're tough and bored and I'd do the same if I were a school horse - follow and ignore cues.

When the instructor/owner finally called me (saying my name the way Germans do, totally wrong, so cute), I ran to get my helmet that I left in Diamond's stall. (Diamond is my colleague's horse.) I carefully took my tiny metal hair clips out and put them in the little fabric sack in the grooming box that I saw my colleague put her car keys in. I thought they'd be safe there. Wrong...

I asked about how the horse is and then jumped on. He was fine. Just dead as can be. Apparently no one had ever done walk-halt-walk transitions with this horse on the rail, ever. He just braced and pushed through my halt request, until I physically turned him into the wall to stop him. UGH.

I got him tuned up (as my old Dressage trainer would say) to my leg right away with the use of a crop, and right as I was doing this, the barn owner walked over and saw me whack him and said, "Wer ist diese Brutalereiterin!" (Who is this brutal rider!) I don't think I'm brutal. I just require a quick response to my leg. And it only ever takes me a few, maybe 4 times before any horse learns "Oh yes, forward!" to my desired cue.

I should describe the horse. His name is Danny but I think Fatty suits him better. He is a big thick Tinker (Vanner) cross (?) but thankfully not too much taller than Baasha, maybe 15.2. His cow-like spots are cow-like. But he's sturdily enough built that I can ride him. Yah, I was the biggest person there, that's typical. Germany is filled with tiny fit people.

But as I saw myself in the mirror, I realized I didn't look bad, I looked great, in fact, perhaps I've still got it: )

Now to the dressage bit. I couldn't get him to give me his head for the world, and finally I asked the owner/trainer for help. She said I need to do much more release and less pulling. This is the second time I've been called heavy handed in Germany. The thing is, I've ridden many German horses who just get me right away and drop their heads and go to work. Only two of them so far have said "NO, not that way" and braced fully up. Then I'm told I need to just barely maintain contact, and basically wait for the horse to decide to give.

I have to say I'm so glad that several of the horses in this barn have this bracing, high-headedness, rather than every single horse being tied down with side-reins.

But then I must admit if Danny were my horse I'd be running for the martingale. Goodness gracious he's upside down and resists any attempt to change that.

I saw it in the hour-long lesson I watched before riding him. An upside down braced horse and no effort was made to remedy that, she just rode that way, even at a canter (!!).

So I got the owner/trainer to come into the arena again and give me a private lesson on the circle. I knew bending and circling would help and I was glad she did it.

But get a load of this - dressage people, help me here...she told me to give-and-take with the *inside* hand while setting the outside hand. On the circle. So, somehow keep turning, but the inside hand must give and release. I was able to maintain the circle with my body but I have to say this is the exact opposite of how I was trained in Dressage. I was told the inside hand remains steady and the outside hand requests the flexion. But I can be flexible - I did it her way. After her telling me to quit riding on totally loose reins, I edged up to do what she said, always keeping my eye on her at the middle of our circle to maintain the curve.

I saw it work a few times, where Fatso dropped a tiny bit. I was intrigued though, and whatever method, I want to do this again.

I want to go back and teach this horse to dance. I want to make this hard headed bovinesque creature do something pretty for a change. I mean, maybe, I don't know if I can budget this.

Later I had to go find the riding instructor/owner and was told she was upstairs in the restaurant of the riding arena, drinking with her friends. I opened the door and was blasted with a wall of cigarette smoke. Disgusting. I waved my way through it just to get her number. Yah, from up there you have a lovely view of the arena. But I won't ever go up there again. Stinky! I asked how much for a private lesson and she wouldn't tell me, she said just come back next week. She wants me to take up a lease on this horse for 100E per month but I don't know. I'm trying to save for a horse of my own, so I have to be careful where horse money goes. But I so want lessons again.

If I'm not riding endurance I can at least do some dressage.

That reminds me, there is a new endurance ride in our state (20 mins from here) on my BIRTHDAY this month. Ugh. Torture.

But I had fun today and wait, what about my hair clips? I went back and my colleague had dumped the little sack into Diamond's trough, it was full of carrots. I said, "The car keys, my hair clips?" She had her keys. My clips?  Gone forever. I rummaged through the straw and manure below the trough, I searched the trough about 4 times, nothing. I sure hope on my next trip to America I find those tiny metal hair clips I like.

For now, tonight, Baasha is amazing, I treasure every day with him. He's just so vibrant, and his muzzle has the best smell on earth. (Unless he's just finished his beet pulp, then it's not so sweet.)

Bellis lay her head in my arms again tonight, apparently glad I was home (late). What a sweet gesture! I rubbed and cuddled her a long time. Baasha got lots of kisses.

Sorry again no pics, but maybe next time.

Here's a pic of my man at the Getraenkemarkt - "store that sells only drinks" - looking for his Coke Zero. Beverages are not kept cold in Germany in stores - cooling your beverages is an expense for the buyer, not the seller. I cannot tell you how many times I've had lukewarm beer here.

Here is a nice castle near our house to dissipate the bad feelings about warm beer.