Thoroughbred Dressage

'From Flying Past to Flying Change'

How to Introduce working your ex racehorse with other horses in the arena

Working with other horses in an arena, all working in different directions, with different types of movement can be quite daunting and possibly distressing for your OTTB. In this short webinar (13 minutes) we discuss the process/steps you can go through to make this experience a good one and how you can then transition this into the warming up area when out competing. 

😬When we have to ‘let go’ and ‘let out’ 😬

When we first get on our ex racers and we get moving, there will be occasions when we feel that their ears could, in fact, go up our nostrils. With time, understanding, a bucket load of patience and a new found balance for them, the ears start to remove themselves from our nostrils and the dreams of a dressage horse start to become true. However, I would ask the question of; ‘do we end up slightly riding them over round and maybe a bit backwards?’ It’s natural for us to want to prevent the ‘running’ part of what is maybe natural to our racehorses, and to make sure that during those transitions that we don’t get the ‘head lob/yak’ look that just asks for 2/3/4’s from judges. We also, have to sometimes get our ex racehorses a little bit rounder to help lift the back and keep the thoroughness and engagement. 

This should be, and cannot be a long term, sustainable way of riding for you or your ex racer, but there is also nothing more daunting then someone coming a long and saying ‘let go of the front end.’……..

So, how do we ‘let go’ out the front end, keep them connected, on the bit, relaxed, engaged, pushing, swinging through and harmonious? (Whilst also performing circles, transitions, steering, staying on….and the list goes on…😉😉) Finding ways to keep the hindleg under, keeping the balance and also bending your ex racehorse is key, and paramount. 

Polework is so advantageous. It’s helps bend the joints, lift the core, allows us as riders to half halt, use our legs, and also, especially with the trot, start to plant the seed and idea of ‘press, lift, release’ with our seat and rein aids. 

Swiping across ➡️➡️ You will see the transformation of Greg, who has a massive engine and balancing himself on all four hooves isn’t exactly a strength of his 🤦‍♀️ In the beginning you can see how I have had to ride him slightly over round, and although the back is up and swinging, the trot seems a bit shut down. You can see this in the first photo where he is two different ends of the horse and there is nothing happening in the middle (the dip behind the back of the saddle and croup in the air) The second video and last photo, shows a more uphill, connected, ‘let out’ horse in balance, finding his own way. It’s changing him from a ‘front end’ and ‘back end’ horse, to a connected ‘whole horse.’ 

For more information/training/ideas visit

www.thoroughbreddressage.com

🏇 Which way up is the right up? 🏇 

Cantering, on the bit, in some sort of vague control, with steering is the stuff of DREAMS in the early days (we won’t even broach getting the correct canter strike off as well 😉-that’s for another day…) Having used some of the techniques shown in the videos below to get a soft, over the back canter with our ex racers, we then have to start thinking about the word that your ex racer wishes that you would have just ignored; SIT…..🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

The confirmation and previous training of your ex racehorse does not allow them to naturally ‘sit’ behind. It’s not that it isn’t possible, we as retrained just need to be exceedingly kind, patient and very aware that what we are asking them to do is difficult. If you compare the ex racehorses version of ‘sitting’ to that of us having to do squats 🤢 Quite frankly, after 10 of them, they begin to hurt/burn and we just stand up from the squat position, walk around, try and talk ourselves out of doing them again, and then possibly re attempt. This is why, in the early stages of getting your ex racer to ‘sit’ they can only maintain it for a little bit, before they go back to ‘default’ mode. We have to be so mindful that this work, can potentially, make them sore, even to the point of make them lame, if too much is asked too soon. 

The ‘problem’ also comes in, that when we begin to ask them to ‘sit’ behind, the tools old giraffe mode comes back in, as you are beginning to adjust their balance, yet again, and giving them something new to think about. Video one, shows the giraffe mode in full flow, but instead of ‘pulling’ Greg back in, I merely count to 10 and let him find his balance, with his poll slightly higher than before. If I had pulled him in this moment he would have just returned back to the slightly over round look and the temptation, along the way, to get his poll up, would be to try and ‘lift him up’ with my hands. For our ex racers the contact is fragile enough. To get them happy and greyly drawing forward to the contact presents it’s own troubles, so why would you interfere by lifting them up with the rein 🤷‍♀️

Time if of essence and patience a plenty. 

For exercises on how to achieve more ‘sit’ in the canter visit

www.thoroughbreddressage.com

ON the bit vs OOOONNNNN the bit

We have to remember firstly; they are bred for speed! To allow them to be quick, agile and effective over the ground at fast paces means their body needs to allow them to do just that! Being ‘uphill’ and ‘supple’ are not things you’re looking for in your ‘ideal’ racehorse. For an ‘ideal racehorse’ you’re looking for a long, flat and extended stride, which allows them to cover the most ground with the least amount of effort. This, to a rider, in the ‘retraining phase’ can feel like; pulling, strength, hollowing and a general concern for rideabiliy.

As with dressage horses, thoroughbreds limb action as to whether or not they will be a good racehorse is considered. What you’re looking for for the ‘ideal racehorse’ is (spoiler alert..)  the POLAR OPPOSITE to what you are looking for in a dressage horse. High knee action isn’t a great thing for a racehorse. It means that their limb hits the floor a bit harder, especially over very quick ground, which can potentially result in more injuries. As a dressage horse we are looking for bend of joints and how the limbs are used. In dressage it is all about ‘activity’ and ‘quickness’ of the limb, in racing we are looking for a straighter, ‘less (naturally) active’ limbs……(this is why polework, polework and more polework is mentioned and suggested when retraining/riding your ex racehorses-it gets the joint to bend and ‘work the body’) In a dressage horse we are looking for a quicker hindleg relative to the foreleg, racehorses have a naturally quicker forelimb compared to that of the hindlimb…..You aren’t going to get that natural ‘push’ behind, which allows for the ‘uphill and supple’ you’re looking for in your new dancing partner, you will get the natural ‘lean and pull.’ (all of this in my opinion makes the racehorse an even more fantastic horse that they manage and succeed in their second career transition so well!) 

You have to ask yourself the question: is your ex racehorse ’on the bit’ i.e. soft and swinging through the back, connected, adjustable, in balance, or are they ‘OOOOOONNN the bit’ aka pulling down, working ‘wither forward’, ‘looking pretty’, not very adjustable, transitions are a struggle, you feel like your slightly sat in a bucket as forever trying to ‘find their back’ by sitting further ‘down’ into them? The former will make the progression through the dressage levels easier, the latter is the fear of the potential ‘ugly.’ Just remember-its not always about just looking pretty….

Our racehorses, will, naturally, (partially due to their conformation, but also their training) want to be ‘OOOONNNN the bit.’ Their backs aren’t their ‘superpower’ and as a result, all forces point in the direction of the forehand and with that a fair amount of strength in the rein.  It is our responsibility to provide the correct training foundation and support team, to allow them to learn, develop and begin to be ‘on the bit’, which works against their ‘natural way of being.’ 

It’s not that your ex racehorse isnt able to be ‘on the bit’ it’s just a case of HOW. Teaching the half halt, getting them stronger through the back, allowing them to release and relax, rather than become brittle, tense and pull, are just a few of the ideas and concepts that allow your ex racehorse to move from “OOOOONNNN the bit’ to ‘on the bit’ BUT IT TAKES TIME! 

Bridging the gap between the racing world and the retraining world, will help you determine if your racehorse is ’on the bit’ or ‘OOONNNN the bit’ and it will VASTLY help you be able to help your ex racehorse best understand and build the confidence ins working towards their dressage/riding horse second career. 

Everything says that your ex racehorse should not be able to successful at dressage, but they are AND THAT is worth celebrating 

🚗🚗Impulsion is not Speed 🚗 🚗 

The extensions and our racehorses are actually a really good place to be able to gain valuable marks, especially in the medium and extended canter. However; we have to make sure that we get length of stride, and length of frame, as opposed to; just going for a blast down the long side 😉

I’m the novice/Ele tests, not only do we have to do our medium strides down the long side (straightness 🤢🤦‍♀️) but then we then have to be able to have control, decorum and balance when bringing them back into working canter, ready for the next movement, without feeling like we are about to head out over the white boards and beyond. So how do we achieve ground cover without flattening and running? 

A great exercise to do is to count your strides. First time down the long side; start off with two reference points in the arena, here it’s the poles, and count, in your normal canter, how many strides you take. At the end of the long side, don’t pull to come back, but circle, turn and bend. This will reap rewards in the long run as you will teach your exracehorse to condense the frame and keep the hindleg under and not fall on the forehand. Second time down the long side, reduce the number of strides by two..:..  This exercise also helps with being able to begin to collect the canter by increasing the strides by 2 on the next go around without the horse coming behind you, or stuck. (3rd attempt down the long side) 

Most of the time, when you try to go forward, your ex racehorse will want to drop down in front and lift behind. We want to encourage the hindleg under and supporting. Last section of the video shows how you can begin to teach your ex racehorse how to; lift, push and reach without any undue stress or pressure. As time goes on, you just decrease the sideways work and balance between inside leg and outside rein. 

Give it a try and tag us in your attempts! For any more info/ideas or training tips head to our training programmes at; 

www.thoroughbreddressage.com

Giraffes in a Disco 

Any one re training an ex racehorse have probably used, or heard the terminology ‘giraffe mode’ or ‘going round like a camel.’ Add in to the equation a competition where several ex racehorses may be in attendance in a warm up, situations are tightened and it can just look like a set of Giraffe’s in a disco with riders either questioning their sanity, or just laughing it off! 

But why is it that we see/our racehorses revert back to this ‘mode’ (usually in SUCH beautiful moments of; extended trot/canter, trot-canter transitions, or the final halt, leaving that ever so gorgeous final impression on the judge…….

As previously mentioned, the majority of it is to do with their conformation, their balance, their strength and where they are at in their training. It is also a lot to do with the conversation that you ex racehorse has with the contact, or what they understand ‘the contact’ to be and how it has been ‘communicated’ with in their first career. We have to remember that we as retainers are here to BRIDGE THE GAP between the ‘racing world’ and the ‘retraining world.’ We have to understand how their life has been managed, what they are used to and how they have had their first career communicated to them.

In racing the bit/reins are used to allow control. If you ever watch someone riding out/exercising a racehorse, its all about quiet, neutral (either side of the wither) hands, allowing the horse to ‘settle into the bridle’. For us as ;’retainers’ this can then feel like a freight train pulling down on the reins; however, we have to remember, their conformation and why they ‘feel like this.’ Your racehorse will also find security in this mode/frame as its WHAT THEY KNOW. Compared to a riding horse, the ‘half halt’ doesn’t really exist in racing. I would consider it as more of a ‘check’ rather than a half halt, mainly due to the speed at which you’re travelling and how quickly you need to reaction.  

When asking your racehorse to ‘extend’ or ‘push on’ the rein is lengthened and you’re pushing the horse forward from your shoulder, all the way out to your finger tips. The hand travels up the neck to encourage the length of stride. The ‘extension’ is an elongated, flat, ground covering stride, not one of ‘uphill’ and the term ‘push/ has a VERY different meaning to that of a riding horse/dressage horse. 

SO, as a riding/dressage horse, we are always looking for a; soft, elastic contact, which allows a quiet and ‘giving’ communication. Your racehorse is used to them being able to ‘pull down’ into the bridle and slightly ‘setting’ on the bit, to then be asked to ‘come up off it’ and push out. HOW DO WE BRIDGE THE GAP? 

In the early days, I think we need to best replicate where our ex racehorses feel comfortable, which is with a steady, ‘neutral’ hand, similar to that of the one they have in training. This allows to best develop the conversation from a place where they understand and feel comfort, but we can start to adapt/change their way of going arm this point. 

As dressage riders we are always taught, or told to consider that we have a box that sits onto of the wither and this box is where our hands should sit. The box can extend out out across the wither, but never behind it. We can always extend forward from the elbow to encourage the ‘draw forward’ of the contact, but we have to remember, that, especially in the early days our ex racehorses won’t understand this and revert ‘back to type’ as they may feel ‘lost’. 

Your ex racehorse initially, does not understand the idea of ‘drawing forward’ to the contact. This does come from postural development, but it’s not their natural ‘go to.’ The ‘draw forward’ comes from an overall connection, balance and ‘giving’ from the contact, which is a conversation you have to best develop with your ex racehorse over time and do it slowly, rather than just ‘expect.’

This is where your groundwork/lunging/long reining is ABSOLUTELY key. You need to create this new conversation, consider it, teaching your ex racehorse a new language. The first thing you have to do is get your ex racehorse to understand and find confidence in the half halt. That the half halt is there for; softening, engagement and communication, not a moment to grab the bit and pull, but again, we can do this from a ‘neutral’ point where they most feel comfortable. 

Looking at the images, you can see where the ‘ideal hand dressage box’ is placed, and how/where your ex racehorse is used to having the security of the rein, to help balance themselves. You can also see, where the arms/hands go when in ‘race mode’ and how far away that is from the ‘riding horse box.’ This can, to some ex racehorses make them feel like the front door is closed, which can cause adverse behaviour, if we make the jump from ‘racehorse to Riding Horse’ too quickly and get obsessed about the ‘picture perfect’ look, rather than understanding what they previous conversation has been and what we are asking of them now. 

You also need to EMBRACE the giraffe at the disco and understand why and how to ‘keep doing’ through it rather than punishing them for it and find exercises that allow them to find comfort and balance, whilst slowly developing their posture, and most importably, confidence. 

Are we Putting Words in Our Horses Mouths? 

Its not always our ex racehorses that are ‘at fault’ when it comes to retraining……

The ‘retraining world’ can be a VERY daunting, unexplored territory and quite understandably, a place where you can feel completely alone, out of your depth and questioning your sanity at every single step of the way. It is to be expected, and VERY common, that we have all fears, concerns and worries, as of course, we only want to do the best by our former stars of the track-but do we actually put words into our horses mouths/brains? Do we make up situations, or haven’t out the right steps in place to make sure that we understand our horses to the best of our ability at that given time in their training/retraining? Have we actually wound ourselves up to the point where we look like that one ‘whited up horse’ going down to the start where the commentators are saying that they’re ‘already ran their race?’

How can we Reframe our thoughts so that we find steps forward throughout the retraining process? 

We need to take responsibility for the stories that we potentially tell ourselves (and sometime even lies…) and make sure that we put urselves in the role of ‘trainer’ at all times. HOW can we develop? HOW can we find a way through? Are we making up stories that we have heard from a friend, of a friend, of a cousin of a friend? HOW can we take what are our concerns, fear and worries and turn them into moments where we say ’I don’t feel comfortable, this is why, so I can do *insert answer here* to make me feel more comfortable and ABLE to move forward, even in the smallest of steps.”  

Sometimes the retraining is not just of our horses, but also, ourselves …….