Dressage isn't what it used to be.
Now the horses get rushed through the training, short cuts, corner cuts, you see fake collection and roll kur, rather then true collection and a horse that engages its hind end.
But I guess whenever competition comes into play, all bets are off.
I've had the MOST fun sorting cattle. I've only done it once and my horse has only done it twice. I thought she would literally poop her pants when she would see the cattle. While its in her "blood" she's never been around them and is a rather spooky/explosive mare. But, she took to it like a fish to water. Was catty, moving left, right, back, whohooo, what fun that was !!! And that needs true collection, to free up the front to be able to move so quick and on a dime
I always find horses perform better when they see a POINT to what they are doing. At least part of their career. I know of one dressage rider/trainer that lets her horses cut and sort cattle in their "off" time. She says it makes a light bulb come on in the horses head. It suddenly makes sense to them to learn to collect themselves, to be able to change speeds, to move laterally, etc. They aren't the most catty of horses, but they can still have fun doing some "real" stuff
Ballet? I find it incredibly boring. However, I can appreciate how STRONG those dancers are. How balanced. I don't doubt for one minute that they put true and hard work into this and that it is not for the faint of heart. Just not my thing.
Originally Posted by zina10
Dressage isn't what it used to be.
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