Friday, August 8, 2014

How many evasions can one Haffie have?

I know, I complain endlessly about Paddy's mach-one-Haffie speed trot, and how he blows through my rein aids while he's doing it. But lately, he seems to have discovered a new, more normal rhythm that feels significantly less like we're trying to win the Kentucky Derby at at trot (for realz, y'all). However, he's also come up with some exciting new evasions - because it's obviously too hard to trot nicely like a normal horse.


First off, the good picture... forward, engaged, and into the bridle. A bit heavy on the front end, but the hind end is working hard so it's definitely progress. Keep this picture in mind and compare to the others. (Note to self: SHOULDERS BACK!!!)

Evasion 1: My momma rollkeurs me

I swear I do not rollkeur my horse. He's doing a great job of making me look like a horrible person, though, with his nose tucked to his chest. However, note that my reins are slack and I am pony-kicking him forward. Faker. Now all the nice H/J people at the barn we're boarding at will think I'm one of those Mean Dressage People.

Evasion 2: The fake "frame"

His head and neck look like they're in the "frame" that people want to see, but check out that inside hind - see where it's about to land? He's barely stepping under himself, which means we have lost all impulsion. So this is an excellent example of a horse who at first glance looks like he's engaged if you look at his head and neck, but obviously isn't if you look at his hind end and topline. Because, you know, it's hard to use your butt to propel yourself forward, even when it's as big as Paddy's is.

Evasion 3: I can't possibly hold myself up

He looks a little behind the vertical here, but otherwise pretty nice, and it could just be the angle of the photograph, right? The key here is to look at me - see how I'm tipped forward? That's because he's pulling me right out of the saddle with his super Haffie strength. It's obviously much easier for me to carry him around that it is for him to work in self-carriage, lol! I need to remember to let go of the rein immediately when he starts to do this, so that I don't give him anything to brace and pull against.

What's your horse's favorite evasions at the trot?

39 comments:

  1. Q's favorite is head UP nose OUT while Griffin is head DOWN nose DOWN to the ground like a bloodhound. Griffin's is sneakier because it comes across at first like, "Mom, I'm gonna stretch my back a little..." and then he keeps it down there for too long and slowly transitions into a swinging walk so he can eat all the things. Because clearly, I starve him.

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    1. Oooh boy, polar opposites! What a challenge to ride and keep track of!

      And don't worry, I starve all my horses too. ;)

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  2. Hi Jen,

    Your post could not have come at a more appropriate time for me. I recently purchased a 9 yr old Reg APHA Gelding. Sweet as pie, but "handy broke" trail horse. I am re-training him (ha ha) to be a low-level all arounder "english broke" horse. His currently newly discovered and favorite evasion is #1: My momma rollkeurs me. If I pony-kick him forward, I get mach-one trot WITH rollkeur, until he loses his balance and falls out through the shoulders.

    Can you talk a little bit about how you address this with Paddy? I am also an adult ammy on a shoestring budget. Owning my own horse has meant giving up weekly lessons, unfortunately.

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    1. Anon, congrads on the new horse! Sure, I'll try to talk through how I handle it with Paddy in another post. Mostly it just involves DEMANDING that he go forward, forward, forward. Not sure how much that will help you, as every horse is different and I'm definitely not a trainer, but I'll give an explanation a shot!

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  3. Fiction loves to throw me off by randomly tossing his head a couple of times. This breaks my steady contact which allows him to break his frame/drop impulsion/be lazy. Sigh. Also, if he doesn't want to actually use his hind end, he will through his outside shoulder out and buldge. Gives the illusion that he is bent around my leg and using himself but he is so not.

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    1. Oooh, the Random Head Toss. Nice one! And the Throwing Shoulders Around - another classic! Fiction is one talented guy, lol!!!

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  4. Trot evasions? Pig is the best at trot evasions! He used to be a pro at the self-rollkur, but got really tired of me beating him forward. Now, he's the best at popping a shoulder out so he doesn't have to lift his withers and actually come through into the bridle. He's also the best at locking his poll so we crab around instead of bend like a normal horse. Keeping that creature loose in the front end is such a chess game! Luckily, he's not heavy in the slightest. I do not envy you that issue!!

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    1. Popping the shoulder is a good one too. And yeah, the heaviness is not cool. Who knew a little 15.1 hh poneh could weigh so much?

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  5. Dassah has recently started rolkuring as an evasion - I bump with my leg and she bolts forward inverted. I half-halt and she collects a bit, and drops behind the vertical. *bangs head on desk. She also likes the "look, I'm in a frame! Only NOT" approach too. I have to learn how to make my leg-bump SUPER soft. That will help me keep her forward and get that hind-end moving. so much to learn.

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  6. You ARE a mean dressage person. Paddy told me. No sideways!

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  7. Nancy does the leaning & BTV while Kika NEVER uses her butt when she can get away with it which is sadly all too often as I be a bad rider...another of the many reasons I really hope it works out with the new trainer at my yard. I needz helpz yo

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    1. I swear if they spent half the effort working as they do evading, life would be so much easier!

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  8. Haffies are very talented, mythological creatures. One of their greatest super powers is evasion ;)

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    1. Sadly true. I'm hoping that having opposable thumbs will eventually put me ahead of the game, but that doesn't seem to have happened yet.

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  9. Haha! Shy has evasions for all kinds of work. And when we get over one, she picks another, whether is is walking sideways, or pulling out of my hands, or scooting, or refusing to move. I am sure there are more. .

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    1. Sometimes Haffies are too smart for their own good... our ours, lol!

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  10. I think you are being very mean to the little-wubby-dubby-paddykins. . . . don't you know that Sir Paddington the Brave is meant to be adored and not have to work, despite the very large butt.

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    1. Yes, he should be fed ALL THE THINGS, ALL THE TIME.

      Alas, some horses must work for a living. Life is cruel... ;)

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  11. O is likes to imitate a large anteater, and will walk, trot, and canter with her head as far out and down as horse-ily possible. It always starts as a 'oh good, she's stretching down'...then 5 minutes later she's gone full anteater.

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    1. HAHAAH! I had not heard the anteater one before. This may be the best analogy yet!

      But what a PAIN to ride, lol!

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  12. Replies
    1. *I* am saying no to it. Now the HAFFIE needs to say no to it!!!

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  13. Sprout likes to use all 3 of these evasions, plus #4 "I'm a lame lama" wherein his head goes straight up, his back goes hollow and we are practically going backwards, while also picking a front leg to be lame on so that I couldn't possibly ask him to continue. This is his most favorite trot evasion.

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    1. Ooh, the llama pose! How could I forget that one!

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  14. Miss Cadence is quite content to go forward... just when its coupled with suppleness & balancing back on her hind end. She'd like to be a steeple chase horse in an ideal world- go fast & flat over big jumps. She's got a bit of talent hidden in there, I just have to convince the mare to use it rather than running forward on her forehand with a stiff right side!

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    1. Ooh,a steeplechase horse! Paddy would like to do that... at a trot.

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  15. If only they'd put half as much of the effort they put into their evasions into the work we ask them to do! Rico's favorite is just stopping. You'll be riding along nice and forward and one split second think about something else and he stops. It's not a comfortable feeling! But getting slightly better.

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    1. I'd laugh, but that's a sucky evasion. Bad Rico!

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  16. Mach One (or, well, Mach 9000000) trot and tilting in to dirtbike around turns, which means you speed up even faster AND can totally avoid contact. And if she is really not feeling it? She just gallops away.
    Interesting, she does NONE of this while driving!

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    1. I think you may finally have found O-Ren's calling with the driving thing! Super exciting!

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  17. My Jazz does the mach-1 trot that gets so strung out and gross I can hardly stand it. I do my best to be patient and not get emotional or frustrated when I'm riding, but her strung out ridiculous trot when I'm trying to cue for the canter is the fastest way to make me CRAZY. She also likes to dabble in the occasional head toss, pulling on me, and my personal favourite, what I call fancy canter. She likes to assume any leg cues I give her in the corners mean GO, regardless of how much contact I have, so she sometimes breaks into very slow, funny canter and it just cracks me up. Maybe she has dreams of being a high-level dressage horse?

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    1. Oh yes, the pretend canter. How I hate that one!

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  18. Mach 1 trot speed? That sounds like my Copper! Not a Haffie, but probably one in disguise as an off-the-track ex-Trotter Standardbred. His list of favourite trot evasions involve:

    - Disgusted Head Toss (Mooommm contact is toooo harrrdddd...)
    frequently followed by the
    - "Yay! She Let The Reins Slip" Run
    - Let's Play LockJaw (I can't possibly unclench my teeth!)
    - Let's Play Battle Over Who Controls The Pace (Faster! Faster! Mooommmm FASTER!)
    - The Award Winning "I'm A 4x4 Plank of Wood That Can't Possibly Bend" Imitation (Nope, can't do it... Nope, nope, nope, nopeeee)

    and his all time favourite - Back To The Glory Days where he pretend he is back on the track pulling a sulky. (And the winner is Casablanca *Crowd goes wild*!) My, that one's fun! Not...

    I feel you with the trot challenges. Very greatly. It's our hardest gait and the one that we go backwards the most in. I hope Paddy begins to see it your way!

    bonita of A Riding Habit

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    1. I feel your trotting pain! Alas, trot is not our hardest gait... that's actually the canter, where he just plows along like a little train. But, one thing at a time!

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  19. Paddy must have used his time off dreaming up Haffie evasions. He actually looks pretty darn good!

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    1. I think he may be conspiring with his new pasture buddy, who is a very naughty (but very adorable) pony. Boo.

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  20. are you rocking an austin eventing polo? i hope you are!

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    1. You bet I am rocking an Austin Eventing polo! Because all the cool people have them, right? ;)

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