Meg and I had a jump lesson on Tuesday this week because she and the Caber crew are going to Spokane instead of EI to start the season at the end of the week. It was a good lesson, but good in the sense that I was learning things the slow, hard, stupid way instead of the naturally talented way.
First, I asked John my series of questions (why is my truck squeaking (ball needed grease), should I worry about Charlie's stifle (no, I will just make myself neurotic; it would swell if the suspensory ligament was rubbing on the end of the bone); did I ride the tall bank correctly (maybe); how do you ride the downhill with a half stride (he didn't know); can I do my lesson next Tuesday (yes)).
Then we rode.
We started with a vertical, but Charlie got a bug in his ear and couldn't handle it and I had to stop and try to get it out, and then we rode anyway, but he spent so much time shaking his head, we kept coming in wrong. I didn't stop again because I wanted him to learn he had to work even if there was a bug in his ear. After we did that jump several times, John stopped us and rubbed Charlie's ear for him. John is apparently a better ear rubber than me.
Then we did an oxer going both directions, and I had some trouble getting Charlie uphill but not strung out (same problem I was having with vertical, although I thought that was because of the ear bug; and spoiler alert, the same problem I had all the way through the lesson). It was a big oxer. I think it was at John's belly and I meant to get off and check afterwards but forgot.
Then we did an airy vertical plank on a 4 stride line to an oxer, and angled the oxer. I could not get the first fence and jumped it like a spazz several times.
From there, we went to a combination with three - a one stride to two stride. John had me do the plank going the other way, then whip Charlie, then do it again. That definitely sparked Charlie up.
From there, we did the combination backwards - the oxer - two stride - vertical - one stride - vertical - 5 stride to an oxer. Both Meg and I flubbed this. My flub was that we rode this - like two lessons ago and the lesson before that too - and the line is a straight line, then bend - like 1 1/2 strides of straight, not a bend in the air over the final fence of the combination. John was mad because we both had ridden it, knew the line, and yet neither of us thought to ride it that way. We just kept riding it as a bending line and coming in at a weird place.
This is where I got really frustrated. I would have just ridden it with an awkward leap over and over and over again, never stopping to think how it needed to be ridden differently. As soon as John gave up and reminded me, it rode perfectly. But I'm mad because it didn't occur to me; and I already knew it.
John said that I need to ride Charlie uphill to the fences, that yes, he needs to be more responsive to my leg (each fence, it felt like we were just running out of steam as we got closer, but John says I am actually charging at each one), but that the fences are getting big enough that Charlie comes in cocky and ready to launch and then is like "oh shit" (my words) and kind of scrambles over it and that's where we get in trouble. If I bring him in uphill, even if he doesn't have as much forward, he can rock back and get over it. But if I bring him in forward, he comes in flat and downhill and can't get over it without some histrionics.
We ended with a discussion about clients, how there are some who expect John to fit them in the very next day (same for Meg, same for me) and others who are regular. I may not be John's most talented student, but I'm nothing if not diligent in planning ahead and trying to keep a regular schedule.
I talked with John about this several lessons ago, but I am sliding back downhill again on the curve of competency, realizing just how much I don't know, but more, when I watch Meg, how much Charlie saves my ass and how must I trust him to do that. I'm not sure that is making me a better rider, although the fact that I'm able to complain about Charlie taking care of me too much shows that I am truly capable of complaining about anything.
I am quite nervous about the show season. I really want Charlie and I to rock the region and get ready for prelim.
Charlie with the long sought after cooler
Spring NWEC 2013 Novice
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Thursday, May 12, 2016
My nemesis fence was worse in my imagination
As with most (but certainly not all) things, how I imagined the fence that took me and Charlie down last fall was much, much worse in my mind than in real life. In fact, it was so easy in real life that I went from fear (pooping fear prior to leaving to drive down today) to disgust that such an easy fence knocked us out of 5th place in the champs class and resulted in so much rehab. It rode easy peasy.
We warmed up over a vertical, and most of Charlie's jumps were pretty good. Meg and I did a bit of 2 point in our canter warm up, but I stayed pretty light to keep Charlie fresh.
We started with a little log, then an easy ramp to an up ramp bank to an off bank. Then an A frame with some decent scot's broom on it (so you had to jump on the right, left, or high over the center; I took the right). Then we did my nemesis.
It was just riding up to it, 4 strides, up the bank, two strides, off the bank. I was a little scared and stiff so my down bank was just me standing straight up and trying not to hit Charlie in the mouth, but he didn't bat an eye. John confessed later that he was a bit anxious too, but then saw how easy it was for Charlie. His additional theory is that Charlie, unlike most horses, accelerates when he comes into a new field. He said most horses don't, but look around. He said he saw it at Inavale too, but didn't notice it was consistent until he saw us do it today. So he expected we came across the culvert, accelerated and just came in too long and fast and got it in 3 1/2 strides instead of 4. I said that sounded exactly right.
He said he doesn't like for horses to jump cross country too much because they get dull to it, and especially for xc he likes to keep them sharp, but he let me jump it twice because it was obvious the first time that I didn't believe it was really that easy. It was also nice that John knew I was scared, didn't make a big deal out of it, but worked around it. He's the greatest instructor.
From there, we went down and did the ditch a few times each way, then the big honkin' ditch with the solid fence and scot's broom. Just like the last (two) times I rode it, Charlie jumped it like a breeze, and I just had to not think about it and look up.
From there, we went to the water and came in between two fences, off the bank into the water, over the corner, and around a nice table. Charlie hesitated a second looking at the water but then went on in.
John asked us if we wanted to do anything else and I said "yeah, the pimple" and he said "you know that's a 3' fence on top, right?" and I said "yes" (although I had no idea) and so we had to ride to it very forward, then pull him together, then kick-kick-kick. At the top, Charlie hesitated, hung in the air, then went down the back side like it was no big thang. But as we came up the hill, holy christ the fence was huge. I completely froze, and thank god for sweet Charlie who figured it out, jumped it, and went on his merry way. It was great to jump something like that with John right there (and telling us the sequence of steps) because it will make the log on the hill at Inavale now seem like nothing.
John said that we are both solid on xc, even if I have a "bewildered" look on my face a lot of the time, and that what he wants us to do next is start stringing the fences together, so that if we have a bit of a downhill after a table, we notice it and think ahead to the next fence and think, "I need to put him a bit together because that is also a bit downhill".
It was a really fun lesson. I get it, not wanting a horse to get too used to it - John used as an example if we did the pimple 5 times, Charlie would jump it exactly the same each time, but by the 5th time rub it. I wish I had two - one to drill me on, and then one for the shows.
We warmed up over a vertical, and most of Charlie's jumps were pretty good. Meg and I did a bit of 2 point in our canter warm up, but I stayed pretty light to keep Charlie fresh.
We started with a little log, then an easy ramp to an up ramp bank to an off bank. Then an A frame with some decent scot's broom on it (so you had to jump on the right, left, or high over the center; I took the right). Then we did my nemesis.
It was just riding up to it, 4 strides, up the bank, two strides, off the bank. I was a little scared and stiff so my down bank was just me standing straight up and trying not to hit Charlie in the mouth, but he didn't bat an eye. John confessed later that he was a bit anxious too, but then saw how easy it was for Charlie. His additional theory is that Charlie, unlike most horses, accelerates when he comes into a new field. He said most horses don't, but look around. He said he saw it at Inavale too, but didn't notice it was consistent until he saw us do it today. So he expected we came across the culvert, accelerated and just came in too long and fast and got it in 3 1/2 strides instead of 4. I said that sounded exactly right.
He said he doesn't like for horses to jump cross country too much because they get dull to it, and especially for xc he likes to keep them sharp, but he let me jump it twice because it was obvious the first time that I didn't believe it was really that easy. It was also nice that John knew I was scared, didn't make a big deal out of it, but worked around it. He's the greatest instructor.
From there, we went down and did the ditch a few times each way, then the big honkin' ditch with the solid fence and scot's broom. Just like the last (two) times I rode it, Charlie jumped it like a breeze, and I just had to not think about it and look up.
From there, we went to the water and came in between two fences, off the bank into the water, over the corner, and around a nice table. Charlie hesitated a second looking at the water but then went on in.
John asked us if we wanted to do anything else and I said "yeah, the pimple" and he said "you know that's a 3' fence on top, right?" and I said "yes" (although I had no idea) and so we had to ride to it very forward, then pull him together, then kick-kick-kick. At the top, Charlie hesitated, hung in the air, then went down the back side like it was no big thang. But as we came up the hill, holy christ the fence was huge. I completely froze, and thank god for sweet Charlie who figured it out, jumped it, and went on his merry way. It was great to jump something like that with John right there (and telling us the sequence of steps) because it will make the log on the hill at Inavale now seem like nothing.
John said that we are both solid on xc, even if I have a "bewildered" look on my face a lot of the time, and that what he wants us to do next is start stringing the fences together, so that if we have a bit of a downhill after a table, we notice it and think ahead to the next fence and think, "I need to put him a bit together because that is also a bit downhill".
It was a really fun lesson. I get it, not wanting a horse to get too used to it - John used as an example if we did the pimple 5 times, Charlie would jump it exactly the same each time, but by the 5th time rub it. I wish I had two - one to drill me on, and then one for the shows.
Saturday, May 07, 2016
Tough lesson.
It was about 85 today, but it felt very hot. Charlie was sluggish and didn't want to bend.
He got pretty round, but he had to lose speed to do it. John said that round and a bit slow is better than fast and strung out for his dressage test.
He was doing the thing where he refuses to bend to the left, so John had us do turn on the forehands, and when he still wouldn't bend, John took my whip to whip Charlie from the ground. Charlie was so surprised he kicked his own inside leg with his left hind leg and left a nice big gash.
The lesson should have been satisfying because even though Charlie started out stiff as a board and like we were moving through molasses, he ended up pretty nice and round. But it was frustrating because I was exhausted trying to ride him, and I'm not sure I can accomplish it on my own without John talking me through each step.
I said if I got him round and rode him round consistently, eventually he would add the speed, and John said not necessarily. He said he had some advanced horses that never really connected (I forget which verb he used) and he just worked around it because they had other strengths.
So what did John do to get him round?
We did some canter serpentines, leg yield, 10 meter circles, and shoulder in. 10 meter circles were both trot and canter.
Every once in a while, I could feel Charlie lift his shoulder and all of a sudden it was all there, but it only lasted a few steps and went away again. It was like he was saying "I CAN do this. I am just choosing not to." I couldn't tell anything I was doing different that made it happen sometimes and not other times.
We also did some work at the sitting trot, including some bigger sitting trot. As much as I hate this, it doesn't feel quite as horrible as it used to, so I guess that's progress.
John had me shorten my reins, use a steady outside rein, and then ask for bend with inside rein and inside leg. Sometimes with a leg yield step to the outside. Once he had me jiggle the rein so that it was out of sync with his strides, and that got Charlie to snap to attention for a second.
I think what is hard is I feel the couple of great steps, but I don't know what makes them happen - they seem to be blind dumb luck. But I don't really feel the round over the top line (although it is easier to feel at the sitting trot - I can actually sit, vs. when he's strung out and it's like having your back shaken like a rag doll), he just feels slow. So I need to get that feel in order to know when it's a good slow vs. just a lazy slow.
He got pretty round, but he had to lose speed to do it. John said that round and a bit slow is better than fast and strung out for his dressage test.
He was doing the thing where he refuses to bend to the left, so John had us do turn on the forehands, and when he still wouldn't bend, John took my whip to whip Charlie from the ground. Charlie was so surprised he kicked his own inside leg with his left hind leg and left a nice big gash.
The lesson should have been satisfying because even though Charlie started out stiff as a board and like we were moving through molasses, he ended up pretty nice and round. But it was frustrating because I was exhausted trying to ride him, and I'm not sure I can accomplish it on my own without John talking me through each step.
I said if I got him round and rode him round consistently, eventually he would add the speed, and John said not necessarily. He said he had some advanced horses that never really connected (I forget which verb he used) and he just worked around it because they had other strengths.
So what did John do to get him round?
We did some canter serpentines, leg yield, 10 meter circles, and shoulder in. 10 meter circles were both trot and canter.
Every once in a while, I could feel Charlie lift his shoulder and all of a sudden it was all there, but it only lasted a few steps and went away again. It was like he was saying "I CAN do this. I am just choosing not to." I couldn't tell anything I was doing different that made it happen sometimes and not other times.
We also did some work at the sitting trot, including some bigger sitting trot. As much as I hate this, it doesn't feel quite as horrible as it used to, so I guess that's progress.
John had me shorten my reins, use a steady outside rein, and then ask for bend with inside rein and inside leg. Sometimes with a leg yield step to the outside. Once he had me jiggle the rein so that it was out of sync with his strides, and that got Charlie to snap to attention for a second.
I think what is hard is I feel the couple of great steps, but I don't know what makes them happen - they seem to be blind dumb luck. But I don't really feel the round over the top line (although it is easier to feel at the sitting trot - I can actually sit, vs. when he's strung out and it's like having your back shaken like a rag doll), he just feels slow. So I need to get that feel in order to know when it's a good slow vs. just a lazy slow.
Thursday, May 05, 2016
I fell off. In front of John, Ashley, and Meg.
Other than the falling off, it was a great lesson. But it was the first time I've ever fallen off in front of John, and I didn't do it gracefully. I shot off Charlie's left side like a star fish and said "eeeeeee!" the whole way down, like I saw a mouse and was falling towards it.
Matty was being kind of a jerk and kicking out before the fences and then bucking when Meg got after him. Charlie felt slow, but John said he was fine and I was launching him at the fences for no reason.
We started with a vertical, then did a loop-de-loop figure 8 that was a left lead, right lead, left lead, right lead. Charlie actually had no problem with his leads. Then we added an oxer to the left a couple times, then a big loop around to an oxer to the right, back to the oxer to the left, to the right. Meg rode this first and had some trouble making the right hand turn. Then I rode it and immediately fell off on the first right hand turn. After that, it was fine to ride, it was just that first time I thought we needed speed to get over the oxer and that left us too long and flat to be able to make the hard right turn. John said to stop trying to go faster; I'm going plenty fast.
From there, we did a left hand turn into a one stride, right hand bend to an oxer, left turn to an oxer, back through the one stride.
After that, we added a four stride right hand turn to a vertical at the end.
Charlie rode all of those like a dream boat. The only thing was he would only get the left lead in the front, and I didn't have time to change the back and wrestle with him, so John told me to just leave it and ride it anyway. Charlie rode it fine.
John said before I got mad, to realize that last year, he wouldn't even change in the front, so at least there was that. And he said that Charlie knows now that we want him to change, so just leave it alone for a while. He said Charlie is smart enough to figure out that it is easier to change when I'm asking him to in the air instead of cross firing around the corners, and that he should just start doing it on his own in a while. I hope so.
I like riding with Meg because I like to watch her ride the line. It is easier for me to ride it after I see her do it. (except when I fall off) I also like the little tips, like she mentioned how she had to switch to her short crop because she has gotten so used to riding with her dressage whip. Since I spent all of the Aspen derby whipping my own leg instead of Charlie, it was good to hear it's more of a universal problem and that she switches. It is also nice to hear what she thinks about her ride on Matty, since I have watched it. She's a much better rider than me, in knowledge and in form, and I hope that I continue to develop so I'm a better rider in the future too.
And this weather - man. It is nice stuff to have sun and warmth.
Matty was being kind of a jerk and kicking out before the fences and then bucking when Meg got after him. Charlie felt slow, but John said he was fine and I was launching him at the fences for no reason.
We started with a vertical, then did a loop-de-loop figure 8 that was a left lead, right lead, left lead, right lead. Charlie actually had no problem with his leads. Then we added an oxer to the left a couple times, then a big loop around to an oxer to the right, back to the oxer to the left, to the right. Meg rode this first and had some trouble making the right hand turn. Then I rode it and immediately fell off on the first right hand turn. After that, it was fine to ride, it was just that first time I thought we needed speed to get over the oxer and that left us too long and flat to be able to make the hard right turn. John said to stop trying to go faster; I'm going plenty fast.
From there, we did a left hand turn into a one stride, right hand bend to an oxer, left turn to an oxer, back through the one stride.
After that, we added a four stride right hand turn to a vertical at the end.
Charlie rode all of those like a dream boat. The only thing was he would only get the left lead in the front, and I didn't have time to change the back and wrestle with him, so John told me to just leave it and ride it anyway. Charlie rode it fine.
John said before I got mad, to realize that last year, he wouldn't even change in the front, so at least there was that. And he said that Charlie knows now that we want him to change, so just leave it alone for a while. He said Charlie is smart enough to figure out that it is easier to change when I'm asking him to in the air instead of cross firing around the corners, and that he should just start doing it on his own in a while. I hope so.
I like riding with Meg because I like to watch her ride the line. It is easier for me to ride it after I see her do it. (except when I fall off) I also like the little tips, like she mentioned how she had to switch to her short crop because she has gotten so used to riding with her dressage whip. Since I spent all of the Aspen derby whipping my own leg instead of Charlie, it was good to hear it's more of a universal problem and that she switches. It is also nice to hear what she thinks about her ride on Matty, since I have watched it. She's a much better rider than me, in knowledge and in form, and I hope that I continue to develop so I'm a better rider in the future too.
And this weather - man. It is nice stuff to have sun and warmth.
Sunday, May 01, 2016
Gallop with some fences
Yesterday's lesson included lots and lots of laps of galloping in the big sand arena, then a couple fences, then some more gallop. Then a two minute break, then do again.
My conditioning (and running) has not made me a superwoman for galloping at the two point. Charlie and I were both breathing heavy, streaming sweat, and getting slower and slower (my form got lousier and lousier) as the lesson went on.
All the fences but one were pretty decent. We did the same lines as last week in our group lesson, but coming off of a gallop until several strides away. This made me more confident about how to ride them, but I still missed one left hand turn. Good news is I felt it coming strides away and just didn't react in time - I missed the center of the first fence and it totally threw off the line to the second fence. A great mistake to feel in a lesson because I can totally see how I will need to be very precise and careful at the show.
One interesting thing was how much farther out John told me to sit up than I would have, and to balance him.
Another was that when I gallop, I kind of throw the reins away. John had me keep contact and keep him round. So maybe my gallops haven't been as much of a waste, because I haven't been doing them right anyway.
John also told me to make a single bridge, which is a bridge but just in one hand, and one hand just has a single rein. That way you don't have to let go of both to use the free hand. He said he usually holds the double in his outside hand.
He had two comments about my form - flat back not rounded back and heels forward and down.
We had to start turning in the air over the first fence to make the second fence in four strides, but this wasn't as hard as I thought, if I thought about it in time.
Charlie absolutely refused to get the correct lead or change leads. If I landed going right, he'd land on the left lead, out of spite as best as I could tell. If I tried to do a flying change, he'd just toss his head up. If I put him on a circle, he'd just counter canter. If I broke to a trot, he'd pick up the incorrect lead again. John was laughing but I was steaming. Ashley told me before the lessons she untaught Nick his flying changes because they have to counter canter in the dressage test, and he would offer the change. She says she either lands on the correct lead (most of the time) or does a simple change. That was good to know, except my simple changes at Aspen took too long and we always (except for this lesson) land on the right lead.
My conditioning (and running) has not made me a superwoman for galloping at the two point. Charlie and I were both breathing heavy, streaming sweat, and getting slower and slower (my form got lousier and lousier) as the lesson went on.
All the fences but one were pretty decent. We did the same lines as last week in our group lesson, but coming off of a gallop until several strides away. This made me more confident about how to ride them, but I still missed one left hand turn. Good news is I felt it coming strides away and just didn't react in time - I missed the center of the first fence and it totally threw off the line to the second fence. A great mistake to feel in a lesson because I can totally see how I will need to be very precise and careful at the show.
One interesting thing was how much farther out John told me to sit up than I would have, and to balance him.
Another was that when I gallop, I kind of throw the reins away. John had me keep contact and keep him round. So maybe my gallops haven't been as much of a waste, because I haven't been doing them right anyway.
John also told me to make a single bridge, which is a bridge but just in one hand, and one hand just has a single rein. That way you don't have to let go of both to use the free hand. He said he usually holds the double in his outside hand.
He had two comments about my form - flat back not rounded back and heels forward and down.
We had to start turning in the air over the first fence to make the second fence in four strides, but this wasn't as hard as I thought, if I thought about it in time.
Charlie absolutely refused to get the correct lead or change leads. If I landed going right, he'd land on the left lead, out of spite as best as I could tell. If I tried to do a flying change, he'd just toss his head up. If I put him on a circle, he'd just counter canter. If I broke to a trot, he'd pick up the incorrect lead again. John was laughing but I was steaming. Ashley told me before the lessons she untaught Nick his flying changes because they have to counter canter in the dressage test, and he would offer the change. She says she either lands on the correct lead (most of the time) or does a simple change. That was good to know, except my simple changes at Aspen took too long and we always (except for this lesson) land on the right lead.
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