Charlie with the long sought after cooler

Charlie with the long sought after cooler
Spring NWEC 2013 Novice

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Excellent dressage lesson

Duke had the vet last Friday, a light ride Saturday, and had Sunday through Tuesday off (round pen Tuesday and today) because he had an abscess (?) come out of his left hind hoof bulb.  His leg has been warm and swollen (worst on Sunday), but the bulb itself hasn't been bothering him, even after it burst on Monday.
I thought he would be a maniac, but he was excellent in his dressage lesson.  John took it up a few notches, so it was pretty hard work, especially sitting down yet tall and not leaning forward at the canter.
We did work on 10 meter circles (trot and canter), going forward, leg yields (to wall, abruptly to wall, and to wall and then back over), then 10 meter circles changing direction going down the center line, and 20 meter circles.
John had me work on bending him around my leg, and for one canter, I had to reverse the leg aids (inside back, outside forward) because his haunches were too far in and then his shoulders were going out.  John had to explain Duke's mechanics, but then it made sense, so that was pretty cool.
John said to ride him boldly; that if I ride him bold at home, I'm not asking him to do more at a show.
At the end, we did a halt and rein back, and Duke wasn't the least bothered.
It was a fantastic lesson.

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Jumping and Spokane summary

Yesterday we had a jump lesson, but thanks to the rain, we started out inside.  John had me work at the trot and canter on the proper bend and getting Duke round.  We rode 20 and 10 meter circles around him, then around the arena.  He would call out the circle just before we got to the letter.  Then we rode down the quarter and center lines and did leg yields (hind leg crossing under) and then a bit of half pass (?) at the canter.  Duke was great.  To get the proper bend, sometimes we had to do just a bit of counterbend.
Outside, we trotted over a cross rail, then cantered, then cantered over a vertical, then cantered over a vertical with guiding poles on it.  Then we jumped the oxer six strides (sometimes seven) to a vertical, a Liverpool, and the plank to vertical.  The first few fences I had to use a pulley rein (leaning back doesn't work because your legs go out in front of you) and the aid is OUTSIDE hand pressed into the neck.  But after a few, Duke understood, and I just had to start the pulley rein aid and he'd give up and go round and slow down.
John said that we need to stay at Caber (instead of moving week after next) at least through EI, because I was so anxious at Spokane.  He said we also need to make sure we don't have another situation where I can't ride the two days before the show starts.  I was very grateful that John hauled him there and rode - it would have been a disaster otherwise - but I don't know how I'm going to be able to keep work from interfering.
He also talked about the technical aspect - how Duke can't get so long and flat that I can't get him back in between fences, and how although Duke thinks he's all that, if I don't help him out and set him up properly, he's going to get surprised at a fence (especially a corner) and we want to avoid that.
It was a great lesson.  Doug came to watch, so John talked to us and then Doug for a while afterwards.