Photos & recap from CDE Clinic w/Jeff Morse

[targetsmom]

The clinic was fantastic. For those who missed the background, check out this thread: http://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/index.php?showtopic=105322.

To recap very briefly: Princess has been driving since July 2007 but we had very little opportunity to work her before this clinic and the one day we tried to hitch her (March 8) she BUCKED. Rather than force the issue, I decided to wait until the clinic to try hitching her again and let Jeff deal with it!. I just ground drove her every chance I got the week before and she went just fine every time. I THINK the issue on March 8 was that I was not using a saddle pad, because with all her fur, it didn't fit. I used it for the clinic anyway.

To get her clean, I vacuumed her (she loved it!) and covered her Sat nite with a sheet and a full poll-to-withers neck sweat to keep her clean and her mane lying down.

Here is a photo of her on the trailer showing how she looked: This was actually taken after the clinic and typical for Princess, she is trying to tell me something. Can you guess her message? See end of post.

The facility is High Hopes in Old Lyme, CT, a very impressive therapeutic riding facility.

The lesson: When our turn came, I brought her in harnessed, and we brought the cart in for later (if things went well). The first thing I asked was what was the most important thing to look for (or breed for) for CDE potential? I figured he would say something to do with movement, but I was wrong.

TEMPERAMENT!!!! Then conformation (legs, rear end, neck), and never even mentioned movement!!!

The lesson had certain similarities to dressage lessons I have had. The first thing we worked on was keeping her attention, especially when we walked by the open doors. The other thing he mentioned was that with minis he often sees that TEMPO is a problem, so he showed me how to slow her walk tempo with half halts. Next we did hitch her, but he kept a lead on her, just in case. (He is actually using the nylon kicking strap I made in case it was needed).

As you can see, she is going very quietly, so the strap was soon removed.

Next, he loosened the already loose side check and suggested that I insert some elastic for "give". He wanted to see her stretch into the bit:

For a horse that was bucking one week ago, I was pretty happy with this! We also worked on walk/trot and trot/walk transitions and I could feel that she was very, very smooth. Got no complaints from Jeff either.

Here we are at the end of a very satisfying lesson!!

I can't wait to get Fizz and Buckshot hitched!!! They are almost ready...

One other thing that astounded me about this was the number of people who came to watch!! There was also a potluck lunch which was wonderful.

More clinic photos can be seen at http://www.cvdrivingclub.com/ along with just added audio clips!!! Yes, there were a LOT of minis there. A huge thanks to the CT Valley Driving Club for offering this!

(Princess's message from first photo: " I have to pee real bad, but I won't unless you put lots MORE shavings behind me AND turn your backs". She is very expressive and we got that message loud and clear).

 

[ClickMini]

Thanks for the great recap! Jeff is awesome on the CD-L list. You were lucky to get to work with him.

I agree with him 100% about temperament. My CDE mare is very hot and tempestuous. When she is good she is outstanding, when she is naughty it isn't so much fun! She really hates being in an arena. I was very upset with her after the last ADT, and decided I was going to focus on another horse for this year. I have thought about it a bit and have decided now that I just need to compete her outside, where she is fantastic. I have several in the pipeline that have very good temperaments, and I am excited to bring them along. Especially my little Esprit boy, whose first dressage score at the same ADT was in the 40s, excellent for our first time out!

Your mare is very pretty in the cart. I love the stretching pic. That is such a hard concept for some of these horses, yet is so important. You will do well when you are competing with that double co-efficient movement.

Glad to hear it went so well, and that you had fun! Happy driving!

 

[midnight star stables]

I love the first picture

Glad to hear it went So well! Thank you for sharing!

I will be attending a clinic with Amber Kildow and Joy in May and I am looking forward to it!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Mary, I greatly enjoyed reading this last night! Princess looks LOVELY (she is built so beautifully I just love to look at her) and I'm quite pleased with the progress you two have made in the cart. As Amy said, she's stretching, reaching for the bit, and showing every sign of coming right along. If you figure out how to do the sidecheck elastic in black, will you please let me know?? I want to do that for Kody too and can't find it in black.

I'd be curious to talk more with Jeff about the tempo thing as the problem for most minis is they can't GET a decent tempo when they're just dragging along. They've got to really be walking out or trotting forwardly to get a good steady tempo going.

The first thing I asked was what was the most important thing to look for (or breed for) for CDE potential? I figured he would say something to do with movement, but I was wrong. TEMPERAMENT!!!! Then conformation (legs, rear end, neck), and never even mentioned movement!!!

Not too surprising. Anything from a Dutch Harness Horse with Hackney-type action to a western pleasure type QH can win at a CDE. Unlike the breed ring where they're primarily judging the quality of the horse itself, CDE is about the quality of the driving and the horse's training. Two veeeery different focuses. A Steady Eddie mover with no flash at all will beat a brilliant mover who tosses her head during transitions because the Steady Eddie is better exemplifying the principles of dressage such as relaxation, rhythm and submission to the bit. The goal of driven dressage, after all, is to improve whatever movement the horse was born with! So it's more important that the horse be willing to learn than a powerful mover.

Look at Kody. He is a GREAT CDE horse because he loves the sport and throws himself into it heart and soul. He's got the temperment- sensitive but steady, bold and forward but controllable, brave but smart. He really isn't built for it. He's weak in the hind end so he can't haul weight easily, throws his back out all the time, and is absolutely not suited to either sprinting or quick turns, both of which severely handicap him in the upper level hazards we're now attempting. If I were picking a prospect for this sport by successful body type he'd be very low on my list as he can't even manage to stay sound half the time. But he's able to elevate the root of his neck nicely to come onto the bit, is more than agile enough to do cones with finesse (when his driver isn't messing him up

) and we're training hard for the hazards to help him become as good as he can be there. Too many drivers are proud that their horses can zoom the hazards but skip dressage as being too tedious and then blow something in the cones course by not studying it carefully, and a three-phase horse like Kody will beat them four times out of five. Temperment. Definitely. Temperment and training.

I look forward to seeing more pictures of Princess! Those clinic photos and sound clips were great.

Leia

 

[~Amanda~]

She looks great.

 

[targetsmom]

Thank you all for your replies and compliments. I just adore this mare, in case you couldn't tell!

Clickmini- I love that stretching picture myself because that is the first time I ever asked her to do that (remember I do use a loose side check) and she seemed to know just what to do. I have 3 more minis that I am bringing along. I ground drove 2 of them yesterday and tried out some things I learned at the clinic and am very encouraged! One of them (Fizz) does have a rather quick tempo, and I can see how the half halts will work to slow that right down. She may actually have the most potential for CDE (she is 34"), and right now is open.

Leia- I do say I have to also agree with the temperament thing too, along with conformation. My big horse Target did quite well in ridden dressage and he was a former cow-pony, but has a wonderful temperament and sound conformation. Also a great trail horse. Princess (actually all our minis to some degree) have the temperament and conformation for CDE, plus most of them also have good movement and are pretty agile. I do think I choose them well for this. Princess especially is very bold, yet quiet and controllable, and so smart that it can be scary (i.e. the bucking episode). I did get that message too, eventually. And our little stallion has the best temperament of the bunch and I can't wait to see if he passes it on. I am going to add a photo of him - He was ready to be hitched awhile ago .. must get to that soon.

I think Jeff may have been on the "tempo" thing because the first mini of the day - before Princess - did have a nervous, quick tempo. You know how that goes sometimes in a clinic.....

I thought more about the elastic in the side check and I have a plan. I am going to get some black elastic (about 1/2" wide) and a buckle from a sewing shop and try to make an elastic "check tab". I don't know how your side checks attach but mine is attached to a check tab which has a loop to attached to the metal hook on the saddle and a buckle to attach to the side check strap. I plan to make the elastic into a loop (to go around the saddle hook) and sew on the buckle to attach to the leather side check strap. The loop could be any size and it can be adjusted because there are several holes in the side check strap.

 

[Champ]

Glad to hear you had a good time and you both look great

 

[DrivinTime]

Congratulations! You both looked great! I'm so glad you had a good time.

Princess is a beautiful girl, and clearly a very bright one as well.

Thanks for sharing the info and pics. I'm going to check out the others on the club website now...