Maria Caetano and Coroado preparing for their first Aachen, working with Ton de Ridder. How do you prepare for the great show? And how to train your horse to be relaxed on the centerline. Christopher Hector watches Ton de Ridder and Maria Caetano prepare for Aachen
“You should feel good to do the one times changes. We don’t want to make a mistake, the horse doesn’t want to make a mistake, but don’t trust the horse in the changes, don’t believe that it will just happen, aids for every change.
It’s going to be different in the arena, and you need to ride every change. After the ones do some twos, and open your leg at the last moment, and show the judges lightness, both hands forward, show the judges. And show the judges that after the half pass right, your horse is so supple he can immediately change to the left.”
more follows
“With the extended trot to passage, take the activity to into the passage.”
“Piaffe quicker, piaffe quicker, piaffe quicker, last steps the quickest. Stay in the piaffe, flex to the left, flex to the right, work in the piaffe.”
“Stop. It’s a long week, don’t make him tired.
Loosen him, then one time to extended walk, now a loose trot down the centre line, let him know that the centre line is not always stress – piaffe / passage – that he can relax on the centre line.”
“Neck down in the transition to walk, extended walk doesn’t mean hurried – and make sure he is not behind the vertical in collected walk. In the extended walk, play with the contact on the snaffle rein, and then a clear transition to collected walk, with his nose on the vertical.”
“At the end of the session, ride the horse out low and deep, out of the arena and into the field when you have time, then come back to the arena. Ride to X and stop, stand still, sit on him, then get off, pat him and take him to the stable. If you do that every day, when he gets to the competition, he thinks, oh it will be the same.”
