Bob asked me what I wanted to work on today, and I said I wanted to work on dressage and all the messy things that need to be fixed before I can really do well at jumping. So we went out and I started making my warm up circles, and we started talking about hands, arms, shoulders, and hips, and how they are all interconnected. It resulted in a lesson that had the most improvement, easiest, and left me totally in pain and hardly able to walk. Bob is a genius.
We started at the walk, and Bob helped me stop holding my hips so tight and letting Mercury do the moving. Once I finally got it, it felt all weird and rolling. A HUGE amount of movement compared to what I had been doing.
Next I started sitting the trot (something that thankfully I have been working on a few months, because I've spent my entire riding life (15 years) not able to do it at all until Bob told me how a few lessons back). What Bob wanted was for my belly button to go up and down, not forward and back, and for my hips to absorb all the bumping. He says that you can't really ride a horse until you can sit because you can't really train until you can keep your butt planted in the saddle (my words).
It felt pretty good, and then Bob asked if I felt secure on Mercury, and I said yes, and then he took my dressage whip and put it behind my elbows behind my back. And it was like a miracle. Suddenly I had this deep, secure, planted seat that felt so smooth and soft. It was amazing. I sat and sat and sat, and then we flipped my stirrups to work on lengthening my legs, and then I started rotating my shoulders (look to the left, look to the right, but with shoulders, not just head), to separate my upper body from my hips. It was incredible. I could ride around, looking around, and my hips and legs just did everything.
What it felt like was a spring in my tailbone, that compressed and released on the steps. I could also really feel Mercury's legs, and as we went on, he started to relax and lengthen his stride a little (though he was going really slow, baby steps Bob says). It also felt a little like leaning back, but Bob says it was straight up and down.
So what Bob says is that in order to have steady hands, your hips have to be absorbing the motion. It is like the egg in the spoon race in 4-H. And I could see how nice my hands were when my hips were doing everything.
My toes tend to point out (especially the left one), which opens my knee, but when I try to make them go straight, I overcorrect. Bob says to work on this twice a week, to retrain my muscle memory into this new position.
It felt great, except for all my hip muscles started to hurt and it took a few minutes for them to loosen up after I got off. I was feeling really positive and happy with all the progress we've made, and then I made the mistake of going out to Caber Farms to watch part of the recognized show. They were doing training level cross country when I got there, and the jumps were HUGE and all the riders, who all looked about 14 (then I found out it was Junior Training), had the most secure legs and wonderful jumping position. Except the one girl who fell off. I think they called it an "involuntary dismount". I was mortified at how I'm jostling around trying to master the sitting trot at 30 at a jog, and these kids were zipping around jumping these things almost as tall as them. It was a big, fat slice of humble pie.
A long time ago Alice had told me she thought I could go Preliminary if I worked hard and got a good horse, but now I don't know. I just feel like such a bag of noodles all the time.
When I ride now, I try to focus on the 4 "H"'s: head, hands, hips, heels. I run that through my head with the "1-2-3-4" to shortcut my analyzing brain and just feel what I'm doing.
The one other thing Bob said was that he thinks he is a good trainer (and I totally agree; he is the best I have ever had), and he can take someone to the top and then keep them there. I have read that it is extremely hard to stay in the top, and I can believe it because it looked like there were 250 horses at this show. The Beginner Novice scores were in the low 30's. I think you have to have a certain amount of talent, but you also have to work really, really hard (and maybe I am not working hard enough), and then you have to get a good horse with a good heart and a nice, solid body. Bob might be able to ride anything, but I'm going to need someone to help my handicap a little. Mercury is fabulous, but I don't think his legs will ever do training.
The one other thing I asked about was Mercury running around with his head up like a giraffe on the lunge line. Bob had two suggestions: 1) Let him start without the side reins attached. Then put them on and tighten them up. Don't do too much too fast or show off. 2) If I've been working him hard, don't be too heavy with my hands. He could just be protecting his mouth afraid I'm going to yank on him. Bob thinks its the first, but he knows I think it's the 2nd.
Charlie with the long sought after cooler
Spring NWEC 2013 Novice
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Lesson 17 - 8/18/06
Today I had a vigorous jumping lesson. First, the good points: I feel really balanced, secure, and grounded. I feel like my legs are hardly moving, and the big leg concern is when on the left lead, my right knee opens and my toe points out, but I'm getting better at correcting it. I really improved my trot - canter transition from last week by leaning back and sitting up, and I am sitting more solid in the saddle in the canter (less air under my butt).
Now for the bad news: the jump lesson was humiliating. We started with a cross rail, with the worst jump ever. Here's the things I started out needing to work on:
1) Hands forward - I bring them back while we're in the air. I don't sit up, but just bring my hands back, so I'm jerking on his mouth while we're flying.
2) Head up - head up doesn't mean looking between his ears, but really up - chin up. I could feel it when it was right - which meant staring at the wall on the other end of the arena, but couldn't feel it wrong.
3) Don't swing legs - while my seat felt secure and solid, my lower leg would swing way back when I pinched with my knee.
Bob gave me a couple ideas that seemed to work:
On the way to the jump, think dressage seat, half halt, half halt, half halt. Then go over.
Count out loud: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4. This made me ride instead of think. I ride better when I'm not thinking.
Think head up, hands forward, heels down as I approach the jump. Don't worry about where he is taking off from or asking him to go from a spot. Looking at a spot makes you look down.
I am leaping forward - like standing up, instead of bending forward and just riding him over. I am "charging" the jump.
So then we worked on a vertical, and then an oxer, and I got a teensy bit better, but started having problems on the "courses" to get him from a canter back to a trot.
Then we worked a line of three, which was a disaster. So then we did two teeny jumps with a trot pole (24' apart) and it was still pretty bad. After a while, we moved up to 5 trot poles, each 24' apart. Bob said to work on this every other day.
The problem is that I can't feel when I need more leg and when I need more hand, and I let him coast through instead of riding dressage in between. What needs to happen is pole - half halt half halt - pole - half halt half halt - pole, etc. But when he gets tired, a leg goes with the half halt to keep him moving.
Anyway - Mercury was fantastic. He loves to jump, and he is consistent. Bob says he jumps nice and round, but sometimes he takes off from too close (a lot) and sometimes too far. Bob does not recommend my old training styles - riding a lunge line over a fence or riding with my eyes shut.
Other misc from Kevin's watching lesson:
1) Stay seated - especially after the jump (it was easier to not overjump if I sat a few trot steps out, and Bob said that was ok to do)
2) Approach jump straight
3) Don't let him track his back legs on a separate track - use inside leg behind the girth to put him straight
Bob also tested if I could feel what was wrong over each jump - making me say out loud what I felt wrong to make sure we could keep working. It was a great learning lesson, but a lousy me showing that I was a good rider lesson.
Now for the bad news: the jump lesson was humiliating. We started with a cross rail, with the worst jump ever. Here's the things I started out needing to work on:
1) Hands forward - I bring them back while we're in the air. I don't sit up, but just bring my hands back, so I'm jerking on his mouth while we're flying.
2) Head up - head up doesn't mean looking between his ears, but really up - chin up. I could feel it when it was right - which meant staring at the wall on the other end of the arena, but couldn't feel it wrong.
3) Don't swing legs - while my seat felt secure and solid, my lower leg would swing way back when I pinched with my knee.
Bob gave me a couple ideas that seemed to work:
On the way to the jump, think dressage seat, half halt, half halt, half halt. Then go over.
Count out loud: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4. This made me ride instead of think. I ride better when I'm not thinking.
Think head up, hands forward, heels down as I approach the jump. Don't worry about where he is taking off from or asking him to go from a spot. Looking at a spot makes you look down.
I am leaping forward - like standing up, instead of bending forward and just riding him over. I am "charging" the jump.
So then we worked on a vertical, and then an oxer, and I got a teensy bit better, but started having problems on the "courses" to get him from a canter back to a trot.
Then we worked a line of three, which was a disaster. So then we did two teeny jumps with a trot pole (24' apart) and it was still pretty bad. After a while, we moved up to 5 trot poles, each 24' apart. Bob said to work on this every other day.
The problem is that I can't feel when I need more leg and when I need more hand, and I let him coast through instead of riding dressage in between. What needs to happen is pole - half halt half halt - pole - half halt half halt - pole, etc. But when he gets tired, a leg goes with the half halt to keep him moving.
Anyway - Mercury was fantastic. He loves to jump, and he is consistent. Bob says he jumps nice and round, but sometimes he takes off from too close (a lot) and sometimes too far. Bob does not recommend my old training styles - riding a lunge line over a fence or riding with my eyes shut.
Other misc from Kevin's watching lesson:
1) Stay seated - especially after the jump (it was easier to not overjump if I sat a few trot steps out, and Bob said that was ok to do)
2) Approach jump straight
3) Don't let him track his back legs on a separate track - use inside leg behind the girth to put him straight
Bob also tested if I could feel what was wrong over each jump - making me say out loud what I felt wrong to make sure we could keep working. It was a great learning lesson, but a lousy me showing that I was a good rider lesson.
Monday, August 14, 2006
One more addition to Lesson 16(ish)
How to jump a bank:
Onto it is like a vertical.
Off of it is lean back, legs next to the girth, arms long but contact with the rein stays so that if his head goes down and he starts to stumble, I can pull his head back up.
He jumps the bank in his pasture like a bird, but the first two times off with me were like a lead weight. The third time we got it just right.
Onto it is like a vertical.
Off of it is lean back, legs next to the girth, arms long but contact with the rein stays so that if his head goes down and he starts to stumble, I can pull his head back up.
He jumps the bank in his pasture like a bird, but the first two times off with me were like a lead weight. The third time we got it just right.
Odds and ends
Bob watched my video tonight while I was doing interval training. Alice said he was impressed with how Mercury did. Then crickets chirped. Finally I said "Yeah, he was excellent and I was like a total beginner." Alice said he can critique me if I want.
I watched the video again when I got home to see what was wrong. My upper body seems to move too much and my hands move too much. Some of the jumps I jump ahead and some I pinch with my knees so my lower leg swings back. But other than that, I can't really see anything horrifying.
Then I watched an old lesson from the winter and a horse show from several years ago. And I got depressed because several years ago I was 10 pounds lighter and it really shows on my legs. So now I'm going to bed depressed because my legs don't look any more solid now than they did then. The only difference is I don't lean so far forward now - the slow transitition from hunt seat to solid dressage seat.
Also, I'm riding a hanoverian who just floats around, unlike Mercury who is frequently like riding a slug.
I watched the video again when I got home to see what was wrong. My upper body seems to move too much and my hands move too much. Some of the jumps I jump ahead and some I pinch with my knees so my lower leg swings back. But other than that, I can't really see anything horrifying.
Then I watched an old lesson from the winter and a horse show from several years ago. And I got depressed because several years ago I was 10 pounds lighter and it really shows on my legs. So now I'm going to bed depressed because my legs don't look any more solid now than they did then. The only difference is I don't lean so far forward now - the slow transitition from hunt seat to solid dressage seat.
Also, I'm riding a hanoverian who just floats around, unlike Mercury who is frequently like riding a slug.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Nutshell - now that it's up to date
I bought Mercury as an underweight pasture horse who hadn't been ridden in a year and had been ridden for two years by a teenage girl before that. He has a tattoo, and was called an "Appendix QH" when I got him. The woman who sold him to me was a year off about his age. He is 12 this year (2006). We can't read the letter on his tattoo, but we have a good guess which horse he is with Jockey Club because of the numbers, gelding, and color. I haven't paid for his history to find out how he did or how much he raced.
I had him at Griffinwood for several months, and he was happy there, but it was too crowded, so I moved him to Bob's barn, Edelweiss in the winter. I'm much happier because the arenas are huge and I am usually there alone, and there is a cross country course. Griffinwood had trails, and right now I am truckless so he isn't doing any trail riding.
He gained a lot of weight and we got his feet fixed up so he could move better. He's working on balance now, and has started to trust me and move better (Bob says because my balance is better too). Bob has completely changed my riding style from hunter/jumper to a nice, solid deep seat. I feel a lot more secure and comfortable, and can even sit a slow trot! (A miracle!) I consistently have problems keeping my hands still, and we are still working on Mercury's health. He is getting Missing Link and an herb blend right now (from Chamisa Ridge, called "Rest Easy" for nervous horses), and biotin, because his hooves got weak a couple months ago, and when the farrier was a week late, he finally pulled a shoe. We think his hooves were weak from the "starvation" period - when he arrived skinny, his hooves were malnourished that year, and finally grew to the point that the nails were in the thin part. Now I moisturize twice a week.
He went to his first show, a derby, last weekend. We rode "Beginner Novice Intro" because I had no idea how he'd act at a show. I thought he'd be nervous and strung out and not listen. I took him a half day early and rode him around about an hour and a half on Friday, and he was really nervous - ears looking, jumping around, prancing. Saturday and Sunday we had a dressage test, about an hour break, and then a combined stadium/xc course. He did excellent! He got a 3rd place on Saturday (Dressage test was a 40) and a 1st place on Sunday (dressage test was a 39.5). Debbie's husband videoed the show and made me a tape.
Today's lesson was the first post to this blog. I missed a few lessons and there was a period of about a month where Bob rode because we were having problems with him. He might have an injury to his sacroiliac. His hocks wobble (it feels like he's about to sit down - he stumbles when I'm riding sometimes); and he tends to get stiff and have trouble pushing off from the hind legs. When I work him on the bit, he gets lame. We've had the chiropractor out twice, and we're planning a third visit. She got rid of the bulge, and he does better for about a month, but with work starts to get stiff again.
I hope he can go up to novice, because I'd like to keep him a few more years, but I'm not sure how his back and hind legs will do. I'm working on strengthening him right now. He loves to jump, and is doing really well. He goes through water without any hesitation, and he doesn't always know where to take off (and I don't always tell him the right spot), but he tries and doesn't do anything bad (no rushing, running out, hesitating).
Bob said in today's lesson that one thing I do is get lazy - once he is going well, I quit asking, so that's a problem jumping (I expect him to do all the work) and in the canter, when we plummet to the trot, usually I've quit pushing with my leg.
Mercury is kind of lazy, and I'm used to riding horses with more spunk. He's a funny mix though, of being lazy yet nervous. We don't want to start using spurs because of the nervous side.
I need to do one more post - the last lesson Bob told me to write out in detail what my hands are doing in the trot, to help me visualize all the details to work on holding them more steady. Today's lesson he gave me a lot more details, and the problem I've had is keeping it all in my head at once. It turns out I can only do about 15 things, then I start losing them, so I've been slowly working from the macro to the micro.
Bob has improved my riding enormously. I haven't even been riding with him a year and I feel like I'm at least 100x better than when I started. He is really, really good at explaining what's going on and why, so I can feel it to fix it when he's not there.
It's been very frustrating that I can't feel all of it by myself.
I had him at Griffinwood for several months, and he was happy there, but it was too crowded, so I moved him to Bob's barn, Edelweiss in the winter. I'm much happier because the arenas are huge and I am usually there alone, and there is a cross country course. Griffinwood had trails, and right now I am truckless so he isn't doing any trail riding.
He gained a lot of weight and we got his feet fixed up so he could move better. He's working on balance now, and has started to trust me and move better (Bob says because my balance is better too). Bob has completely changed my riding style from hunter/jumper to a nice, solid deep seat. I feel a lot more secure and comfortable, and can even sit a slow trot! (A miracle!) I consistently have problems keeping my hands still, and we are still working on Mercury's health. He is getting Missing Link and an herb blend right now (from Chamisa Ridge, called "Rest Easy" for nervous horses), and biotin, because his hooves got weak a couple months ago, and when the farrier was a week late, he finally pulled a shoe. We think his hooves were weak from the "starvation" period - when he arrived skinny, his hooves were malnourished that year, and finally grew to the point that the nails were in the thin part. Now I moisturize twice a week.
He went to his first show, a derby, last weekend. We rode "Beginner Novice Intro" because I had no idea how he'd act at a show. I thought he'd be nervous and strung out and not listen. I took him a half day early and rode him around about an hour and a half on Friday, and he was really nervous - ears looking, jumping around, prancing. Saturday and Sunday we had a dressage test, about an hour break, and then a combined stadium/xc course. He did excellent! He got a 3rd place on Saturday (Dressage test was a 40) and a 1st place on Sunday (dressage test was a 39.5). Debbie's husband videoed the show and made me a tape.
Today's lesson was the first post to this blog. I missed a few lessons and there was a period of about a month where Bob rode because we were having problems with him. He might have an injury to his sacroiliac. His hocks wobble (it feels like he's about to sit down - he stumbles when I'm riding sometimes); and he tends to get stiff and have trouble pushing off from the hind legs. When I work him on the bit, he gets lame. We've had the chiropractor out twice, and we're planning a third visit. She got rid of the bulge, and he does better for about a month, but with work starts to get stiff again.
I hope he can go up to novice, because I'd like to keep him a few more years, but I'm not sure how his back and hind legs will do. I'm working on strengthening him right now. He loves to jump, and is doing really well. He goes through water without any hesitation, and he doesn't always know where to take off (and I don't always tell him the right spot), but he tries and doesn't do anything bad (no rushing, running out, hesitating).
Bob said in today's lesson that one thing I do is get lazy - once he is going well, I quit asking, so that's a problem jumping (I expect him to do all the work) and in the canter, when we plummet to the trot, usually I've quit pushing with my leg.
Mercury is kind of lazy, and I'm used to riding horses with more spunk. He's a funny mix though, of being lazy yet nervous. We don't want to start using spurs because of the nervous side.
I need to do one more post - the last lesson Bob told me to write out in detail what my hands are doing in the trot, to help me visualize all the details to work on holding them more steady. Today's lesson he gave me a lot more details, and the problem I've had is keeping it all in my head at once. It turns out I can only do about 15 things, then I start losing them, so I've been slowly working from the macro to the micro.
Bob has improved my riding enormously. I haven't even been riding with him a year and I feel like I'm at least 100x better than when I started. He is really, really good at explaining what's going on and why, so I can feel it to fix it when he's not there.
It's been very frustrating that I can't feel all of it by myself.
Lessons 13, 14, & 15 - 6/3, 6/10, & 6/14/06
13: Short lesson
1) Hands steady
2) But not stiff & rigid
3) Disconnect upper body
4) Don't push with seat at canter
14 & 15 combined notes:
1) Count # of steps between posts on each side to have consistent gait (14 is good)
2) When he is heavy on my hands, give him a couple inches. Use half halts if he zips around.
3) Don't surprise him; before asking for something, one tap.
4) Use whip more than leg. Tap going into corners.
5) Make him go from walk to trot at speed I want. Use leg, voice, and whip.
6) Bute 2 days before show. He's stiff & moving bad. Stifle buckles sometimes. He needs to work through it.
7) Most important right now is me being consistent & in control. Don't give him an opportunity to take advantage.
8) Don't let whip flop around.
9) Lean back in canter. Legs ok (feels like skiing). Left is more floppy because I'm right-handed.
10) Move hips forward and back - not side to side.
11) Give him two chances, then yell/smack.
12) Don't lean in on corners.
13) He's stretching his neck down because I hold my hands too tight
1) Hands steady
2) But not stiff & rigid
3) Disconnect upper body
4) Don't push with seat at canter
14 & 15 combined notes:
1) Count # of steps between posts on each side to have consistent gait (14 is good)
2) When he is heavy on my hands, give him a couple inches. Use half halts if he zips around.
3) Don't surprise him; before asking for something, one tap.
4) Use whip more than leg. Tap going into corners.
5) Make him go from walk to trot at speed I want. Use leg, voice, and whip.
6) Bute 2 days before show. He's stiff & moving bad. Stifle buckles sometimes. He needs to work through it.
7) Most important right now is me being consistent & in control. Don't give him an opportunity to take advantage.
8) Don't let whip flop around.
9) Lean back in canter. Legs ok (feels like skiing). Left is more floppy because I'm right-handed.
10) Move hips forward and back - not side to side.
11) Give him two chances, then yell/smack.
12) Don't lean in on corners.
13) He's stretching his neck down because I hold my hands too tight
Lesson #12: 5/29/06 - LUNGE LINE
Things to remember when riding:
1) Shoulders back
2) Arms glued to waist, elbows rest on hips (hold something - like a glove - under arm)
3) Post up and down (not towards front)
4) Ears, shoulders, hips, heels - one line
5) Hands steady
6) Don't look down
7) Breathe
8) Don't tilt shoulder in (Alice's tip was wear a loose bra strap so you can feel it fall)
9) Paper/kleenex under knees/feet
10) Lean way back - feels like sitting in chair
Bob says sitting trot isn't ever comfortable, but feels correct. It did feel a lot better by the end of the lesson.
Two days earlier I rode Sonny, and had similar problems as on Mercury - my legs swing back; I tilt forward. The big difference was Sonny ignored me mostly (i.e. didn't get anxious).
1) Shoulders back
2) Arms glued to waist, elbows rest on hips (hold something - like a glove - under arm)
3) Post up and down (not towards front)
4) Ears, shoulders, hips, heels - one line
5) Hands steady
6) Don't look down
7) Breathe
8) Don't tilt shoulder in (Alice's tip was wear a loose bra strap so you can feel it fall)
9) Paper/kleenex under knees/feet
10) Lean way back - feels like sitting in chair
Bob says sitting trot isn't ever comfortable, but feels correct. It did feel a lot better by the end of the lesson.
Two days earlier I rode Sonny, and had similar problems as on Mercury - my legs swing back; I tilt forward. The big difference was Sonny ignored me mostly (i.e. didn't get anxious).
Lessons 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 - 4/8, 4/15, 4/23, 5/7, 5/13
7: - on video - jumping with Marcie
1) Give him his head over trot poles
2) Don't overjump
3) Don't let him rush
8: - dressage with Marcie
1) Look down center line from corner - so don't pass center line and have to go back
2) Don't cut corners - use all of arena
3) Same tempo at end as start
4) Look relaxed - don't ride all stiff
5) Don't halt/salute too rapidly. Pause for a second.
6) Bob practices a dressage test every ride (but switches A & C). Doesn't mind horse anticipating.
9: - only rode about 5 minutes - Mercury needs an adjustment
1) Bob says not to ride so planned - to feel what Mercury can do on each day
2) If ride him injured, he'll build defenses that will take longer to correct
3) Chiro next week - give him a few days, then start really riding him hard
4) I need weekly lessons - Bob should ride some too (to see if attitude, physical, or me)
Misc:
Alice - lower expectations, no perfect, don't repeat
Small, discrete goas
Focus on positive
Bob says I can learn to feel it, too controlling now.
Bob syas when he's in shape, he'll let me ride Cormoran - to feel an Olympic level horse.
10 & 11:
Mercury falls apart
Bit - teeth - bute - no turn out
Walk only - lunge with ties
Even Bob is struggling.
1) Give him his head over trot poles
2) Don't overjump
3) Don't let him rush
8: - dressage with Marcie
1) Look down center line from corner - so don't pass center line and have to go back
2) Don't cut corners - use all of arena
3) Same tempo at end as start
4) Look relaxed - don't ride all stiff
5) Don't halt/salute too rapidly. Pause for a second.
6) Bob practices a dressage test every ride (but switches A & C). Doesn't mind horse anticipating.
9: - only rode about 5 minutes - Mercury needs an adjustment
1) Bob says not to ride so planned - to feel what Mercury can do on each day
2) If ride him injured, he'll build defenses that will take longer to correct
3) Chiro next week - give him a few days, then start really riding him hard
4) I need weekly lessons - Bob should ride some too (to see if attitude, physical, or me)
Misc:
Alice - lower expectations, no perfect, don't repeat
Small, discrete goas
Focus on positive
Bob says I can learn to feel it, too controlling now.
Bob syas when he's in shape, he'll let me ride Cormoran - to feel an Olympic level horse.
10 & 11:
Mercury falls apart
Bit - teeth - bute - no turn out
Walk only - lunge with ties
Even Bob is struggling.
Lesson # 6 - 2/28/06
- on tape -
1) This was the "relax" lesson. Bob says I'm too nervous and make Mercury nervous. I need to breathe, talk, loosen up.
2) Started by checking the canter.
3) Bob said to warm up for about five minutes on loose rein. Let Merc move out.
4) At canter - move inside hand in.
5) Next cavaletti. Give him his head, loose rein. At end it was easier for me to drop, because I was pulling even when I couldn't feel it. Mercury thrashed around and kept leaping them.
6) Then jumping:
- Eyes forward, head up, looking ahead (not down)
- Enough crest release
- Don't anticipate (don't jump ahead or fall behind)
- Don't jerk back on reins too soon - don't punish for jumping
7) Then I started crying & discussion about how each horse is trained differently and I should think of Mercury as green and my expectations are too high.
1) This was the "relax" lesson. Bob says I'm too nervous and make Mercury nervous. I need to breathe, talk, loosen up.
2) Started by checking the canter.
3) Bob said to warm up for about five minutes on loose rein. Let Merc move out.
4) At canter - move inside hand in.
5) Next cavaletti. Give him his head, loose rein. At end it was easier for me to drop, because I was pulling even when I couldn't feel it. Mercury thrashed around and kept leaping them.
6) Then jumping:
- Eyes forward, head up, looking ahead (not down)
- Enough crest release
- Don't anticipate (don't jump ahead or fall behind)
- Don't jerk back on reins too soon - don't punish for jumping
7) Then I started crying & discussion about how each horse is trained differently and I should think of Mercury as green and my expectations are too high.
Lesson #5 - 2/12/06
1) Leaning too far forward
2) More precise, consistent aids - always use voice
3) Ask twice - then yell or smack
4) When "bad" - go down to something else, change direction, ask again
5) Me balance/hands/relax --> Mercury balance --> Mercury fit (too anxious to get fit)
6) Need to be more patient, less insecure
7) Lunge line: with bridle & tighter side reins
8) Wobbly hocks - wrap back legs
9) Cooler & flash bridle needed
10) 3-6 years get show horse
11) When I'm tired, lean more on hands - BAD
12) I move around a lot at canter, which throws him off balance
13) A lot of my problems stem from hunt seat
14) Talk/sing to relax me which makes him more confident
15) Changing leads, rushing & breaking are all him off balance & being nervous
16) Let him walk around for a couple hours just being a horse
17) Video me riding to see flaws (butt high at canter - air)
18) Wiggle fingers up & down reins
2) More precise, consistent aids - always use voice
3) Ask twice - then yell or smack
4) When "bad" - go down to something else, change direction, ask again
5) Me balance/hands/relax --> Mercury balance --> Mercury fit (too anxious to get fit)
6) Need to be more patient, less insecure
7) Lunge line: with bridle & tighter side reins
8) Wobbly hocks - wrap back legs
9) Cooler & flash bridle needed
10) 3-6 years get show horse
11) When I'm tired, lean more on hands - BAD
12) I move around a lot at canter, which throws him off balance
13) A lot of my problems stem from hunt seat
14) Talk/sing to relax me which makes him more confident
15) Changing leads, rushing & breaking are all him off balance & being nervous
16) Let him walk around for a couple hours just being a horse
17) Video me riding to see flaws (butt high at canter - air)
18) Wiggle fingers up & down reins
Lesson #4 - 1/29/06
1) Inside hand constant, outside hand take & release.
2) Keep my hands still! He can't go on bit if I am moving my hands all around.
3) Canter: - bend to inside (harder to bend him to left)
- inside leg at girth
- outside leg back
- use voice command
- Don't let him run out - start over
- only go 5-6 nice strides, then regroup
- Sit straight & deep
- Keep head aligned - no nose poking out
- work in circles
- I need to be in better shape to keep him all together (turns out I was holding my breath)
- I need to be real consistent
- No following with hand!
4) Worked with Marcie on German martingale
5) Mercury needs to gain weight -people will talk
6) When he throws tantrums, ignore and keep going. Yell if he is very bad.
7) Leg position: constant pressure, but have to figure out how much. Boots should have worn spot at top and ankle.
8) Mercury's breastplate needs to be tightened.
9) His right hind leg is off (Bob said can feel at slow trot, not as much at regular trot). But he needs to work through it.
10) Noseband on 3rd hole.
11) Get D rings for saddle.
12) Keep him moving in corners and bent. Work on bend.
13) Bob thinks Mercury is spoiled. Make him work harder. (Rode him & fought.)
14) Get USEF tests.
15) Saddle: put on, walk, tighten, walk, tighten. His saddle doesn't fit - needs more padding - riser or padded pad.
16) Pinkie on bucking straps (Janis' idea)
17) Lift inside hip for canter.
18) Breathing
2) Keep my hands still! He can't go on bit if I am moving my hands all around.
3) Canter: - bend to inside (harder to bend him to left)
- inside leg at girth
- outside leg back
- use voice command
- Don't let him run out - start over
- only go 5-6 nice strides, then regroup
- Sit straight & deep
- Keep head aligned - no nose poking out
- work in circles
- I need to be in better shape to keep him all together (turns out I was holding my breath)
- I need to be real consistent
- No following with hand!
4) Worked with Marcie on German martingale
5) Mercury needs to gain weight -people will talk
6) When he throws tantrums, ignore and keep going. Yell if he is very bad.
7) Leg position: constant pressure, but have to figure out how much. Boots should have worn spot at top and ankle.
8) Mercury's breastplate needs to be tightened.
9) His right hind leg is off (Bob said can feel at slow trot, not as much at regular trot). But he needs to work through it.
10) Noseband on 3rd hole.
11) Get D rings for saddle.
12) Keep him moving in corners and bent. Work on bend.
13) Bob thinks Mercury is spoiled. Make him work harder. (Rode him & fought.)
14) Get USEF tests.
15) Saddle: put on, walk, tighten, walk, tighten. His saddle doesn't fit - needs more padding - riser or padded pad.
16) Pinkie on bucking straps (Janis' idea)
17) Lift inside hip for canter.
18) Breathing
Lesson #3 - 12/31/05
Head position
1) Keep head in position - especially around corners. Do 5-6 half halts before and after corners. Keep up impulsion.
2) Constant pressure on inside. Squeeze and release on outside.
3) Less coddling of Mercury. He won't do it unless he is asked to.
4) Praise him when he is correct. Talk sharply when he's not listening.
5) Bob rode Mercury in this lesson.
6) Conditioning is trot. Bob says walk, 10 min. trot, 5 min. walk, 5 min. trot, 2-3 min. walk, 2 min. walk, canter, tort, walk, canter, etc. Limited canter because it doesn't condition.
7) Use lunge line to load him in the trailer.
8) Don't let saddle hang loose (to air out).
9) Use lighter for back lifts and to do tummy sit-ups.
10) No hand movement.
11) Get training level tests.
1) Keep head in position - especially around corners. Do 5-6 half halts before and after corners. Keep up impulsion.
2) Constant pressure on inside. Squeeze and release on outside.
3) Less coddling of Mercury. He won't do it unless he is asked to.
4) Praise him when he is correct. Talk sharply when he's not listening.
5) Bob rode Mercury in this lesson.
6) Conditioning is trot. Bob says walk, 10 min. trot, 5 min. walk, 5 min. trot, 2-3 min. walk, 2 min. walk, canter, tort, walk, canter, etc. Limited canter because it doesn't condition.
7) Use lunge line to load him in the trailer.
8) Don't let saddle hang loose (to air out).
9) Use lighter for back lifts and to do tummy sit-ups.
10) No hand movement.
11) Get training level tests.
Lesson #2 - 12/10/05
1) Sitting trot is up and down (hand on belly), not forward and back
2) 2 point with bridged reins
3) Work on lunge line (or loose rein) for balance: arms out
4) Post the walk: up & down, no leg movement
5) Post the walk without stirrups
6) Post the trot without stirrups
7) "Race" at trot for big movement
8) Start and end at forward walk
9) Make walk more forward by squeezing with opposite leg (left shoulder- right leg)
10) Lunge line with crop behind arms
11) Bending (over) in turns to warm up - when doing serpentines start 2nd bend half way through
12) Feet: Frog needs to be trimmed and shoe straightened
13) Short stirrups until steady legs
14) Magnets for trailering (and lavender)
15) Order herbs, chiropractor
16) Side reins tighter: start loose, 2 notches in far side, inside tighter
17) Speed up and slow down trot
2) 2 point with bridged reins
3) Work on lunge line (or loose rein) for balance: arms out
4) Post the walk: up & down, no leg movement
5) Post the walk without stirrups
6) Post the trot without stirrups
7) "Race" at trot for big movement
8) Start and end at forward walk
9) Make walk more forward by squeezing with opposite leg (left shoulder- right leg)
10) Lunge line with crop behind arms
11) Bending (over) in turns to warm up - when doing serpentines start 2nd bend half way through
12) Feet: Frog needs to be trimmed and shoe straightened
13) Short stirrups until steady legs
14) Magnets for trailering (and lavender)
15) Order herbs, chiropractor
16) Side reins tighter: start loose, 2 notches in far side, inside tighter
17) Speed up and slow down trot
Lesson 1 with Bob - 11/19/05
1) My balance: legs forward, lean back
2) Knees tight: piece of paper
3) Legs swinging: rubber band
4) Side reins: Merucry lunge 3x/week
5) Head set: half halts on outside rein (inside constant pressure)
6) Serpentines & circles (don't just go around the arena - he gets bored)
7) Lunge line: me ride (think broom behind arms)
8) Mercury needs: noseband adjusted; back feet fixed with farrier (inside lowered, outside pad raising); frog to center of shoe; shoe offset/outside; chiropractor
9) Going forward: Yell at him!
10) Relax: Sing or talk
11) Carrot stretches; leg stretches; and situps
2) Knees tight: piece of paper
3) Legs swinging: rubber band
4) Side reins: Merucry lunge 3x/week
5) Head set: half halts on outside rein (inside constant pressure)
6) Serpentines & circles (don't just go around the arena - he gets bored)
7) Lunge line: me ride (think broom behind arms)
8) Mercury needs: noseband adjusted; back feet fixed with farrier (inside lowered, outside pad raising); frog to center of shoe; shoe offset/outside; chiropractor
9) Going forward: Yell at him!
10) Relax: Sing or talk
11) Carrot stretches; leg stretches; and situps
My new blog about riding
Here's the first post to the new blog. This blog is going to be about training Mercury (my horse) and me to do three day eventing. I am going to include what my trainer (who is fabulous) tells me to work on in my lessons, problems I encounter working on my own, tips and hints I pick up, exciting stories, horse show news, and other odds and ends.
I started keeping track of what my trainer told me back with my first lesson, last fall. I got lazy lately and missed a few lessons, but I had one today so I'm going to enter it while it is fresh in my head. Then I'll work on adding the old ones back and putting in the odds and ends.
Today's lesson:
We worked on dressage and my seat. Mercury got a 40 and a 39.5 on his dressage tests (Beginner Novice A from the USEF) at the last show, and so I need to improve those before the next show.
What Bob told me to work on:
1. Riding with my seat. I move with him, but I can sit down to make him step further underneath him, or sit still to make him slow down. But I keep my upper body still when I'm doing this.
2. When I'm walking, my leg swings naturally at the same time as the opposite front leg (so my right leg swings when his left front leg is in the air). To get him to lengthen, I squeeze with that leg while his leg is in the air. (I saw the same thing in a David O'Connor video today.)
3. When I ask for the canter, I need to use more of both legs, and use them at the same time. He goes off track because I ask too much with the outside and not enough with the inside.
4. If he doesn't pick up the canter, immediately bring him back down and start back up again. Don't let him get away with trotting faster and taking his sweet time.
5. We worked a lot on the trot transitions. Sit a few strides, work on making him step right out, and then pick up the correct diagnol. Don't pick it up, then switch. When going down, do a few half halts and then sit back and still and ask for the walk. Don't lurch forward.
6. In the canter transitions, I lean forward to ask (and frequently squeeze my knees and pick up my heels). Stay leaning back and up and ask all at once with the heels down.
7. When I canter, and the outside toe points out, it is because I am not balanced. I need to correct my upper body, keeping it centered above him, all the time. I can "cheat" by lifting my outside shoulder on corners.
8. Keep my shoulder blades pinched and chest open. Rounding forward is what lifts my butt out of the saddle at the canter.
9. Work on circles. When he makes a "square" instead of a circle, it's because I'm using too much inside leg to try to make him round. I need to use my outside leg to keep him in the circle. I also need to ask a few strides ahead for what I want to do.
10. Don't look down!
11. To work on correct leg position (I pinch with my knees then my heel swings back) over fences, put a hair rubber band on the stirrup and the girth so I can't swing it very far. This is frowned upon for legal reasons, but it trains your leg to stay in place.
12. Before the modified two day, I need to do interval training. There is a 1 km post-to-post in the cross country course, so I will go out and: 1) walk it; 2) trot it; 3) walk; 4) trot; 5) walk; 6) trot; 7) walk; 8) canter; 9) walk; 10) canter; 11) walk; 12 )canter; and 13) two walks and stop. If he is huffing and puffing, slow it down and do fewer intervals.
The modified two day (I think) has dressage test Sat am; show jumping Sat pm. Then Sunday is roads and tracks (2000 m at trot); walk; steeplechase (BNI doesn't have jumps, but is a hand gallop for 1000 m); walk; 10 minutes in vet box; cross country (2500 m at slow canter for BNI).
What we need to improve right now is:
1) Proper takeoff for jump (him & me)
2) Not jumping ahead (me)
3) No lower leg swinging in jump (me)
4) Strengthening hind legs (him: trot poles, transitions)
5) Impulsion (him, but me)
6) On the bit (him, but me)
7) Hands STILL (Me!)
8) Sit down in canter, smooth transitions (me)
9) Bending (him, but me)
10) Fitness (both of us)
I started keeping track of what my trainer told me back with my first lesson, last fall. I got lazy lately and missed a few lessons, but I had one today so I'm going to enter it while it is fresh in my head. Then I'll work on adding the old ones back and putting in the odds and ends.
Today's lesson:
We worked on dressage and my seat. Mercury got a 40 and a 39.5 on his dressage tests (Beginner Novice A from the USEF) at the last show, and so I need to improve those before the next show.
What Bob told me to work on:
1. Riding with my seat. I move with him, but I can sit down to make him step further underneath him, or sit still to make him slow down. But I keep my upper body still when I'm doing this.
2. When I'm walking, my leg swings naturally at the same time as the opposite front leg (so my right leg swings when his left front leg is in the air). To get him to lengthen, I squeeze with that leg while his leg is in the air. (I saw the same thing in a David O'Connor video today.)
3. When I ask for the canter, I need to use more of both legs, and use them at the same time. He goes off track because I ask too much with the outside and not enough with the inside.
4. If he doesn't pick up the canter, immediately bring him back down and start back up again. Don't let him get away with trotting faster and taking his sweet time.
5. We worked a lot on the trot transitions. Sit a few strides, work on making him step right out, and then pick up the correct diagnol. Don't pick it up, then switch. When going down, do a few half halts and then sit back and still and ask for the walk. Don't lurch forward.
6. In the canter transitions, I lean forward to ask (and frequently squeeze my knees and pick up my heels). Stay leaning back and up and ask all at once with the heels down.
7. When I canter, and the outside toe points out, it is because I am not balanced. I need to correct my upper body, keeping it centered above him, all the time. I can "cheat" by lifting my outside shoulder on corners.
8. Keep my shoulder blades pinched and chest open. Rounding forward is what lifts my butt out of the saddle at the canter.
9. Work on circles. When he makes a "square" instead of a circle, it's because I'm using too much inside leg to try to make him round. I need to use my outside leg to keep him in the circle. I also need to ask a few strides ahead for what I want to do.
10. Don't look down!
11. To work on correct leg position (I pinch with my knees then my heel swings back) over fences, put a hair rubber band on the stirrup and the girth so I can't swing it very far. This is frowned upon for legal reasons, but it trains your leg to stay in place.
12. Before the modified two day, I need to do interval training. There is a 1 km post-to-post in the cross country course, so I will go out and: 1) walk it; 2) trot it; 3) walk; 4) trot; 5) walk; 6) trot; 7) walk; 8) canter; 9) walk; 10) canter; 11) walk; 12 )canter; and 13) two walks and stop. If he is huffing and puffing, slow it down and do fewer intervals.
The modified two day (I think) has dressage test Sat am; show jumping Sat pm. Then Sunday is roads and tracks (2000 m at trot); walk; steeplechase (BNI doesn't have jumps, but is a hand gallop for 1000 m); walk; 10 minutes in vet box; cross country (2500 m at slow canter for BNI).
What we need to improve right now is:
1) Proper takeoff for jump (him & me)
2) Not jumping ahead (me)
3) No lower leg swinging in jump (me)
4) Strengthening hind legs (him: trot poles, transitions)
5) Impulsion (him, but me)
6) On the bit (him, but me)
7) Hands STILL (Me!)
8) Sit down in canter, smooth transitions (me)
9) Bending (him, but me)
10) Fitness (both of us)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)