Schooling Lessons

We went to NWEC to school some cross country fences today, and I had so much fun. I'm also so glad we went because I thought I was completely a cool cucumber until the moment Shannon sent me off trotting by myself to do the first five fences, and then suddenly I got that tight anxious feeling around my ribs. But since Charlie is a freaking rock star, the only fumbling was on my end. My two big take-aways - ride him more assertively (for Charlie, this is faster than I'm used to going, and not timidly approaching every fence in a baby trot), and new one - keep my hands planted on his neck. So in between fences, I'm riding in a two point with my hands planted down, and then as we're about 10 strides out, I sit up into a light seat ... but my hands stay planted on his neck. And my job is to think rhythm (1-2-1-2) and then to steer him over the center of each fence. If I screw up and am riding too defensively, I let go of the reins so I don't grab him in the mouth. And corners and approaches are when I rebalance and sit up. Charlie is a total superman, and can totally take care of the fences all by himself. We will, a few strides from the water, trot into it, but then canter once his foot hits the water. He didn't even flick an ear at the water OR the ditch today, or the one humongo log. He just floats right over them. So I still have some switches to flip from my Willig riding style, but I think I am going to have a really good time this summer, and I am so so so grateful for this opportunity.

Charlie and Willig

Charlie peacefully grazing after his schooling session at NWEC, and Willig looking jealously at Charlie peacefully grazing.

Jumping George on a gorgeous spring day

Excellent dressage lesson on Charlie

After some wrangling with my schedule, I finally got a dressage lesson with Mike on Charlie. It was very illuminating and left me grinning and really looking forward to my next ride on him (until today, when I watched Shannon in a lesson and realized I'm a totally sucky rider and wondered why I even try).
First, a tip for George: when he's being heavy with his head, use my back to lean back, so it's my back muscles and the lever action working on him, not my flabby arms which will never win a tug of war with his heavy head. And when George squeals at me (which he rarely does) he is telling me a dirty word and he shouldn't get away with it.
Now, for Charlie. The take away was I'm not riding him hard enough. After 45 minutes with Mike I was soaking wet with sweat.
- Hold my hands higher (to lift his head) and have more contact. I ride him very very light, long, and low, and the contact isn't heavy, but definitely a presence.
- Use more leg - ask him to move until he's on the edge of breaking to the next gait. This is a little hard for me to judge, but as I get used to riding him, I'll know where this feeling is.
- The walk should have his hind legs stepping over his front foot steps by about 6-8". It's not how far down his head is (at his knees) that matters. He should feel like he's walking like Marilyn Monroe - with a swinging, rolling walk.
- A good ride feels like it's on the edge - don't be afraid to push it to the limit - that's where the 8's and 9's are. But be aware of what Charlie can do (his canter and walk can be 8's - his trot is more realistically a 7) - but if he's having a spastic day, it's better to play it a bit safer, like letting him go a bit long, low, but steady.
- My posture needs to be more elegant - sitting up tall with my heels down. Heels lifting up say to the judge that I'm nagging the horse.
- I need to ride him lifting into the canter - the elegant posture (and I saw Shannon do it today) collects him up and gets his hind legs underneath him. (I'm not sure how.)
- When I come down the centerline to halt, think piaffe the last few strides to get a nice, underneath, square, quiet halt.
- Also keep him bent "left" which makes him straight. (Something is really crooked in my right hip and it's messing everyone up.)
- Think canter to halt to get a nice down transition to trot, but also keep the forward momentum going.
- Every five to ten steps do a big kick to remind him his job is to go forward. No nagging every stride.
- It is ok to collect for a few strides to prepare for a transition. It is better to have a nice transition than to do a sloppy one exactly at the right place (for BN).
- Be done with what I'm going to mess with by the time I come around the corner. This was for the free walk to medium walk to trot, and the point was, as I finish the free walk, collect the reins up and get it back together BEFORE I start the corner to medium walk, to make us look neat and polished.
It was a great lesson. It made me feel like I could actually ride.

super fun jump lesson on Charlie

I really do feel like a weight has lifted off of me after I ride Charlie. As I accurately but not wisely suspected now maybe a couple years ago, when Shannon first offered to let me ride him and I declined, mine and Willig's whole lives would have been different these last couple years - ok, well, Willig had to go lame for me to ride other people's horses so maybe not - but I have FUN on Charlie. Willig is work. Charlie is enjoyment.
We got to take advantage of the nice spring weather and had another outside jump lesson (in warm sunshine) yesterday. After a few warm up fences, we did a little 6 fence course, roughly 2'7", with an oxer, the lattice fence, and the barrels. Charlie is a total champ.
I'm flailing a bit, but it's more because I spent the last 4 years trying to unlearn most of my basics to adjust to riding Willig, and now I need to switch the Willig skills off and go back to the way I was taught.
Which is:
- Ride in a light two point, with my hands in "jump position" up his neck until I come around a turn or about 10 strides out
- Then sit up a bit (but wait for the jump - legs in front defensive is one thing I think to keep from jumping ahead with those long sproingy frog legs)
- Keep it even - I have to say 1-2-1-2 otherwise we speed up
- Be ready to balance him after the fence, and not to let him rush towards it (because Charlie actually enjoys jumping)
- And for the connection, it's leg, then hand
I mailed my entry for NWEC today, and I am so excited!

a journalist's idea of dressage

http://news.yahoo.com/romney-talks-horses-dressage-missouri-fox-trotter-201433096--abc-news-politics.html

"Dressage is very competitive horse riding in which the animal's mane is often braided and the riders wear top hats and long coats."

Free Willig

Willig soundness update

After 6 more weeks of stall rest with 10 minutes of hand walking a day, Willig is still not sound.
Now he's going onto 8 weeks of tiny turnout and up to 60 minutes of walking a day (hand or, likely on what will be a rare occasion, under saddle) and then he'll get checked again.
He's also going to get the navicular support bar shoes to help support the navicular ligament.

2nd schooling video

Charlie: Leg gets a thumbs up, back gets a thumbs down

Until you watch the video and freeze the frame, then I have a flat back in the moment in the air, but bad lower leg and seat (swinging behind, jumping ahead). Sigh.


I had my first outside jump lesson in a while, and my third jump lesson on Charlie in the gorgeous spring weather we had yesterday.
I had a really fun time during the lesson, but (not that this was ever a real worry) there is still plenty to work on.
Charlie actually enjoys jumping, so he needed to be ridden in two ways majorly different than Willig: light seat but steady him (1-2-1-2) so he didn't speed up the last couple strides to the fence.
Not surprisingly, I'm also (still) not very fast on my reflexes, so this video with two bends was pretty difficult for me to do.
That being said, after we did it a few times I started to catch on, and I ended the day on top of the world and looking forward to more.
Same old from before applies: legs in front, even rhythm, stay in the center of the fence, look for the next fence as I do the final line up for the current fence.
Also, because Charlie is trained and reliable, I can also ride a bit closer to my jumping position (seat light) and also hands up his neck with reins shorter.
We also checked speed, and telling myself a slow, steady 1-2-1-2 we were exactly 350 m/m so for x-c we'll need to go just a bit faster.