{"id":28744,"date":"2016-08-22T12:31:42","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T02:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/?p=28744"},"modified":"2017-02-09T16:22:50","modified_gmt":"2017-02-09T05:22:50","slug":"maree-tomkinson-takes-a-lesson-with-susanne-miesner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/2016\/08\/maree-tomkinson-takes-a-lesson-with-susanne-miesner\/","title":{"rendered":"Maree Tomkinson takes a lesson with Susanne Miesner"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1OpenerMAREEWords by Chris Hector and photos by Roz Neave<\/h3>\n

Poor Maree Tomkinson, you would have a thought a lesson with a top German professional rider-trainer-author-educator, would be a breeze. A wonderful opportunity to sit looking pretty on some superbly educated beastie with all his buttons firmly in place… but Susanne Miesner is too subtle for that. The Grand Prix option was too easy, a really uneducated youngster would take too long to see a result, so she hit on the perfect candidate – a very nice five year old Oldenburg gelding that belongs to a client and has not been ridden very well.\"1ATMOS<\/p>\n

“You will find him tight in the back and\u00a0difficult to get round” Susanne warned our\u00a0girl as she led him out in the glorious late\u00a0afternoon sunshine at the Miesners’ \u00a0picturesque training centre at Milte, just ten\u00a0minutes down the road from the famous\u00a0town of Warendorf.<\/p>\n

It was a judgement that Miss T heartily\u00a0endorsed, ‘this horse is ignorant’ she hissed\u00a0as she rode him round the outdoor school.\u00a0Susanne was immediately in action, one of\u00a0those wonderful instructors with an x-ray\u00a0eye and a super turn of phrase:<\/p>\n

“Start walking him on the buckle. This is so\u00a0important at the beginning because it is only\u00a0if the horse stretches his neck all the way,\u00a0will his back muscles stretch and loosen.\u00a0Lots of riders don’t emphasise this first\u00a0walk enough, you need at least ten\u00a0minutes. If you put the horse on the bit\u00a0too soon he will stay round but you are\u00a0not really working him because you can\u00a0only really work a muscle when it\u00a0contracts and then loosens.”\"2START<\/p>\n

It must be confessed that the horse was\u00a0walking in a most peculiar way and looking\u00a0anything other than a dressage horse (‘this\u00a0walk is weird’ says Ree as she\u00a0shambles past us) but Susanne was\u00a0working on the rider: “This walk is a\u00a0nice time to do some corrections on\u00a0your seat. Try to put your toes a little\u00a0more parallel to the horse’s body so\u00a0the side of your calf is soft to his belly,\u00a0your toes are a bit too turned out. We\u00a0used to think toes turned in was the way\u00a0to ride but it is better if the leg just hangs\u00a0naturally, breathing with the horse’s belly.”<\/p>\n

“Now he is starting to walk over his back,\u00a0make him more energetic with your voice,\u00a0just cluck, try to get him a little more in\u00a0front of your leg … that’s enough, there’s a\u00a0limit, or you go over the rhythm.”\"3RESIST\"<\/p>\n

“Pick up the contact, drive with\u00a0your lower leg. If you feel\u00a0resistance, push more forward,\u00a0shorten the reins and make\u00a0him really take the contact. He’s testing you now to see how serious you\u00a0are.”<\/p>\n

“Now you see the problem, he wants to\u00a0go hollow in the back and not stay in front\u00a0of your aids. Before we start trot you have\u00a0to somehow make him round.”<\/p>\n

Maree agrees it is a problem: “He softens\u00a0for a moment, then goes stiff.”<\/p>\n

“That’s because his own rider hangs on to\u00a0the rein for balance,” says Susanne, “he is\u00a0not used to a rider like you who is in\u00a0balance.”\"4TROT<\/p>\n

“Okay let’s try the trot.”<\/p>\n

Again this is not a pretty picture, but\u00a0Susanne is not going to give up:\u00a0“Kick him with your lower leg, push him\u00a0into a more forward working trot, and\u00a0then back very slightly, forward and slightly\u00a0back again. If you don’t get the horse in\u00a0front of your leg, then you cannot\u00a0influence his hindlegs – make him more\u00a0forward, make him work from behind into\u00a0the contact with the bit.”<\/p>\n

“Continue to ride those transitions, so\u00a0that the horse will listen to your driving\u00a0aids and will loosen up his back, if the\u00a0horse is blocking in the back, you will\u00a0never get him through really.”\"PORT<\/p>\n

“Do you think he is better to the right?,”\u00a0asks Maree.\u00a0“He is hollow to the right,” agrees\u00a0Susanne, “and tense to the left. Is hollow\u00a0better than stiff? I’m not sure.\u00a0The problem is that he is not\u00a0listening to the forward aids, he\u00a0doesn’t want to step forwards\u00a0to the rein. He wants to step\u00a0crooked, he wants to put his\u00a0right hind foot to the outside,\u00a0away from his body, and have his\u00a0left hind between the two front\u00a0legs, so he is pushing more with\u00a0the right leg and carrying more\u00a0weight with the left.”<\/p>\n

By this stage, Susanne had decided\u00a0that Maree could ride, and could use a\u00a0whip, but a short whip.<\/p>\n

“I think a\u00a0shorter whip is much better to\u00a0emphasise impulsion, and you can use a\u00a0short whip on the shoulder. When you\u00a0feel he is blocking, I don’t mind if you\u00a0get a bit more forceful. Tap him on\u00a0the shoulder so he knows you\u00a0are the boss, now loosen\u00a0him up again.”<\/p>\n

“Ride posting trot, and\u00a0remember the horse wants to lean on the\u00a0left hand, and not take contact on the\u00a0right.”\"5BEND<\/p>\n

Suddenly we are seeing what a nice mover\u00a0the gelding can be, as he takes a deep\u00a0breath, decides to trust this new rider’s\u00a0hand and swing along a bit. Susanne is\u00a0delighted: “Now he is more forward,\u00a0carrying his tail and so much round. Think\u00a0of the child’s toy, the yo-yo, a few steps\u00a0forward, a few steps shorter, when he\u00a0drops his neck, pat him with your inside\u00a0hand. In the moment you bring him back,\u00a0push forward so the hind legs come under\u00a0the balance point, you have to get that\u00a0same wonderful feeling you get with a\u00a0good jumping horse, that the wither\u00a0comes forward. Keep the outside contact\u00a0and slightly flex him to the inside.”<\/p>\n

But just when you thought you had him,\u00a0the darn animal would hollow up again.<\/p>\n

Susanne was sympathetic to the horse:\u00a0“The way this horse is ridden by his\u00a0owner, you can’t expect him to work over\u00a0his back for a whole half hour, you will just\u00a0get a few moments like this … ”<\/p>\n

“Now pick up canter. Canter is good to\u00a0loosen the back of the horse. He has to\u00a0canter forward, make it quicker from the\u00a0ground so the legs are not staying too long\u00a0in the air. Get after him, he has to stay in\u00a0front of your leg. Don’t worry about\u00a0connection, just forward – he might give\u00a0you a buck every now and then because\u00a0he is still tight in the back.”\"6CANTER<\/p>\n

And sure enough he does, which doesn’t\u00a0faze our girl in the least. “The tension in\u00a0his back had to come out, either forward\u00a0or a buck, that’s alright.”<\/p>\n

“Don’t let him walk, don’t give him a\u00a0break now, because that would seem to\u00a0be a reward to him, and the work has not\u00a0been good enough for a reward.”\"7GIVE<\/p>\n

“Keep riding forward in the transition to\u00a0trot, use little busy half halts to bring him\u00a0more back, more on his haunches,\u00a0stepping more under his balance, and\u00a0before the transition to canter again,\u00a0lower his neck, bring his wither up. He\u00a0may be a little short in the neck right now,\u00a0but when we are correcting a problem\u00a0then we may overdo it for a little while –\u00a0and then try to stretch a little.”\"PORT<\/p>\n

Stretch he does, and suddenly that ‘four\u00a0cornered’ sweetly balanced trot appears.<\/p>\n

“Yes,” says Susanne, “now this is a good\u00a0looking horse. He starts to look pretty. \u00a0That’s what I like about dressage, it’s like a\u00a0happy person, they always look prettier.\u00a0When the horse’s hind legs work better, it\u00a0pushes the top muscles of the neck up and\u00a0the horse looks prettier.”\"8CANTER<\/p>\n

Once again, in canter, Maree was asked to\u00a0ride the horse forward, then slightly back,\u00a0but the main goal was forward and that\u00a0goal was being admirably achieved by\u00a0Maree. “I was a bit worried before the\u00a0lesson,” Susanne says, “we get people\u00a0from America and Australia, and they say\u00a0they can ride … but Maree is an excellent\u00a0rider.”\"9CANTER<\/p>\n

And really that is the end of the lesson, for\u00a0the very good reason that until the horse\u00a0is over the back there is no point in riding\u00a0the tricks.<\/p>\n

“This horse is not through enough to do\u00a0any more than walk, trot and canter, to\u00a0work on his back until he is supple. If\u00a0Maree rode him for another week or two,\u00a0then we could start doing some more\u00a0interesting work. But he is starting to\u00a0come round, so we will do a little more\u00a0to reinforce the lesson.”<\/p>\n

“I try to be kind to my horses, but it is\u00a0the same with your kids, sometimes\u00a0you have to say ‘no’. If he blocks in the\u00a0back, kick him with your spurs, now trot\u00a0on. Super! This time the horse waited for\u00a0your aids.”<\/p>\n

“Now we will do almost the opposite, I\u00a0want you to ride him in a slower rhythm,\u00a0so the horse starts to swing. Slow the\u00a0speed to get a big over-track. And shorten\u00a0the rein – Maree you always have the\u00a0tendency to ride with a long rein – a long\u00a0rein always has a tendency to pull, a short\u00a0rein is more likely to be soft.”\"10TROT<\/p>\n

“Now he is on the bit, now he is using his\u00a0back, now get him to stretch towards the\u00a0bit. We don’t want him mechanically to\u00a0keep his head in the one place – but it\u00a0must always be with contact. If you feel\u00a0him losing contact, push him forward.”<\/p>\n

“But now he is a bit curled,” says Maree.\u00a0“That’s right,” replies Susanne, “ride him\u00a0forward again and put the contact on his\u00a0mouth whether he likes it or not.”<\/p>\n

“The horse should be going round and on\u00a0the bit right from the start. The horse\u00a0should be so comfortable with the rider\u00a0that they fall into the rider’s hands without\u00a0leaning on the bit. That is what we are\u00a0aiming for, harmony between horse and\u00a0rider, everything else is mechanical\u00a0and not interesting for me.\u00a0Only when the horse is\u00a0through and accepting the\u00a0contact, can he pick up the half\u00a0halts by himself.”\"11TROT<\/p>\n

It’s a lovely concept isn’t it – the horse picks up the half halts by himself.\u00a0Once again Susanne is happy to elaborate:\u00a0“When we have a perfect connection\u00a0from the hind legs over the back to the\u00a0mouth, every time you push the horse’s\u00a0hind legs, he gives himself a half halt.\u00a0Everyone thinks the half halt is with the\u00a0hand. In the Principles it says, a well\u00a0trained horse should pick up the half halt\u00a0by himself, if the rider gives the right aids.\u00a0It’s a combination of seat, leg and rein, the\u00a0half halt. A lot of people say ‘should I half\u00a0halt on the left rein or the right rein’, the\u00a0moment you say that, your body reacts\u00a0like that, you think about the left or the\u00a0right rein, and you forget the driving part\u00a0of the half halt. The idea that the half\u00a0halt is a combination\u00a0of all aids, is something I\u00a0emphasise in all my\u00a0lessons.”<\/p>\n

“This has been a good\u00a0lesson for him, and now\u00a0we can see the truth\u00a0of the principle: when\u00a0the tense horse becomes supple\u00a0he is calm, when\u00a0the lazy horse is\u00a0supple, he goes\u00a0forward.”<\/p>\n

\n

\"BoxSUSANNE\"The Instructor: Susanne Miesner<\/strong><\/p>\n

These days Susanne is only teaching\u00a0‘enough to be fun, but not so much\u00a0that it wears you out’.<\/p>\n

“For ten years I taught an awful lot in\u00a0America. Now I teach about ten outside\u00a0people who come to me each week, and\u00a0I have about four or five students in my\u00a0barn, and my kids, that’s enough.”<\/p>\n

\n

\"mareeThe pupil: Maree Tomkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n

After dominating the showring for a\u00a0decade, Maree Tomkinson has\u00a0moved on to the next big challenge –\u00a0dressage, and with it the possibility of\u00a0international competition. In 2000,\u00a0Maree made two trips to Germany,\u00a0checking out horses, trainers,\u00a0competitions – buying a foal (a colt by\u00a0Rotspon – pictured) on her first trip, and\u00a0on the second buying the licensed and\u00a0performance tested stallion, Flambeau,\u00a0and the young Weltmeyer son, Walton.<\/p>\n

\n

The Aim – Round & Over the Back<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The stage the horse is at, you\u00a0couldn’t do anything else. If you\u00a0don’t have the horse working in the\u00a0back, you don’t have the horse working\u00a0in the hindleg, and he is not good in the\u00a0mouth. The scale of training is really\u00a0true, you have to have rhythm and you\u00a0have to have suppleness and everything\u00a0else comes after that. The horse has a\u00a0fair rhythm, but he wasn’t supple at all\u00a0in the beginning. The main goal is to\u00a0have a horse supple before he can do\u00a0anything else. This horse is great\u00a0because if he is ridden well he gives you\u00a0a really good feeling, if Maree would\u00a0ride the horse for two weeks you\u00a0wouldn’t recognize him anymore.”<\/p>\n

This article first appeared in the December 2000 issue of THM.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Poor Maree Tomkinson, you would have a thought a lesson with a top German professional rider-trainer-author-educator, would be a breeze. A wonderful opportunity to sit looking pretty on some superbly educated beastie with all his buttons firmly in place… but Susanne Miesner is too subtle for that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1243,628,519],"class_list":["post-28744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dressage","tag-dressage","tag-maree-tomkinson","tag-susanne-miesner"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28744"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32137,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28744\/revisions\/32137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}