Charlie with the long sought after cooler
Spring NWEC 2013 Novice
Monday, May 26, 2014
Equestrian Institute Horse Trials
Although dusty, at least it wasn't raining in Cle Elum like it was on the west side. We had a good time. After dressage, we were on the bottom of a 5-way tie for 3rd in Rider Novice. Cross country timing broke the tie, and we were in 4th. We had a rail down in show jumping (totally my fault), but so did everyone else, so we stayed in 4th.
The great news is Charlie was a bit strong given the new location, so I had to ride him differently for cross country (and was able to do it successfully), but he was an honest champ, like always.
For show jumping, he was just absolutely 100% perfect in warm up, but my timing was off, so I had him wait a long time before we warmed up, then walk for a long time after we had a perfect warm up. We did a bit of trot and canter before going in to ride, and he was awesome. I had watched some of Training and had an idea what was giving people problems, so I didn't have any issues with those fences (and was immensely proud of myself for figuring it out). However, I shouldn't have been too congratulatory because I applied my new found knowledge to certain fences, but not other fences (with exactly the same issue), so I didn't give Charlie enough forward out of a turn and knew the rail was coming down before we even got to the fence. While disappointing, I did get 10 fences right, and could feel it, so I'm pretty happy with that.
Charlie had a horse-pooling buddy, Duke, which was nice too. Duke's owner even got a few pictures!
The great news is Charlie was a bit strong given the new location, so I had to ride him differently for cross country (and was able to do it successfully), but he was an honest champ, like always.
For show jumping, he was just absolutely 100% perfect in warm up, but my timing was off, so I had him wait a long time before we warmed up, then walk for a long time after we had a perfect warm up. We did a bit of trot and canter before going in to ride, and he was awesome. I had watched some of Training and had an idea what was giving people problems, so I didn't have any issues with those fences (and was immensely proud of myself for figuring it out). However, I shouldn't have been too congratulatory because I applied my new found knowledge to certain fences, but not other fences (with exactly the same issue), so I didn't give Charlie enough forward out of a turn and knew the rail was coming down before we even got to the fence. While disappointing, I did get 10 fences right, and could feel it, so I'm pretty happy with that.
Charlie had a horse-pooling buddy, Duke, which was nice too. Duke's owner even got a few pictures!
June Major Beale clinic - two openings - call ASAP!
Major Beale will be at Peteton Farm on June 21 and 22, and there are (unusually) two extra slots. Call Cynthia Dickinson ASAP if you want to ride, or if you want information about auditing: (360) 357-
Major Beale is a USDF gold medalist and a former Olympic eventer for Great Britain. His lessons are phenomenal.
Major Beale is a USDF gold medalist and a former Olympic eventer for Great Britain. His lessons are phenomenal.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
John's!
Today we braved a downpour and got fortunate enough for a break in the heavy rain for a jumping lesson with John outdoors.
The short version is I have not miraculously turned into a different rider without lessons from him over the winter (and fall and spring).
I need to:
- Sit up
- Get Charlie in front of my leg. Think about where his poll is. If it is up, I am good. If it is down, I need to get it up. When Charlie is in front of my leg, I can move him forward and backward easily, but if he is long and low, my only option is to lunge flat for pukers. This means big canter going into a corner and then half halt and sit up coming out of the corner towards the fence.
- I need to get Charlie rounder, right from the start. I let him warm up all long and low but then expect him to automatically work round. Part of this is a steady outside rein and push into that rein from the inside leg.
- I also need to get him to flex his jaw and not tilt his head out to the left.
- I need to be more precise. If I want a transition at M, it needs to happen at M, not three strides later (even if it is well done).
- I also need to ride the fences like I mean it. My trick to make them bigger might be to make me work harder, and so I just need to channel that energy to the regular size ones.
I'm on track for the Rebecca Novice 3 day. For the next couple weeks, I'll stick with my current conditioning, then we will switch to a 10 day schedule. The two weeks before Rebecca, we will switch again to get him ready to go. He says Whidbey is fun, but is ok to skip it this year since it and Young Riders are both so close to Rebecca.
I wish his schedule and my schedule weren't so hard to find lesson times. I really like riding with him - every time I feel like I learn more and get more tools to improve.
The short version is I have not miraculously turned into a different rider without lessons from him over the winter (and fall and spring).
I need to:
- Sit up
- Get Charlie in front of my leg. Think about where his poll is. If it is up, I am good. If it is down, I need to get it up. When Charlie is in front of my leg, I can move him forward and backward easily, but if he is long and low, my only option is to lunge flat for pukers. This means big canter going into a corner and then half halt and sit up coming out of the corner towards the fence.
- I need to get Charlie rounder, right from the start. I let him warm up all long and low but then expect him to automatically work round. Part of this is a steady outside rein and push into that rein from the inside leg.
- I also need to get him to flex his jaw and not tilt his head out to the left.
- I need to be more precise. If I want a transition at M, it needs to happen at M, not three strides later (even if it is well done).
- I also need to ride the fences like I mean it. My trick to make them bigger might be to make me work harder, and so I just need to channel that energy to the regular size ones.
I'm on track for the Rebecca Novice 3 day. For the next couple weeks, I'll stick with my current conditioning, then we will switch to a 10 day schedule. The two weeks before Rebecca, we will switch again to get him ready to go. He says Whidbey is fun, but is ok to skip it this year since it and Young Riders are both so close to Rebecca.
I wish his schedule and my schedule weren't so hard to find lesson times. I really like riding with him - every time I feel like I learn more and get more tools to improve.
Saturday, May 03, 2014
Sessions with Beth - 3 exercises that make a world of difference
Today I brought Charlie to Beth Glosten's, in Redmond, for a pilates session for me, and then a lesson on Charlie. I have been struggling with how to try to fix a crookedness I can't feel. Beth very patiently went through how I would describe how things feel, so that I can label them and fix them without getting confused. For example, if I start looking in the mirror, I can see that my left leg is much longer than my right. But my right seat feels much heavier than my left, so if I try to fix it by putting more weight in my left leg, I just make the problem worse.
Beth identified three things for me to focus on:
1. When going to the left at the trot, make sure my shoulders are in the direction I want Charlie to go. I usually have to think to myself to put my right shoulder forward, and then I also turn my head, so I have to put my head back looking between his ears.
2. Still going to the left at the trot, try to sit with my left seat bone as close to the center of the saddle as I can get it. One way to do this is by putting my left hand under my butt so I have another way to feel where it's at.
3. Use my core. This is both to control my seat bone (for example, I use my core muscles to sit "softly" instead of slamming my weight down on the sitting step of the trot) and also to reduce the S curve in my spine. A side note here, I can get the lower part of the S correct, but I can't feel the upper part of the S. I need to lean forward a bit, but not round my shoulders, and then put my head back. So shoulders, you are on deck once I master this twisty pretzel thing in my hip.
When I first get on (or take a break), I look in the mirror, and if my left leg is long, I shorten the distance between my hip and my ribs on the left side (do a "hula"). This sounds simple, but is really hard to get those muscles to do their job. My leg and my butt are far more willing to do the work than my core muscles. I think the same thing trotting.
4. Cantering right is also all about the core. If I try to push my left sit bone towards the center using my leg, Charlie still flings out through his left side. But if I use my core to hold my sit bone in the center, Charlie comes up balanced underneath me and stops bulging out. It was like a miracle once I figured out the two different ways to try to move the sit bone and how differently Charlie reacted depending on which one I did.
We did 10 meter figure 8s at the walk, and then 20 meters at the trot. Beth said the exercise without the left stirrup is a good one, but for now, I need to retrain the muscle memory so I don't panic and revert to the bad habits. We also did 2 point, but a "correct" 2 point where I hinge at the hip, keep my leg back, and use the core in "plank" to hold me up, instead of just pushing my butt over the back of the saddle and letting my legs slip forward.
It sounds really simple, and I could feel the difference, but I just don't have very good muscle control yet to keep holding those movements. I have my fingers crossed that with something this specific to focus on, I'll be able to see some progress by my next session with her.
Beth also had a couple other observations - she noticed my saddle is always tilting left, and since it is a Flair (with the air panels) I let some air out of the right side to try for the next ride. The gel pad also shifts left. She said she thinks that I am landing first on my right sit bone, and so I twist sideways to make up for it. She thinks that I feel heavy on the right side because the sit bone is in a different place in the saddle - it rides much closer to center while the left one is way out to the left, so that is why I'm getting confused because the right leg feels strong and secure but the left one feels loose and flappy, even though it is the one bearing all the weight (proof is in the long stirrup). She suggested also getting on from the right side instead of the left, just to make my brain have to flex a bit.
After she watched me, she could do a really good job mimicking the movement and then showing me how to change things to change the way the movement would work. As a kinesthetic learner, this was spectacularly useful for me because I don't always get it with just words.
She has also given me exercises (that are in her book) to work on at home to strengthen those core muscles and refine them so that I don't have to move in one giant block and can get the core working. Right now, it is an embarrassing soft squishy marshmallow.
I am inspired! All is not lost and I don't have to quit riding!
Beth identified three things for me to focus on:
1. When going to the left at the trot, make sure my shoulders are in the direction I want Charlie to go. I usually have to think to myself to put my right shoulder forward, and then I also turn my head, so I have to put my head back looking between his ears.
2. Still going to the left at the trot, try to sit with my left seat bone as close to the center of the saddle as I can get it. One way to do this is by putting my left hand under my butt so I have another way to feel where it's at.
3. Use my core. This is both to control my seat bone (for example, I use my core muscles to sit "softly" instead of slamming my weight down on the sitting step of the trot) and also to reduce the S curve in my spine. A side note here, I can get the lower part of the S correct, but I can't feel the upper part of the S. I need to lean forward a bit, but not round my shoulders, and then put my head back. So shoulders, you are on deck once I master this twisty pretzel thing in my hip.
When I first get on (or take a break), I look in the mirror, and if my left leg is long, I shorten the distance between my hip and my ribs on the left side (do a "hula"). This sounds simple, but is really hard to get those muscles to do their job. My leg and my butt are far more willing to do the work than my core muscles. I think the same thing trotting.
4. Cantering right is also all about the core. If I try to push my left sit bone towards the center using my leg, Charlie still flings out through his left side. But if I use my core to hold my sit bone in the center, Charlie comes up balanced underneath me and stops bulging out. It was like a miracle once I figured out the two different ways to try to move the sit bone and how differently Charlie reacted depending on which one I did.
We did 10 meter figure 8s at the walk, and then 20 meters at the trot. Beth said the exercise without the left stirrup is a good one, but for now, I need to retrain the muscle memory so I don't panic and revert to the bad habits. We also did 2 point, but a "correct" 2 point where I hinge at the hip, keep my leg back, and use the core in "plank" to hold me up, instead of just pushing my butt over the back of the saddle and letting my legs slip forward.
It sounds really simple, and I could feel the difference, but I just don't have very good muscle control yet to keep holding those movements. I have my fingers crossed that with something this specific to focus on, I'll be able to see some progress by my next session with her.
Beth also had a couple other observations - she noticed my saddle is always tilting left, and since it is a Flair (with the air panels) I let some air out of the right side to try for the next ride. The gel pad also shifts left. She said she thinks that I am landing first on my right sit bone, and so I twist sideways to make up for it. She thinks that I feel heavy on the right side because the sit bone is in a different place in the saddle - it rides much closer to center while the left one is way out to the left, so that is why I'm getting confused because the right leg feels strong and secure but the left one feels loose and flappy, even though it is the one bearing all the weight (proof is in the long stirrup). She suggested also getting on from the right side instead of the left, just to make my brain have to flex a bit.
After she watched me, she could do a really good job mimicking the movement and then showing me how to change things to change the way the movement would work. As a kinesthetic learner, this was spectacularly useful for me because I don't always get it with just words.
She has also given me exercises (that are in her book) to work on at home to strengthen those core muscles and refine them so that I don't have to move in one giant block and can get the core working. Right now, it is an embarrassing soft squishy marshmallow.
I am inspired! All is not lost and I don't have to quit riding!
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