Video Stills from Happ's '06

Posted by: hobbyhorse23 Aug 22 2006, 02:52 PM

I finally loaded the videos of dressage and cones from Stoneybrook and Happ's a few weeks ago. The Stoneybrook file really didn't yield up anything worth making a still of but the Happ's video certainly did. On our second circle in the test Kody suddenly got very up in the bridle and shot forward until it felt like I was driving a rocket, which is not really a good thing in a test. But looking at the video I can see a preview of the kind of stride he's capable of and that I hope to train him to do under control over the winter. If I can get him to do this in a Prelim test we'll be serious competition!






The two best shots, look how balanced and light he is!


And going away


And some shots from Cones where he looks like a mighty mini Morgan.






Sorry the quality isn't very good but I just wanted you to see his stride!

Leia

Posted by: Sue_C. Aug 22 2006, 04:00 PM

AWESOME!!! THAT'S what I love to see...a horse that is being trained to move...not simply being cranked-up with the check, and cheating behind. This is what I strive for myself, and yup...it takes time...years, in fact, but it is worth it in the end, OH YES!

You are so lucky to have the opportunity to show at such shows, do you often? We have only two shows here a year, where we have such a chance, and they are both several hours from us...but we get there when we can.

Posted by: hobbyhorse23 Aug 22 2006, 10:24 PM

Bumpin' it up for the night crew....

Sue, I show as often as I can. Last year I figured I was too new to the sport to justify competing out-of-state so I was only supposed to do the Happ's CDE, Lincoln Creek, and the "Happ's VSE Driving Trials- Twice!" in September. I did do Happ's and got 4th then didn't drive at all for a month so chose not to enter Lincoln Creek as my horse was not properly conditioned. I didn't drive much between August and September last year either so while I entered the DT-T! I went HC, which means I did dressage and cones but not marathon each day. That show was sort of a disaster as the horse got gas colic before cones on the first day and then as soon as he got better I came down with the flu before dressage the next day. Ugh! LOL

This year I was scheduled to do one ADT, one DT, three CDE's, the Mini Macro Marathon, and the VSE DT-T! along with several clinics and schooling days and one AMHR show. I was right on target until Kody came down sick at the second CDE. We made it through that one (he didn't show real symptoms until the next day) but we've missed Lincoln Creek and the Mini Macro this weekend. I haven't driven him since the middle of July because of the darn cough, it's killing me. The good news is his cough seems to be getting better and I just picked up some meds I ordered from the vet last week so I'm going to cautiously try driving him again in the next few days. If we can get back into training soon we should be fine for the DT-T! at the end of September.

The closest event is two hours away, the farthest took me nine hours with several major freeway accidents and some road construction. But yes, I realize how lucky I am! The Pacific NW is one of the best places in the world to have a carriage driving mini.

Leia

Posted by: nootka Aug 23 2006, 12:26 AM

Wow, that's great, Leia! He looks good!!!
Again, I guess I was so shocked at how diminutive Kody really is, physically, because he does look "big" in the way he moves and his spirit is certainly as big as his heart (oh, his sense of humor's right up there, too, as well as his self-esteem).

Man oh man makes me SO nervous to show up w/a green horse which I have clumsily started out, and another "not so green" that I probably really messed up! I really admire what you're doing, and I may fumble along behind you for a long time, learning and enjoying your adventures.
So glad to hear Kody is feeling better. The salt air at the beach seems to be so good for coughs. Kari's gelding has COPD and it's almost non existent when he's there, and many times it is completely gone. The one year we had an adenovirus go through, I noticed my "coughers" were fine when we were at the beach but at home they'd cough and hack when they started to trot or exert themselves.


See ya on the beachdrivers list! Maybe we should work on a "to bring" list and people can sort of go through it for what they will need (some are bringing individual "major" items like bbq/screen tent, etc.).

:D


Thanks for sharing your pics and knowledge!


Liz

Posted by: rabbitsfizz Aug 23 2006, 01:37 AM

It is a refreshing change to see a driving horse correctly conditioned and with it's head in a natural position, truly.
Those who consider their check rein is not doing anything should take a long hard look at Kody's head position and length of neck and then look again at their own photos.

Posted by: Margo_C-T Aug 23 2006, 05:52 AM

RIGHT ON, Leia! How wonderfully refreshing it is to see photos of a miniature moving in a PROPER frame! All who view these photos, compare what you see with the 'usual' show ring(and sometimes, other)photos of 'breed ring'miniature driving horses-- all cranked up, with (tight!)check and running martingale, hollowed out back, rear end trailing behind...see the difference?!
(And, there's this---a horse properly(meaning slowly, deliberately, and knowledgably!) brought to the development of this kind of correct frame, and conditioned--should be able to 'go and go', and still be fit to 'go' some more-while the 'cranked', rushed-to-competition, horse will NOT hold up to the work, and will be much more likely to poop out and/or sour if/when asked to do serious/extended work....)

Posted by: BlueEyedPony Aug 23 2006, 09:15 AM

Leia,
You guys look fantastic! I'm very envious of your awesome show record...I'm aiming Duncan towards a CDE *sometime* , but can never seem to get the time to keep him in a consistent conditioning schedule AND travel to a competition. You're doing a fantastic job, and provide great motivation for the rest of us who aren't quite there yet!
One small suggestion, coming from an ex-Three Day Event and dressage rider turning VSE driver...try weighting your elbows a bit more in dressage, allowing them to drop straight down from your shoulder while keeping your forearms relaxed. This allows the feel from the bit to connect all the way back to your elbows and the rest of your body position, rather than just end at your hands. You'll find that your horse will be much more willing to find that consistent connection with the bit, take a feel of the bridle and round out over his topline. He's definitely got that "free, forward movement" thing going on, and looks ready for the next step!
Edited to add: Looks like you're already doing this on the cones course (especially in the second to last cones picture), and you can really see the difference in the bend in his joints and the roundness over his topline! Kudos!
Congratulations on such a great partnership with a neat little horse, and best of luck getting to those competitions this fall!

Posted by: twister Aug 23 2006, 05:05 PM

Awesome pics Leia, you and your horse look fabulous. Way to go
Yvonne

Posted by: Gena Aug 23 2006, 05:29 PM

WOW very impressive!!!

Posted by: hobbyhorse23 Aug 23 2006, 06:30 PM

Gee, he didn't make you into a FAN or anything, did he? Seriously, I'm touched that he made such an impression on you in one meeting. He's definitely the sort of fellow you don't forget once he's had a chance to wrap you around his little hoof.

*snort* Do they go forward, stop, back up, and turn? Do they trust their driver? Then you didn't mess them up! LOL. Kody was started by an ammy owner in two days and I was hardly better except that I made sure I went back over some of the basics she'd skipped before I assumed he knew what he was doing. Last year he was pulling himself along on his forelegs with his head on the vertical and I thought he was on the bit. He wasn't. We're just now getting through the ugly-but-necessary stage of proper retraining and with a lot of lessons over the winter might get to the point where we look like these pictures all the time. Remember, this was on a 30 meter circle! Does it look like he was bending properly? Nooooo. That's because I'm still very green myself and wasn't handling my reins or my figure correctly. He'd scooted forward and I was trying to collect my reins, get a bend, and still keep my figure sort of accurate. (I failed at that last, by the way.)

I'll be happy to share anything I know at the ocean but I suspect you'll find I'm not so far ahead of you as you think. I have SO much to learn!

Being able to share our adventures with you guys is MY motivation, believe me.

Thanks for the advice! In my own defense I will say I had raised my hands to take up line and try to rein in his sudden spurt of energy but I certainly do need to improve my handling of situations like that. My right hand is also higher than my left because I kept half-halting and using my whip to flick his inside (right) shoulder to try and remind him to bend.

If you knew him you would laugh at those cones pictures- he wasn't rounding up his frame so much as shortening it in complaint and resistance to the fact I was trying to steer and control him. Man he was steamed! Kept trying to buck and drove like a freight train that time out. A lot of it was me of course, it always is, but the next few shots of him in that sequence he looked distinctly grumpy. That's the downside of teaching them to shorten- they learn they can simply squish their frame and keep right on going just as fast when they don't want to slow down!

Kody is still very much a training level horse at this time. We're working hard on relaxation, rhythm, and bending and making lots of progress (enough for occasional flashes of brilliance like that) but I really need the help of my trainer before we can regularly achieve shortenings, lengthenings, and true impulsion on demand and not on accident. I can't wait for her to get back from her summer on the East Coast in another couple of weeks!

Next year though...On to Prelim! Woot!

Leia

Posted by: zacharyfarms Aug 23 2006, 06:38 PM

Well, again I am amazed at how difficult this must be to drive these little guys. Goodness, just learning the language. But I will say that you both certainly make a beautiful picture together and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. It has to be great fun.

Posted by: Charlotte Aug 23 2006, 06:38 PM

Beautiful, simply beautiful. The beauty of the horse in motion...naturally.

Charlotte

Posted by: Bluerocket Aug 24 2006, 01:35 PM

Oh wow oh wow oh wow - what neat pictures and great progress!!
You inspire me! about 10 days and counting until our first try.

I always enjoy reading your threads -- fun - entertaining and educational too!

How did you get the pics off the video? did I miss something?
JJay

Posted by: hobbyhorse23 Aug 24 2006, 06:33 PM

BlueRocket- Getting video stills is a pain so I don't get around to doing it very often. I have to "capture" the video onto my computer as a movie file, then l load that file into another program and hit pause then scroll back and forth between individual frames hitting "Grab" and then saving the image.

Leia