Just thought I'd post some more recent pics from his last couple lessons. Thought you guys might enjoy seeing how He's improving...

For those Who don't know, Darktanion is a 10 y/o Purebred Friesian Stallion who just started Dressage training a few months ago.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b209/DalDove/Darktanion327082.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b209/DalDove/Darktanion41071.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b209/DalDove/Darktanion41075.jpg

Whatcha think??  :)

 WOW!!. He is gorgeouse. Those horses are so beautiful and elegant. They are perfect for dressage. He looks great.

Great pics what a amazing breed,just saw some at our state horse expo.They look so proud and move with such grace. Thanks for sharing

*wipes drool off the desk* He is gorgeous!

He sure is looking good! Such a handsome man :)

Jessi

He looks great!  It looks like he has good forward impulsion here.  Your rider is doing a good job keeping him from going behind the verticle, which we've discussed can be hard to do with the baroque breeds.  If at all possible, I'd suggest working on getting him to relax and stretch and stretch his neck forward so that he's reaching into the contact instead of pushing against or *almost* ducking behind it.  A great exercise that works really well for Peanut is to simply trot on a 20m circle and get counter flexion for about 6 strides and then switch to "straight" by ALLOWING and then ask for true flexion.  Allowing is the important part and if your horse is relaxed you can get a really nice relaxed long topline.

 You guys are doing great though and he looks lovely!

You can kinda see what I mean by looking at these two photos of the same grand prix stallion at Devon.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j51/phyxiusfoto/Dressage%20At%20Devon/s4.jpg
Here's he's tight and has some tension in his neck.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j51/phyxiusfoto/Dressage%20At%20Devon/s5.jpg
Here's he's lighter and more relaxed.

He is coming along nicely.  I like the "push" you can see in the second pic.  I agree with Phyxius -- it's so easy for those Fresians to get all bunched up in their neck, it would be great for him to reach and stretch for the bit.  I do a similar exercise that Christina described with Solo both on a circle and down the long wall -- counterflex 3 or 4 strides, then straight one stride, then flex to inside, he stretches right out and softens.

Solaris And Phyxius,

 Thank you both for the Critique. We are working him on the stretching but being so long out of work, He get's tired fast. So We're building his stamina along with everything else. The First part of his lesson is all long and low, getting him to stretch out and seek contact, then She picks him up and asks him to work for a few circles in either direction and finishes long, low, and relaxed again. These are just the shots that came out the best to me. LOL But He is getting so much fitter and more aware of his body, it's just amazing to watch him work. We've also been working on his canter and the last lesson when I was riding, He actually did a flying lead change!!!! We were BOTH floored! LOL I didn't ask for it, He just did it! CORRECTLY!!!! I was so proud! LOL But He's just coming along so wonderfully! One day I'll get my act together and get a video of Him during a lesson so you can see his progress over the last video I posted. Yes, His implusion is getting MUCH better. But, He MUCH prefers to be collected. It's the extended work, pushing him out that He doesn't care for so much. LOL  So as a Reward for a good stretched out trot, She lets him collect down. It's actually quite funny. The other day He almost went into a passage! Again, Offered it, She had slack reins and He just did it as much as he was capable of doing phsyically. She burst out laughing and my jaw hit the floor. He was quite proud of himself as we both praised him. LOL He's realized that work isn't so bad and seems now to actually be enjoying school! LOL I can't WAIT till he's fitter and can work a bit longer. At the moment, He lessons are about 45 minutes. It sounds like we do a lot but She breaks it up nicely. He enjoys the changes. If you get bogged down on one thing with him, He ends up resenting it. By changing every few minutes, He stays interested. That's when He starts offering things with a happy face and ears up. LOL He's such a ham! Can you tell I'm in love with him?? LOL

That's awesome -- a horse should enjoy his work, it's wonderful to hear that he does.  Yeah, I really don't think you like that horse at all, LOL! 

Heather:

Whatcha think??  :)

There's only three??????

Just kidding, I think you can keep posting pics of that boy any time you want.