My mom forwarded internet photos, and this was among them. Unfortunately, no identified credit (other than on the side of the photo).
But this is how high it feels like we are in the air when Willig bucks. Seriously.
Charlie with the long sought after cooler
Spring NWEC 2013 Novice
Monday, January 31, 2011
What it feels like when Willig bucks
My mom forwarded internet photos, and this was among them. Unfortunately, no identified credit (other than on the side of the photo).
But this is how high it feels like we are in the air when Willig bucks. Seriously.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Elbows glued to hips
Today's dressage lesson was back to the good ol' days of progress into new areas, instead of working on going past the &#*(# scary side. Whew. Although it made my legs burn, and (disgusting alert) when I was all done and changing clothes to smell slightly less bad, I was soaking wet under my vest. Blech, but kind of satisfying.
We started with a brief discussion about my ride on Charlie, and how useful it was for me to ride another horse and then ride Willig. Mike pointed out that all horses are different, and while Charlie has some strengths, with some work, Willig will have strengths too (and different ones). A lot of what I commented on was training, that, over time, Willig will also (presumably) attain. Mike said that although frustrating now, Willig's jitteriness could transform into attentiveness for higher level riding, where every single step is something different that you're asking for. But he has to focus on me instead of the outside world, to be able to do that.
Then we started with some trot work, with Mike telling me, well, ok, you can be all floppy around when you start, but why don't you start pulling things together right away? Even though I had been out there 20 minutes warming up, most of that we walked past the scary side, and I don't know why it takes a good 10-15 minutes to really get him connected - I mean, obviously it's me. Maybe I need to warm up?
Anyway, so then we started pulling him together, Mike checked in on his responsiveness to the aids (those walk-trot-canter-trot-walk we've been doing have made a huge difference, and see Charlie discussion where I'd lurch forward at each down transition because it turns out I didn't actually expect him to do it when I asked him to) and my sitting trot, which, thanks to the chiropractor, his homework, and those miracle balls, has gone back to being doable.
Then Mike had us do something terrible, which was hold onto to the pommel (couldn't do) so saddle pad (could only barely do), at which point we lost all steering and careened around totally out of control (from my perspective). Little did I know that this was going to lead to today's big lesson.
Then we did a bit of canter, which Mike said was just so much better than last year because he's pulled together.
Then I asked about him flinging his neck around, and Mike said that was soft hands - I give away the connection ALL THE TIME, and then he showed me how if I think about keeping him bent to the left, and maintain the connection, the head flinging stops. It doesn't really exist when we're going right, because of that iron right hand I've got.
So then we worked on Test 1-2, just going through it. It was rough around the edges, but not so bad. The only part that's still sticking for me is the down transition from canter to trot or from lengthened trot to sitting trot again. Mike said that working on the simple lead change (which is not a canter, trot, canter, like I thought, but canter - walk - canter) for 2nd level (because if something is hard for you, you shouldn't be showing that yet, but working on it at home, BUT working on canter-walk-canter will help us do canter-trot or lengthen-sit). But to get there, we went back to connection.
Mike had me stop and imagine my arms as side reins. The way I think about this is elbows clamped to hips. Then Willig's neck arched up and tucked and got all 'waterfall' (and he wanted to back up), so then we did walk-halt-walk-trot-canter with the connection staying constant. This was hard for Willig - he wanted to avoid working - but he wasn't being naughty. So then we made the canter a bit smaller (just around Mike) and it was divine. He'd just LIFT his back and be cantering and it was so soft and easy to ride. This made me grin each time he did it.
Mike said to warm up for about 15 minutes, then work on elbows clamped to hips for about 15 minutes, then do something he knows how to do (that we've been working on) for about 15 minutes. But not to do 100% of elbows clamped to hips because it's new and hard.
It was a great lesson. Then we walked outside and did a quick, short lap in the pasture, and a tired Willig is a much more relaxed Willig.
He does have a little patch of hives on the left side (the same two big and deflated) and then the right side looks like the same mess of them but not yet blown up. It just looks like he slept on his hair wet right now. So (fingers crossed) hopefully our little system is holding them at bay until whatever allergen is setting them off again goes away.
We started with a brief discussion about my ride on Charlie, and how useful it was for me to ride another horse and then ride Willig. Mike pointed out that all horses are different, and while Charlie has some strengths, with some work, Willig will have strengths too (and different ones). A lot of what I commented on was training, that, over time, Willig will also (presumably) attain. Mike said that although frustrating now, Willig's jitteriness could transform into attentiveness for higher level riding, where every single step is something different that you're asking for. But he has to focus on me instead of the outside world, to be able to do that.
Then we started with some trot work, with Mike telling me, well, ok, you can be all floppy around when you start, but why don't you start pulling things together right away? Even though I had been out there 20 minutes warming up, most of that we walked past the scary side, and I don't know why it takes a good 10-15 minutes to really get him connected - I mean, obviously it's me. Maybe I need to warm up?
Anyway, so then we started pulling him together, Mike checked in on his responsiveness to the aids (those walk-trot-canter-trot-walk we've been doing have made a huge difference, and see Charlie discussion where I'd lurch forward at each down transition because it turns out I didn't actually expect him to do it when I asked him to) and my sitting trot, which, thanks to the chiropractor, his homework, and those miracle balls, has gone back to being doable.
Then Mike had us do something terrible, which was hold onto to the pommel (couldn't do) so saddle pad (could only barely do), at which point we lost all steering and careened around totally out of control (from my perspective). Little did I know that this was going to lead to today's big lesson.
Then we did a bit of canter, which Mike said was just so much better than last year because he's pulled together.
Then I asked about him flinging his neck around, and Mike said that was soft hands - I give away the connection ALL THE TIME, and then he showed me how if I think about keeping him bent to the left, and maintain the connection, the head flinging stops. It doesn't really exist when we're going right, because of that iron right hand I've got.
So then we worked on Test 1-2, just going through it. It was rough around the edges, but not so bad. The only part that's still sticking for me is the down transition from canter to trot or from lengthened trot to sitting trot again. Mike said that working on the simple lead change (which is not a canter, trot, canter, like I thought, but canter - walk - canter) for 2nd level (because if something is hard for you, you shouldn't be showing that yet, but working on it at home, BUT working on canter-walk-canter will help us do canter-trot or lengthen-sit). But to get there, we went back to connection.
Mike had me stop and imagine my arms as side reins. The way I think about this is elbows clamped to hips. Then Willig's neck arched up and tucked and got all 'waterfall' (and he wanted to back up), so then we did walk-halt-walk-trot-canter with the connection staying constant. This was hard for Willig - he wanted to avoid working - but he wasn't being naughty. So then we made the canter a bit smaller (just around Mike) and it was divine. He'd just LIFT his back and be cantering and it was so soft and easy to ride. This made me grin each time he did it.
Mike said to warm up for about 15 minutes, then work on elbows clamped to hips for about 15 minutes, then do something he knows how to do (that we've been working on) for about 15 minutes. But not to do 100% of elbows clamped to hips because it's new and hard.
It was a great lesson. Then we walked outside and did a quick, short lap in the pasture, and a tired Willig is a much more relaxed Willig.
He does have a little patch of hives on the left side (the same two big and deflated) and then the right side looks like the same mess of them but not yet blown up. It just looks like he slept on his hair wet right now. So (fingers crossed) hopefully our little system is holding them at bay until whatever allergen is setting them off again goes away.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Two jump lessons and two good lessons
Shannon let me ride her training-level eventer, Charlie, for my Saturday lesson, and wooo-weee it was fun! (And educational. But mostly fun.)
We had a little 3-jump course with a little vertical and a bendy line, although of course Shannon had us start out on the flat. Charlie was soooo much easier to ride than Willig, both in his attentiveness and responsivness, and just sitting on him and riding. Especially when we started the canter, it was like sitting on a lake in a gently rocking boat, instead of, oh, on a surfboard in a hurricane.
When I asked Charlie for a down transition, he did it the SECOND that I asked, so I was constantly lurching forward because I wasn't ready for it when I asked for it, which did an amazing job of showing me how Willig has trained me back. I expect the transition to come at least two strides after I ask for it.
Charlie was also a total gentlemen when he'd pop his head up and I'd ask him to come back into connection with the bit, he'd do it immediately. I noticed his ears spent an awful lot of time listening to me, instead of radaring around looking for things to be scared of.
Although Charlie has (or maybe used to have) some of Willig's bad habits (not all of them, and he's got a few different ones), Shannon has had him since he was a young little colt (3, I think), and has trained him to be quite the nice horse.
The only other stand-out thing on the flat (other than how much fun I was having riding someone responsive) was that I had a terrible time getting him to pick up the ... right lead. When we switched to the left, he did it instantly. So when we went back to the right, I figured out it was my leg not moving back from the hip (what Mike has been telling me, and where I think the chiropractor connects in). I usually just squeeze, but when I'm "moving my leg back" I'm really just lifting it up to the saddle pad, which just confused Charlie. It was neat, if a bit painful, to see how horses read us.
When we jumped, Charlie was really gung-ho. It scared me a bit, because he actually went towards and over the jumps, and I had to think "1-2-1-2" to keep him steady and even on the way there. But he also just flew - it was soooooo easy to stay balanced on top of him, even the couple of times he took off a bit long or short - and (big sigh of relief) I do still love jumping. I haven't become a 35 year old chicken. Willig is just hard to jump. I also, even though I didn't know Charlie, noticed that I came to each fence so much more relaxed than I approach any fence (or anything) on Willig. I could sit back and wait for the fence because I wasn't anxious.
I was grinning for the entire rest of the day because I had so much fun riding him.
I rode Willig after that lesson, but we just puttered around indoors, went on a walk in the outdoor arena, and then went on a walk and did some hills and the water in the pasture. He was fine, not very spooky.
I did a lot of comparison, and the best way I can think of to describe it is that Willig is kind of squirrely compared to Charlie. He is constantly jerking and moving, and to ride him, I have to think about like 10 different things at a time, while Charlie I could just THINK about 1 or 2, and then just RIDE the rest. Willig doesn't pay as much attention to me as he does to the external world, he's harder physically to sit on, and he kind of jerks around, like a jumpy computer screen, even when he's being perfectly well behaved. I can't quite put my finger on how to describe the difference, but it makes a HUGE difference in how I sit up there.
Then today we had another jump lesson, but on Willig. He started out a tiny bit off (and he has a little patch of three hives. Compared to the last two years, they are staying under control instead of exploding over his whole neck and body, but they itch, which is different) but worked through it, something I have seen a handful of times. Then he was being a kook about the far end, even with Shannon standing at the gate, but we had to ride down there because another lesson was at the "friendly" end. This turned out to be good, because when we started jumping, he tried to bolt (he didn't try hard, but he tried) twice after the fence, and twice I managed to pull him the other direction and put him back to work. But then, we came around the corner and he did some leapy spastic thing and I finally just got, instead of scared, MAD, and started RIDING him, and then he was a gentleman the entire rest of the lesson.
So we did a three fence course from two different directions, and although he also came in a bit funny a few times (because he was looking at the lesson and other riders instead of the fence), he jumped each one like a champ. The big takeaway was that on the flat, when he kept being a goof, I kept being mad, until after a few laps Shannon started telling me what to do, and then the light bulb went off - why would I expect him to act different on his own each lap? I need to tell him what i want him to do different.
Let me go ahead and make this a take away message - I'm still slow on the punishment and almost non-existent on the praise. How in the world do I expect Willig to learn when I am not consistent, and when I almost never tell him "that's what I wanted, good boy"? He has no idea what I want from him without that effort on my part to breach the species-divide, and I'm just like a lousy girlfriend/parent, who nags nags nags and never shows appreciation. So Shannon had to remind me a couple of times, but I am trying harder to remember to either say "good boy" or give him a scratch with my fingers (I don't like to pat his neck) when he's done something that I asked.
And then I was jumping ahead in a big way, and when I opened my mouth to tell Shannon, I realized I should just fix it, so I went to each fence after that thinking "defensive heels" and that solved it.
Then I rode him thinking 1-2-1-2-1-2 to each fence, and then softening two strides out, and that took care of pretty much everything else.
And I also, because we were working on two curvy lines (for us), looked for the next fence. That worked spectacularly well when it was just one fence on a circle, and was not as good when I was doing the whole course.
Willig was a champ. I had a good time, although when he did his leapy thing, I held my breath and just about killed myself trying to ride him afterwards beacause I hadn't been breathing.
Shannon was happy because I actually rode him, and when I did, he responded really well. And I was happy because I handled the little events, and then knew (finally!) what to do with his antics.
We had a little 3-jump course with a little vertical and a bendy line, although of course Shannon had us start out on the flat. Charlie was soooo much easier to ride than Willig, both in his attentiveness and responsivness, and just sitting on him and riding. Especially when we started the canter, it was like sitting on a lake in a gently rocking boat, instead of, oh, on a surfboard in a hurricane.
When I asked Charlie for a down transition, he did it the SECOND that I asked, so I was constantly lurching forward because I wasn't ready for it when I asked for it, which did an amazing job of showing me how Willig has trained me back. I expect the transition to come at least two strides after I ask for it.
Charlie was also a total gentlemen when he'd pop his head up and I'd ask him to come back into connection with the bit, he'd do it immediately. I noticed his ears spent an awful lot of time listening to me, instead of radaring around looking for things to be scared of.
Although Charlie has (or maybe used to have) some of Willig's bad habits (not all of them, and he's got a few different ones), Shannon has had him since he was a young little colt (3, I think), and has trained him to be quite the nice horse.
The only other stand-out thing on the flat (other than how much fun I was having riding someone responsive) was that I had a terrible time getting him to pick up the ... right lead. When we switched to the left, he did it instantly. So when we went back to the right, I figured out it was my leg not moving back from the hip (what Mike has been telling me, and where I think the chiropractor connects in). I usually just squeeze, but when I'm "moving my leg back" I'm really just lifting it up to the saddle pad, which just confused Charlie. It was neat, if a bit painful, to see how horses read us.
When we jumped, Charlie was really gung-ho. It scared me a bit, because he actually went towards and over the jumps, and I had to think "1-2-1-2" to keep him steady and even on the way there. But he also just flew - it was soooooo easy to stay balanced on top of him, even the couple of times he took off a bit long or short - and (big sigh of relief) I do still love jumping. I haven't become a 35 year old chicken. Willig is just hard to jump. I also, even though I didn't know Charlie, noticed that I came to each fence so much more relaxed than I approach any fence (or anything) on Willig. I could sit back and wait for the fence because I wasn't anxious.
I was grinning for the entire rest of the day because I had so much fun riding him.
I rode Willig after that lesson, but we just puttered around indoors, went on a walk in the outdoor arena, and then went on a walk and did some hills and the water in the pasture. He was fine, not very spooky.
I did a lot of comparison, and the best way I can think of to describe it is that Willig is kind of squirrely compared to Charlie. He is constantly jerking and moving, and to ride him, I have to think about like 10 different things at a time, while Charlie I could just THINK about 1 or 2, and then just RIDE the rest. Willig doesn't pay as much attention to me as he does to the external world, he's harder physically to sit on, and he kind of jerks around, like a jumpy computer screen, even when he's being perfectly well behaved. I can't quite put my finger on how to describe the difference, but it makes a HUGE difference in how I sit up there.
Then today we had another jump lesson, but on Willig. He started out a tiny bit off (and he has a little patch of three hives. Compared to the last two years, they are staying under control instead of exploding over his whole neck and body, but they itch, which is different) but worked through it, something I have seen a handful of times. Then he was being a kook about the far end, even with Shannon standing at the gate, but we had to ride down there because another lesson was at the "friendly" end. This turned out to be good, because when we started jumping, he tried to bolt (he didn't try hard, but he tried) twice after the fence, and twice I managed to pull him the other direction and put him back to work. But then, we came around the corner and he did some leapy spastic thing and I finally just got, instead of scared, MAD, and started RIDING him, and then he was a gentleman the entire rest of the lesson.
So we did a three fence course from two different directions, and although he also came in a bit funny a few times (because he was looking at the lesson and other riders instead of the fence), he jumped each one like a champ. The big takeaway was that on the flat, when he kept being a goof, I kept being mad, until after a few laps Shannon started telling me what to do, and then the light bulb went off - why would I expect him to act different on his own each lap? I need to tell him what i want him to do different.
Let me go ahead and make this a take away message - I'm still slow on the punishment and almost non-existent on the praise. How in the world do I expect Willig to learn when I am not consistent, and when I almost never tell him "that's what I wanted, good boy"? He has no idea what I want from him without that effort on my part to breach the species-divide, and I'm just like a lousy girlfriend/parent, who nags nags nags and never shows appreciation. So Shannon had to remind me a couple of times, but I am trying harder to remember to either say "good boy" or give him a scratch with my fingers (I don't like to pat his neck) when he's done something that I asked.
And then I was jumping ahead in a big way, and when I opened my mouth to tell Shannon, I realized I should just fix it, so I went to each fence after that thinking "defensive heels" and that solved it.
Then I rode him thinking 1-2-1-2-1-2 to each fence, and then softening two strides out, and that took care of pretty much everything else.
And I also, because we were working on two curvy lines (for us), looked for the next fence. That worked spectacularly well when it was just one fence on a circle, and was not as good when I was doing the whole course.
Willig was a champ. I had a good time, although when he did his leapy thing, I held my breath and just about killed myself trying to ride him afterwards beacause I hadn't been breathing.
Shannon was happy because I actually rode him, and when I did, he responded really well. And I was happy because I handled the little events, and then knew (finally!) what to do with his antics.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Horse people
We were at the bank yesterday, and the woman we were talking with had a picture of her daughter showjumping their AQHA stallion over a nice size looking fence. She mentioned that she needed to get her knee replaced, and before I could make a joke to avoid her saying it was from a horse, she said it was from her years of barrel racing. The *second* we walked out the door, Tom pounced on it.
Also, the same horsey friend with the 4-yo OTTB from the last post was telling me how her husband gets excited when she comes home after a bad day of riding and grumbles about the time and the money and why do we do this, and then is deflated when the next day she comes home from a great day of riding.
I don't know other people who get the same kind of pent up stress if they don't get to ride. It's like turning the valve and letting off my steam. Even if it has been mostly the painful (and arduous) kind of learning lately instead of the fun kind of learning.
Also, the same horsey friend with the 4-yo OTTB from the last post was telling me how her husband gets excited when she comes home after a bad day of riding and grumbles about the time and the money and why do we do this, and then is deflated when the next day she comes home from a great day of riding.
I don't know other people who get the same kind of pent up stress if they don't get to ride. It's like turning the valve and letting off my steam. Even if it has been mostly the painful (and arduous) kind of learning lately instead of the fun kind of learning.
2 steps away from my huff (and two halves)
I had a good dressage lesson yesterday. The take away homework was:
- Lean back during the sitting trot and "firm up" my core. No more wavy following, but a firm, controlled "bounce". I can only just barely feel what my body is doing when I get it right - it is some refined motor control I don't control yet, but when I get it right, I feel Willig lift up in his shoulders. It feels to me kind of like, lean back (which is really just straight), think belly button pulled into spine like in pilates, have my heels and lower legs right, and then it is kind of a "sucking" him up on the down step with my inner thighs and butt. But it is something a little more than that, and I can't put my finger on what I am doing when I hit the last magic button, and I also can't make them all align at once when I want them to.
- Work on the responsiveness to the aids. Walk-trot-walk-halt-walk-canter-trot-walk immediately.
- Keep the correct bend in the shallow loops of counter canter. I have been, with that pesky right hand, turning his neck to the right.
- Work on "horsey sit ups" - the collected, small 10 meter canter. Do the responsiveness on a circle spiraling in, when I get in, ask for the canter, hold it for 2-3 strides, and then go big and let him trot. These are the rough foundation stones for the next cool stuff to come. Side note: 2-3 strides of this is like the same as 10 minutes of regular trotting around the arena - hard stuff.
Willig was pretty much a gentleman and worked pretty hard.
I am crossing my fingers that his recent few months of being kind of a doofus are the transition into starting 2nd level movements and polishing our 1st level, and that it's his way of testing me to see if I'm really going to make him work. And maybe we have, for the moment, passed that hurdle and he's back to giving me his good work outs.
The half step away from my huff is he was also good for J today, who jumped him on a bendy line.
The half step back toward my huff is a new horsey friend who bought a 4 year old off the track thoroughbred 6 months ago, showed him at the end of the year last year, and he jumps 3', ditches, and banks without batting an eye. (shaking my fist at the sky) He's a real cutie too.
- Lean back during the sitting trot and "firm up" my core. No more wavy following, but a firm, controlled "bounce". I can only just barely feel what my body is doing when I get it right - it is some refined motor control I don't control yet, but when I get it right, I feel Willig lift up in his shoulders. It feels to me kind of like, lean back (which is really just straight), think belly button pulled into spine like in pilates, have my heels and lower legs right, and then it is kind of a "sucking" him up on the down step with my inner thighs and butt. But it is something a little more than that, and I can't put my finger on what I am doing when I hit the last magic button, and I also can't make them all align at once when I want them to.
- Work on the responsiveness to the aids. Walk-trot-walk-halt-walk-canter-trot-walk immediately.
- Keep the correct bend in the shallow loops of counter canter. I have been, with that pesky right hand, turning his neck to the right.
- Work on "horsey sit ups" - the collected, small 10 meter canter. Do the responsiveness on a circle spiraling in, when I get in, ask for the canter, hold it for 2-3 strides, and then go big and let him trot. These are the rough foundation stones for the next cool stuff to come. Side note: 2-3 strides of this is like the same as 10 minutes of regular trotting around the arena - hard stuff.
Willig was pretty much a gentleman and worked pretty hard.
I am crossing my fingers that his recent few months of being kind of a doofus are the transition into starting 2nd level movements and polishing our 1st level, and that it's his way of testing me to see if I'm really going to make him work. And maybe we have, for the moment, passed that hurdle and he's back to giving me his good work outs.
The half step away from my huff is he was also good for J today, who jumped him on a bendy line.
The half step back toward my huff is a new horsey friend who bought a 4 year old off the track thoroughbred 6 months ago, showed him at the end of the year last year, and he jumps 3', ditches, and banks without batting an eye. (shaking my fist at the sky) He's a real cutie too.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
A jump lesson that resulted in one step away from my huff
Today Shannon worked us hard, but effectively got me one step out of my bad mood that I've been stewing in for the past couple weeks.
Willig started out lazy on the lunge line and in our warm up (**and he has, on the left side of his neck, a whole nest of baby hives percolating**), but then, just after Shannon set up a new fence and before we could get going, he spooked at a flock of European starlings out the "scary" end, and then pretty much stayed in a mood the rest of the lesson. Unfortunately, that was really only about 20 minutes in, so I had 40 minutes of his mood.
The good news is that Shannon warned me at the beginning of the lesson to ride tough (mentally) and so it gave her the opportunity to teach me how to ride tough in a good lesson setting - not too crazy, but not Sweety McPacker either.
So we did a little cross rail with ground poles and a little vertical with ground poles, the latter with, when going clockwise, a hard right turn around the other fence, which scared me about making the turn but turned out to be doable. He tried to dart out to the right the first couple times over this, and miracle of miracles, I rode him to it, and used my wimpy right leg to keep him going "straight" over the fence instead of around it. Yay wimpy little right leg!
Then, as Shannon rearranged the fences into a little (2'3") oxer and a little bit bigger vertical than the first one, Willig decided he'd had enough of me not knowing how to stop him if he bolted, and gave us numerous opportunities for me to catch on. Mostly, these were him trying to bolt left (towards the barn; away from the scary end) so I had to pull HARD-right-fast. After a few times (thanks, Willig!*), I started to catch on, although I also just liked to steer him into the wall (not an option on cross country, I know).
(* = sarcasm)
So then we spent some time on a circle, then our first fence, then a circle with the new vertical (now smaller again), then other direction. This took a while.
Then he started acclerating toward the fence, and kind of rushing on the other side. So we worked on applying the brakes on the far side. Straight line to halt. This needed, sometimes, me leaning way back, and hands in the air pulling on his face, but after a few times of "oh, I'm really going to have to stop when Martha tells me to", he quit needing so much work.
This doesn't sound like much, but I was turning bright red and huffing and puffing because his head was like 2000 pounds of force, and so then Shannon had us work on control - squeeze, release, squeeze, release, and when she said halt, trot, back, or whatever, could I do it when she said to do it? Again, this one improved as we went along and Willig began to take me a bit more seriously, and (in Cartman's voice from South Park), "respect my author-a-tee".
Oh yeah, and somewhere in here Shannon turned on some vigorous music.
So then at the very end of the lesson we ended up with the circle we tried to start half way through the lesson - the vertical, past the scary end, over the oxer. Shannon wanted twice nice in a row, which we couldn't do the first couple times (rushing, mostly), so we had to do it a few times before we got something decent.
So the big change is to come into the fence, even from far out, with rhythm, and then keep it after the fence. It helped me a lot when Shannon said out loud 1-2-1-2 because I'd squeeze on 1 and release on 2 and it kept from me from ssqquuueeezzinggg the whole way to the fence.
Although not a fun lesson, it was a good confidence building and tool kit building lesson. Shannon's goal is to get me confident that I can jump him, and then hopefully that will be reflected in him building confidence that he can do whatever I am pointing him at - an upward spiral instead of the downward spiral we tend to fall into on our own. My goal is to be as comfortable as she and Mike are with shenanigans, and to ... get used to the idea that he's a horse and not a robot and isn't going to do exactly what I want him to do 100% of the time and is going to ... (news flash) act like a horse. Kind of a dumb ass horse, but that is another notch in the "lessons learned" belt for when I look for the next one. I'm fond of Willig, but he's teaching me really different stuff (good stuff, that I wish I learned a long time ago) than what I planned to learn from him, and I need to just get over that and accept where he's at and where I'm at and where we can go right now with that. I also need to remind myself, as I tend to be a black & white thinker, that when I'm feeling down, we're not going to be down the entire rest of my life, and when I'm on top of the world, enjoy it, because it isn't going to last either. Ahhh, meditation lessons creeping back in to my life to force me to learn them one way or the other.
Willig started out lazy on the lunge line and in our warm up (**and he has, on the left side of his neck, a whole nest of baby hives percolating**), but then, just after Shannon set up a new fence and before we could get going, he spooked at a flock of European starlings out the "scary" end, and then pretty much stayed in a mood the rest of the lesson. Unfortunately, that was really only about 20 minutes in, so I had 40 minutes of his mood.
The good news is that Shannon warned me at the beginning of the lesson to ride tough (mentally) and so it gave her the opportunity to teach me how to ride tough in a good lesson setting - not too crazy, but not Sweety McPacker either.
So we did a little cross rail with ground poles and a little vertical with ground poles, the latter with, when going clockwise, a hard right turn around the other fence, which scared me about making the turn but turned out to be doable. He tried to dart out to the right the first couple times over this, and miracle of miracles, I rode him to it, and used my wimpy right leg to keep him going "straight" over the fence instead of around it. Yay wimpy little right leg!
Then, as Shannon rearranged the fences into a little (2'3") oxer and a little bit bigger vertical than the first one, Willig decided he'd had enough of me not knowing how to stop him if he bolted, and gave us numerous opportunities for me to catch on. Mostly, these were him trying to bolt left (towards the barn; away from the scary end) so I had to pull HARD-right-fast. After a few times (thanks, Willig!*), I started to catch on, although I also just liked to steer him into the wall (not an option on cross country, I know).
(* = sarcasm)
So then we spent some time on a circle, then our first fence, then a circle with the new vertical (now smaller again), then other direction. This took a while.
Then he started acclerating toward the fence, and kind of rushing on the other side. So we worked on applying the brakes on the far side. Straight line to halt. This needed, sometimes, me leaning way back, and hands in the air pulling on his face, but after a few times of "oh, I'm really going to have to stop when Martha tells me to", he quit needing so much work.
This doesn't sound like much, but I was turning bright red and huffing and puffing because his head was like 2000 pounds of force, and so then Shannon had us work on control - squeeze, release, squeeze, release, and when she said halt, trot, back, or whatever, could I do it when she said to do it? Again, this one improved as we went along and Willig began to take me a bit more seriously, and (in Cartman's voice from South Park), "respect my author-a-tee".
Oh yeah, and somewhere in here Shannon turned on some vigorous music.
So then at the very end of the lesson we ended up with the circle we tried to start half way through the lesson - the vertical, past the scary end, over the oxer. Shannon wanted twice nice in a row, which we couldn't do the first couple times (rushing, mostly), so we had to do it a few times before we got something decent.
So the big change is to come into the fence, even from far out, with rhythm, and then keep it after the fence. It helped me a lot when Shannon said out loud 1-2-1-2 because I'd squeeze on 1 and release on 2 and it kept from me from ssqquuueeezzinggg the whole way to the fence.
Although not a fun lesson, it was a good confidence building and tool kit building lesson. Shannon's goal is to get me confident that I can jump him, and then hopefully that will be reflected in him building confidence that he can do whatever I am pointing him at - an upward spiral instead of the downward spiral we tend to fall into on our own. My goal is to be as comfortable as she and Mike are with shenanigans, and to ... get used to the idea that he's a horse and not a robot and isn't going to do exactly what I want him to do 100% of the time and is going to ... (news flash) act like a horse. Kind of a dumb ass horse, but that is another notch in the "lessons learned" belt for when I look for the next one. I'm fond of Willig, but he's teaching me really different stuff (good stuff, that I wish I learned a long time ago) than what I planned to learn from him, and I need to just get over that and accept where he's at and where I'm at and where we can go right now with that. I also need to remind myself, as I tend to be a black & white thinker, that when I'm feeling down, we're not going to be down the entire rest of my life, and when I'm on top of the world, enjoy it, because it isn't going to last either. Ahhh, meditation lessons creeping back in to my life to force me to learn them one way or the other.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
My "show" goals for 2011
March 19 - Peteton - 1-1 & 1-2
March ? - School at NWEC
April 16 - Peteton - 1-2 & 1-3
April? - NWEC Adult Rider Derby - Hopeful
April 30 - Donida - Hopeful
April? - School at NWEC
April? - recognized dressage? (1-1 & 1-2)
May 14? - NWEC Pony Club - Hopeful
May 14 (if NWEC is a different day) - Peteton - 1-2 & 1-3 & BN Eventing
June - School at NWEC twice
June - recognized dressage?
June 25/26 - FPEC - Mike's recognized dressage show - 1-2 & 1-3 both days if I've done ok so far
July 2 - Peteton or Donida
July ? - School NWEC
July 16 - Caber Pony Club - BN **IF** Willig has placed in the top 3 in all hopefuls and hasn't done anything dumb like spook at poles on the ground or run-out or buck
July ? - recognized dressage
August 13 - Donida - BN (same as 7/16)
August 20 - Peteton - 1-3 & MAYBE 2-1 & BN eventing
August 27 - Caber Pony Club - BN (same as 7/16)
September ? - School NWEC
September 24 - Peteton - 1-3 & 2-1 & wildly, 2-2
September? - recognized dressage
Then, if all goes well, the longer term goals will be:
2012: BN recognized & unrecognized; 2nd level dressage; freestyle test for 1st
2013: BN recognized; N unrecognized; 2nd/3rd level dressage; freestyle test for 2nd
2014: N recognized & unrecognized; 3rd level dressage
And I dare not even hope we'd make it to training level & 4th level before Willig is 20.
March ? - School at NWEC
April 16 - Peteton - 1-2 & 1-3
April? - NWEC Adult Rider Derby - Hopeful
April 30 - Donida - Hopeful
April? - School at NWEC
April? - recognized dressage? (1-1 & 1-2)
May 14? - NWEC Pony Club - Hopeful
May 14 (if NWEC is a different day) - Peteton - 1-2 & 1-3 & BN Eventing
June - School at NWEC twice
June - recognized dressage?
June 25/26 - FPEC - Mike's recognized dressage show - 1-2 & 1-3 both days if I've done ok so far
July 2 - Peteton or Donida
July ? - School NWEC
July 16 - Caber Pony Club - BN **IF** Willig has placed in the top 3 in all hopefuls and hasn't done anything dumb like spook at poles on the ground or run-out or buck
July ? - recognized dressage
August 13 - Donida - BN (same as 7/16)
August 20 - Peteton - 1-3 & MAYBE 2-1 & BN eventing
August 27 - Caber Pony Club - BN (same as 7/16)
September ? - School NWEC
September 24 - Peteton - 1-3 & 2-1 & wildly, 2-2
September? - recognized dressage
Then, if all goes well, the longer term goals will be:
2012: BN recognized & unrecognized; 2nd level dressage; freestyle test for 1st
2013: BN recognized; N unrecognized; 2nd/3rd level dressage; freestyle test for 2nd
2014: N recognized & unrecognized; 3rd level dressage
And I dare not even hope we'd make it to training level & 4th level before Willig is 20.
Tidbits - chiropractor & 2 hives
Willig had one hive yesterday and a second one today, so tomorrow we are switching from Platinum Performance only, to Platinum, plus his Riva's Remedies herbs, and the Platinum mega-$ allergy stuff.
They don't really look like hives - more like two little bug bites, but since I can't imagine what bugs are out right now, better safe than sorry to try to nip this in the bud.
Also, I think the problem with the sitting trot (it was stiff) and Willig not picking up the right lead was my muscles being weird. I went to see a new chirpractor (long story that is really not that interesting) and he kept identifying these wack spots, and then telling me how the muscles being wack would affect me, and I kept thinking "well, that explains the sitting trot", "well, that explains the right lead the other day", "well, that further explains the sitting trot" on and on and on.
So hopefully, getting myself fixed up will help at least not give myself as many obstacles as possible riding.
They don't really look like hives - more like two little bug bites, but since I can't imagine what bugs are out right now, better safe than sorry to try to nip this in the bud.
Also, I think the problem with the sitting trot (it was stiff) and Willig not picking up the right lead was my muscles being weird. I went to see a new chirpractor (long story that is really not that interesting) and he kept identifying these wack spots, and then telling me how the muscles being wack would affect me, and I kept thinking "well, that explains the sitting trot", "well, that explains the right lead the other day", "well, that further explains the sitting trot" on and on and on.
So hopefully, getting myself fixed up will help at least not give myself as many obstacles as possible riding.
Outside leg & Superjumper Willig
Today Tom came out to help me with feeling when Willig's outside hind leg leaves the ground at the walk and trot so I can refine my aids.
He also hung around so I could jump a bit with a spotter, and took this video of Willig doing a little course and a photo of the approximate height and spread of the training fence we did in our last jump lesson.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Tomonbelay?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/N4ZE7v6lQSA
(Hopefully the link works. Otherwise, search for Tomonbelay's videos and then Martha and Willig and about today's date.)
Here's the aid:
When walking clockwise (to the right), it's when your left hip is pointing towards his right shoulder. (Unless I reversed it - because it's the opposite of what I expected it to be.)
When posting the trot, it's as your seat starts to hit the saddle to sit before lifting again.
When sitting the trot, it is the "deeper" sit.
Willig was a total champ with the fences, which look puny on tape.
Jumping today, which I got anxious about ahead of time, and then wanted to throw a party afterwards I was so happy he was so good, cemented the lesson from my last lesson with Shannon and made me come up with a little strategy for preparing for this season. It's what everyone knows, but I somehow forgot: when you jump 2'9" at home, 2'6" at the show looks like nothing.
**I'M** the one who wants to jump, Willig could care less, and so if **I** want to feel comfortable jumping 2'6", then I need to work up to 2'9" at home and every scary thing I can throw at him, so when we get to the show, we BOTH think - "Oh, man, the stuff at home is sooo much harder. This is a cakewalk." It's the same test for moving up to the next level.
I'm amazed at how many times I have to say "duh" to myself.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
The elusive right lead canter
I don't know what was going on today, but we could not pick up the right lead canter to save our lives. Willig was doing gorgeous, beautiful collected canter work, and he has nooooo problem counter cantering, even on a little 10 meter circle. Or when I'm contorted around bending to the outside to "assist" him in picking it up correctly.
Now, of course, there's something actually going on with me (other than what appears to be a total mental riding break down), and somewhere on the right side of my body, I'm doing something that is so strong and powerful that it overrides the aids that I think I'm giving with the left side.
Today's take away is that I am so frustrated. Yesterday we had this decent ride where I finally felt like my heels got the message, and I was so looking forward to today's lesson to show that off, and instead, we could. not. pick. up. the. right. lead.
So I don't really have any takeaways, because all we did was flop around in circles and look like we had no idea what we were doing.
Mike spent a lot of time demonstrating what looked like yoga warrior moves to show me how a horse picks up its leads. He also talked about the bend in my body (not holding the inside leg on him when I'm asking him to pick up the lead), and moving my leg back (sliding it back, not just lifting my heel) to ask for the lead. And then we did this funky trot-walk-trot-walk-canter-trot-walk stuff where Mike changed it every few seconds, so that Willig had to LEAP off my aids and do the transition.
Mike was very satisfied with Willig's canter ability. He said it was basically 2nd level about to do flying changes. I gritted my teeth because it doesn't matter if we can do flying changes if we can't pick up the lead I'm asking for in a 1st level test. Or go past a spot where, horrors, someone raked and there are rake marks in the earth. He even spent extra time with me, and we still just flailed around, and then after he left, I started crying.
I don't know what's going on with me. I think I've hit a wall.
Now, of course, there's something actually going on with me (other than what appears to be a total mental riding break down), and somewhere on the right side of my body, I'm doing something that is so strong and powerful that it overrides the aids that I think I'm giving with the left side.
Today's take away is that I am so frustrated. Yesterday we had this decent ride where I finally felt like my heels got the message, and I was so looking forward to today's lesson to show that off, and instead, we could. not. pick. up. the. right. lead.
So I don't really have any takeaways, because all we did was flop around in circles and look like we had no idea what we were doing.
Mike spent a lot of time demonstrating what looked like yoga warrior moves to show me how a horse picks up its leads. He also talked about the bend in my body (not holding the inside leg on him when I'm asking him to pick up the lead), and moving my leg back (sliding it back, not just lifting my heel) to ask for the lead. And then we did this funky trot-walk-trot-walk-canter-trot-walk stuff where Mike changed it every few seconds, so that Willig had to LEAP off my aids and do the transition.
Mike was very satisfied with Willig's canter ability. He said it was basically 2nd level about to do flying changes. I gritted my teeth because it doesn't matter if we can do flying changes if we can't pick up the lead I'm asking for in a 1st level test. Or go past a spot where, horrors, someone raked and there are rake marks in the earth. He even spent extra time with me, and we still just flailed around, and then after he left, I started crying.
I don't know what's going on with me. I think I've hit a wall.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
A more succinct way to state next year's goals
I'm not going to get any better by whining about not being better, so I should probably just shut up and ride already.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Reflections on 2010; Goals for 2011
I left my last dressage lesson and last jump lesson feeling down, instead of elated and excited, and I've been thinking about why for the last couple of days. That coincided perfectly with the normal tradition of reflecting back and looking forward for the New Year, so I thought I'd try to make some sense out of what my mood is about while setting some new goals - kind of a two birds with one stone sort of thing.
I think that I am still stymied by my expectations for him. I wanted a push-button horse. What I got was a horse who is teaching me how to ride, and it is much slower going than what I had in mind. I want instant, immediate gratification without having to work for it. I don't want to know how to ride - I want to get on a horse and have him perform flawlessly like a robot, predictable horse.
And yes, I realize that I don't actually want that. I'm proud of how far Willig and I have come together over the last year. I'm really, really grateful for how lucky and fortunate we are to have such an incredible barn and two trainers who work really well for us. (And who are patient with us.) Willig came at the right time for me to learn how to ride, before I got even older and more set in my ways. I just didn't realize that I didn't know how until he came along.
Looking Back at 2010:
In general, over the course of the year, Willig has gotten friendlier towards me. When he sees me coming to his paddock, he walks to meet me, and while I'm grooming him, he likes to groom me back. He also saved me from what would have been a humiliating deer-attack, despite his profound fear of deer. Then again, he also fell down while playing in a paddock when pretty much every one at the barn was looking.
I also have way more tools in my tool kit when he acts up, so I can feel it coming, and put a stop to it before he gets speed built up like a rocket. This is thanks to both Mike and Shannon, although mostly Shannon since he still pretty much refuses to act up in front of Mike (although other people have confirmed to Mike that indeed, he does act up when Mike is not there).
He did NOT get hives this fall (although he had them at the beginning of the year), and we got a "new" dressage saddle and a new Rambo blanket, and he's gained enough weight and muscle that this year he's going to have to ride with a pad with his jump saddle.
He went to quite a few unrecognized shows and derbies, and did pretty well at most of them. His lowest score was a 5th at a derby but that was where horses were eliminating right and left. He did jump a hopeful fence from a standstill at that show. He got high point or something at the one recognized dressage show we were at (Training level).
I have a lot of blog posts raving about awesome dressage and jumping lessons.
And, he got his portrait taken (and now on display at work and at home) by Mary Cornelius.
* Dressage *
At training level, he scored mostly from 61 - 66%.
I can sit a 1st level test at the trot.
We can also do all the 1st level movements.
We are starting to work on 2nd level movements.
That's pretty &*(*##&*&*(# spectacular, given that I have no idea what we're doing at 2nd level, and I haven't been able to sit the trot my entire life.
He's got awesome lateral movements.
* Jumping *
At the start of the year, he was still bucking and I was hardly ever riding him over fences.
He did so-so at the shows, at some kicking butt and at others, being spooky. While he was consistently in the ribbons, he wasn't consistent at the shows. Shannon has suggested this has to do with who is designing the courses and I should be more selective.
At Caber Pony Club x-country, we actually had fun.
Jumping without stirrups rapidly and dramatically improved my leg position. And I got WAY more comfortable in my jump position.
He ended the year jumping training level height and a scary fence without running out. And no bucking. And he carried me over it, because I was a useless sack of nerves.
J's work with him has really shown. He has built a LOT of confidence.
Goals for 2011:
In an ideal world, we'll sell the truck and trailer and get a "new" lightweight trailer.
But his saddle will probably have to wait until 2012 if the stuff we have on the agenda comes together (like Nepal for a month).
Next year I swear I will give him a better clip job. Poor guy.
And I hope the crap on his nose goes away.
* Dressage *
Keep polishing 1st level movements.
Keep polishing "basics" (heels down, hands still and steady, leaning back, my aids)
Work on 2nd level movements.
Show unrecognized and recognized 1st level.
Start making 1st level freestyle test.
* Jumping *
Keep working on "basics" (heels down, legs defensive in front (being left behind over fence), hands still, even, & steady, better use of half halt and dressage, cluck, use my legs, and use my whip to be the boss and tell him what to do (i.e. ride assertively towards the fence))
Continue to work on confidence - go over anything scary like a cone
Continue to work outdoors/away from security of indoor arena
Continue to work on trails & riding in pasture
Continue to haul to derbies (and maybe other places?) to make travel ho-hum
Work on height at home - be comfortable over 2'6" when competing hopeful; 2'9" when move up to beginner novice (this should be after no more silly spooking at shows - and consistently placing in top 3)
Ideally, ride beginner novice by end of season.
(Next year (2012) we'll add ditches and banks and maybe (!) recognized shows.)
So to repeat a quote from back in August:
"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year."
- John Foster Dulles
I think that I am still stymied by my expectations for him. I wanted a push-button horse. What I got was a horse who is teaching me how to ride, and it is much slower going than what I had in mind. I want instant, immediate gratification without having to work for it. I don't want to know how to ride - I want to get on a horse and have him perform flawlessly like a robot, predictable horse.
And yes, I realize that I don't actually want that. I'm proud of how far Willig and I have come together over the last year. I'm really, really grateful for how lucky and fortunate we are to have such an incredible barn and two trainers who work really well for us. (And who are patient with us.) Willig came at the right time for me to learn how to ride, before I got even older and more set in my ways. I just didn't realize that I didn't know how until he came along.
Looking Back at 2010:
In general, over the course of the year, Willig has gotten friendlier towards me. When he sees me coming to his paddock, he walks to meet me, and while I'm grooming him, he likes to groom me back. He also saved me from what would have been a humiliating deer-attack, despite his profound fear of deer. Then again, he also fell down while playing in a paddock when pretty much every one at the barn was looking.
I also have way more tools in my tool kit when he acts up, so I can feel it coming, and put a stop to it before he gets speed built up like a rocket. This is thanks to both Mike and Shannon, although mostly Shannon since he still pretty much refuses to act up in front of Mike (although other people have confirmed to Mike that indeed, he does act up when Mike is not there).
He did NOT get hives this fall (although he had them at the beginning of the year), and we got a "new" dressage saddle and a new Rambo blanket, and he's gained enough weight and muscle that this year he's going to have to ride with a pad with his jump saddle.
He went to quite a few unrecognized shows and derbies, and did pretty well at most of them. His lowest score was a 5th at a derby but that was where horses were eliminating right and left. He did jump a hopeful fence from a standstill at that show. He got high point or something at the one recognized dressage show we were at (Training level).
I have a lot of blog posts raving about awesome dressage and jumping lessons.
And, he got his portrait taken (and now on display at work and at home) by Mary Cornelius.
* Dressage *
At training level, he scored mostly from 61 - 66%.
I can sit a 1st level test at the trot.
We can also do all the 1st level movements.
We are starting to work on 2nd level movements.
That's pretty &*(*##&*&*(# spectacular, given that I have no idea what we're doing at 2nd level, and I haven't been able to sit the trot my entire life.
He's got awesome lateral movements.
* Jumping *
At the start of the year, he was still bucking and I was hardly ever riding him over fences.
He did so-so at the shows, at some kicking butt and at others, being spooky. While he was consistently in the ribbons, he wasn't consistent at the shows. Shannon has suggested this has to do with who is designing the courses and I should be more selective.
At Caber Pony Club x-country, we actually had fun.
Jumping without stirrups rapidly and dramatically improved my leg position. And I got WAY more comfortable in my jump position.
He ended the year jumping training level height and a scary fence without running out. And no bucking. And he carried me over it, because I was a useless sack of nerves.
J's work with him has really shown. He has built a LOT of confidence.
Goals for 2011:
In an ideal world, we'll sell the truck and trailer and get a "new" lightweight trailer.
But his saddle will probably have to wait until 2012 if the stuff we have on the agenda comes together (like Nepal for a month).
Next year I swear I will give him a better clip job. Poor guy.
And I hope the crap on his nose goes away.
* Dressage *
Keep polishing 1st level movements.
Keep polishing "basics" (heels down, hands still and steady, leaning back, my aids)
Work on 2nd level movements.
Show unrecognized and recognized 1st level.
Start making 1st level freestyle test.
* Jumping *
Keep working on "basics" (heels down, legs defensive in front (being left behind over fence), hands still, even, & steady, better use of half halt and dressage, cluck, use my legs, and use my whip to be the boss and tell him what to do (i.e. ride assertively towards the fence))
Continue to work on confidence - go over anything scary like a cone
Continue to work outdoors/away from security of indoor arena
Continue to work on trails & riding in pasture
Continue to haul to derbies (and maybe other places?) to make travel ho-hum
Work on height at home - be comfortable over 2'6" when competing hopeful; 2'9" when move up to beginner novice (this should be after no more silly spooking at shows - and consistently placing in top 3)
Ideally, ride beginner novice by end of season.
(Next year (2012) we'll add ditches and banks and maybe (!) recognized shows.)
So to repeat a quote from back in August:
"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year."
- John Foster Dulles
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