tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3004597800120575437.post838865133161960466..comments2023-10-22T10:34:11.296-05:00Comments on G is for Greta: No jumps, no glory?Dressagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849960430806754249noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3004597800120575437.post-91755797077532030332009-08-13T20:01:28.150-05:002009-08-13T20:01:28.150-05:00Well, I couldn't find a video of the horse and...Well, I couldn't find a video of the horse and rider I was thinking of, but here's a video of the jump off round-<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPNvzsCQxVc<br /><br />After the first jump, the horse and rider I'm thinking of turned before the sun fence. Before it! My mouth dropped open and my eyes got wide, and all I could think was, WOW! I'm fairly positive it was at least a step or two of pure pirouette, maybe more. It was so great to see!Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09604844042029464909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3004597800120575437.post-63328247893826544912009-08-13T19:51:12.666-05:002009-08-13T19:51:12.666-05:00Glad I could help you know a little more about jum...Glad I could help you know a little more about jumping! It's always fun to learn more about other disciplines. I'm nearly western ignorant, unfortunately. :(<br /><br />It was a beautiful pirouette. Gave me goosebumps to watch! It was at a grand prix in Missouri that I went to for my birthday. I'll try and see if I can find a video for you :)Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09604844042029464909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3004597800120575437.post-50681843372647835772009-08-13T16:47:13.614-05:002009-08-13T16:47:13.614-05:00Oh, and the colors in cross country look like so m...Oh, and the colors in cross country look like so much fun! If only we could go as far as just coordinating browbands with belts and stirrups and bits (which most of the judges nor audience won't notice anyway haha!) in dressage.Dressagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04849960430806754249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3004597800120575437.post-74413642538808295022009-08-13T16:44:30.636-05:002009-08-13T16:44:30.636-05:00Thank you for the thoughts Sammi! I definitely und...Thank you for the thoughts Sammi! I definitely understand where you are coming from. I only did very small jumps for less than a year before I temporarily quit lessons because I could go as far as I could go in western without getting my own horse and going further and jumping didn't seem all that much interesting to me (though I love to watch it, especially my friend's eventing shows) so I have no room for contradiction. I would not even consider myself to know anything anything beyond what I read and see in the magazines, some of which I do not get!<br /><br />Yes, I understand that one must score a certain percentage before they are qualified to perform a freestyle at any level. I knew that some dressage was involved in jumping (heck, any equestrian sport!) but I did not realize that it did in fact require as much as you explained! You learn something new every day.<br /><br />A full pirouette? Was this on TV or on YouTube? I really want to see that! Sounds amazing! I would like to post that on the blog.<br /><br />Thank you a lot for your commenting. I am glad to hear things from a jumper's (er... eventer's) perspective. Very informative :DDressagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04849960430806754249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3004597800120575437.post-28643727511132512172009-08-13T14:34:00.477-05:002009-08-13T14:34:00.477-05:00Okay, so I'm going to be coming at this from a...Okay, so I'm going to be coming at this from an eventing perspective. I've had my horse for the last year, and the two of us do eventing, and go to dressage shows and show jumping shows every once in a while. I enjoy dressage, and I enjoy the jumping, especially cross country. But I really don't see how you can say that dressage allows more room for expression, or that while you can always continue to learn more dressage, you eventually hit the ceiling with jumping! In my own personal opinion, both of those statements are seriously incorrect.<br /><br />Sure, dressage does allow freestyles in the higher levels, and that's definitely more expressive than doing the same test as everyone else. However, they still do have to preform a regulation test, and not everyone will get the chance to do a freestyle. They're difficult to choreograph, from what I can tell! But what I mean to say is, there's definitely room for expression in eventing. Sure, your score comes from whether you get over the jumps you're supposed in the right amount of time, but there are so many different routes you can take. There's always tighter turn that can be made in show jumping to clench the fastest time, or an innovative route on cross country that others might not try. Plus we get to express ourselves through colors on cross country! ;D I believe there's plenty of room for expression in both phases of jumping.<br /><br />And as far as "you can always improve your dressage, but you can only go so high with jumping"? Two things: the height is not the most important part of the course, and jumping is just dressage with road blocks.<br /><br />I am 100% confident that a course could be set of 4ft tall jumps that was crazy, insanely difficult that would challenge even the best 6ft grand prix jumper and her horse. 95% of jumping is getting to the jumps in the right spot, with your horse prepared, not getting over the jump itself. Heck, once you're in the air, it's (almost) easy!<br /><br />Second, you cannot jump without doing dressage. It cannot be done. You constantly have to collect and lengthen the stride for turns and combinations, and heck, if you miss your turn to a jump and you aren't straight, you can leg yield so that you ARE straight! And if you don't constantly work on your dressage to strengthen the horse, and constantly work towards a more forward canter with more impulsion, you won't be able to go very far. Dressage and jumping are very closely linked. Sure, you don't see anyone passage-ing around a jumper course. I did once see a beautiful canter pirouette executed perfectly in a jump-off round, though. The rider did a perfect 180 degree turn in only one stride and made it over a 5ft+ jump to win the round. She was the only one who even tried to make that turn. Now that's expression, and you can't tell me that horse and rider pair didn't use dressage to do it! As long as your dressage continues to improve, so will your jumping.<br /><br />So, to sum up, I think jumping gives you an equal amount of ability to express yourself as dressage does. :) And there is no end to the improvement of your jumping, because jumping is 95% dressage, and your dressage can always be improved!Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09604844042029464909noreply@blogger.com