Dressage after four days off

Duke got new shoes Tuesday, immediately twisted one and stabbed himself in the foot with the clamp, and so got most of the week off.
I couldn't tell if he was a tiny bit off or just stiff from his week off and forgetting how to be ridden, but it led to John riding him, which was awesome, as always.
He was pretty stiff for John, and John did a lot of counterbend, some leg yields down the long side, and then counter canter.
When I got on, we worked on getting him forward and then round, and depending on which direction we were going (and thus, which way he was stiff), I'd keep my outside hand steady (going left, I pushed it into his withers to hold it still) and then move my outside leg back to push his haunches in towards John in the center of the circle, inside leg up in front of the girth, close to his shoulder, and then squeeze and release inside hand to get a bend.
We did some counterbend, moving him in a smaller circle around John, then bend, then leg yield back out onto the main circle.  Once he softened and gave over his topline, I'd release to reward him.
If he's tilting his head to the inside, I use the outside hand, but other than that, I keep the outside hand steady.
The big thing John reminded me of is that half halt aids are a steady squeeze, not a squeeze and release like a go forward aid.  I have definitely not been doing that right.
John said I should also work on a positive mental attitude, instead of always focusing on the negative.  That's a good life lesson as well.
It was good to be working hard again, and it will be nice when I can ride Duke as well as John does without needing John to talk me through every step.

My first (?) fall on Duke

I rode with Christa today, and with hindsight, made every mistake I know not to.
First, I hacked Duke Tuesday.  and I was at the Rolling Stones last night, so maybe John didn't ride him Wed.  Ashley told me all the horses were kind of hyper from all the noise with the jump construction and show prep (which I, moronically, said "good" in response).
Then, Christa and I were trying to stay out of Kristie's way, and then looking for John, and then talking, so we didn't do a real warm up.
John had us start with a cross rail, which became a huge vertical.  We didn't do any trot or canter warm up (like he usually does when it's me alone).
Then we did a big sweeping right hand turn vertical to oxer, than a hard left hand roll back 10 meter turn vertical to oxer.  I had a hard time seeing the difference in the two lines.  When you ride the sweeping turn to the oxer, you have more space than when you ride the tight roll back to the oxer.  John said we rode the roll back too tight.
From there, we were supposed to do a vertical to oxer, left hand turn, one stride to two stride (triple), right hand turn, the easy vertical to oxer.
Duke and I fell down on the left hand turn between the oxer and triple.
He was stiff in the bridle and didn't want to bend to the outside, and when it was obvious he was going to motorcycle through the turn, I panicked and instead of counterbending him, tried to open my inside hand.
And instead of fixing it - trotting, bending, turning, scrambling his legs - he decided to fall down.
He scraped his left side up with at least nine sand scrapes, and landed a bit on me.  My right back and left hip and knee are gimpy.
John had us sweep off, get back on, and ride it again, with a trot in between the oxer and left turn to the triple when he refused to get the correct lead (or trot) and then again.  Duke was just stiff and mad and knocked the rails, and got every single lead wrong.  But we did it.
I hurt already.  I feel old, and an ominous foreboding about how long my riding career will actually last if I hurt more and more with every fall.

Jump lesson after John rode

It's been a month (?) or so since John rode Duke, and god damn that man can ride a horse.  I rode Duke early yesterday morning and he felt great, but with a few instructions from John (outside leg up in front of girth; inside leg then bend then forward) all of a sudden in the trot in warm up, Duke *lengthened* like nobody's business - as in, I could actually feel his front feet and shoulders pick up. It was DIVINE.
Then we jumped some jumps, like rock stars.
Then John solved my life problems.  I asked him how he made me do things and he looked astonished and astounded and said "I don't TELL you, I ask you.  And when you're doing something [stupid], I ask you why you're doing it."

Duke jumped a cross rail, vertical, oxer, then a triple that was a one stride to two stride.  Sometimes we had to do it twice for me to get it right, but then we'd get it right and it was amazing.
John said that Rebecca FEI ring was lots of rails down compared to the other ring, and he thinks it was just too busy, it was too hard to focus on the basics (get your horse between your legs, get to the center of the fence).
I asked him if we should skip Spokane and he asked why, but the answer was no, Duke and I need the practice, and even though work kind of suck before, he'll help me like we did in the spring with Duke staying with him as necessary.

LOVE John.  Love him.

Cross country lesson at Caber

Today we worked on cross country.  Duke was amazing.
John had us start over a log, a little more forward, and then turning left instead of right.
Then he had us jump a decent table with cut-outs to a roll top in six strides.  The first time, Duke drifted hard to the left just before the table, so I held that line so I wouldn't mess up the six strides.  Next time I tried to get through in the middle.  Third time, John had me open my right hand, and that kept Duke much straighter.
From there, we went out and jumped his huge trakehener, right hand turn to a table, up the hill to the log on top, and down the hill through the two stride angled cabins.  I was afraid of every single one of those fences, and Duke just cruised them like they were a cake walk.  John asked why I don't ride him like that at the shows.
From there, we worked on the water.  First, I rode the log that had a stride of gravel before the water.  Duke didn't blink an eye.  Then the prelim drop into the water.  No blink.  Then the freaking intermediate drop into the water.  No hesitation.
John had us do the two drops a few more times, sending Duke forward, and then collecting him about six strides before the drop.  He said that I need to be more forward, but that if Duke is going to perch, do it three strides before he would, so that I can put my leg on and send him forward again - before the jump.  He said he thinks Duke is probably saying "I got this mom" and I'm just letting him get long and flat and that I need to control him - just a tiny amount - until he has more experience at Prelim.  He said he thinks Duke will get smarter and smarter as we go, but that I need to give him a chance to see the fence we're jumping, especially when it's busy (slow down, give him a long line to it), and to let him figure out what the question is (oh, this is a coffin, I know how to ride through this).
We talked about how horses see, especially how the water jumps at Rebecca have a lot going on, and it's hard for him to tell which is his fence until the last minute.
It was a good confidence builder, and it surprised me how eager and forward Duke was, yet how responsive he is to coming back.  He's a good boy.

Dressage lesson at sitting trot

Most of our lesson today, post the trauma of our first go at Prelim at Rebecca Farm, was at the sitting trot, which was pretty cool.  Afterwards, John said it was because Duke said he had a bit of an attitude (although I wonder if it was a little bit me too) and he needed to make him understand that he has a job to do in exchange for the hay he gets to eat.
We started by talking about Rebecca, how each of the three phases went very wrong, even though I felt like I was riding better - and better prepared - than last year.  John said Duke was tense (and thus, I was) at dressage, that the atmosphere is more than I think it is; that for cross country he has no excuse for the first water, but the second water he probably just really didn't see the fence until the last second; and for show jumping he was probably flat, and I really, really should have used Debbie, who John uses because she talks just like he does.  We did learn I can use my crop over fences on xc and the world doesn't end, but that's kind of a pittance lesson.
So we went outside and worked in the dressage arena (small court) and he had me work on 10 meter circles at the canter, then change direction, get Duke rounder and rounder using my legs more than my hands, and then cantering.  From there we did 10 meter half circles and counter canter, with a change of direction.  John also had us go all the way around the long side with 10 meter circles at each letter (at trot).
We spent some time after the first bit of 10 meter circles working on "walking" turn on the forehand each direction.  The aid for this was "inside" bend, inside leg, but - critically - outside leg and outside hand to make the circle.  If I could coordinate all those aids, Duke did great, but as soon as I let one slip, it was obvious.
John had me keep sitting up and sitting deeper, and carrying my hands.  I was amazed that I was able to do it, although it was a bit obvious that concentrating or for transitions, I round my shoulders and curl up.  But - like that one key lesson where I could suddenly feel I was pulling with my hand just before each fence - I could finally feel it, and even feel it before John said it, so long as I wasn't trying to think of 5 other things, I could sort of, half ass correct it.
It was an amazing lesson.  I can't believe Duke can move like that, or that I can actually ride like that.  Of course, John had to tell us each movement and each step, but it was still me getting the movements, which was pretty cool.
It'll be very interesting to see what happens tomorrow when we practice xc and the water.  And even more interesting, what happens show after that.

Smooth jump lesson

Although I didn't ride Friday night (John rode Thursday), Duke was master class during his jump lesson today.  John told me that in the future, if I can't make it, even if it's late, to let him know and he will go out and hack Duke if he can.
We started over a cross rail, using it to change directions, then it turned into a vertical, and then John started us on a small course right away, with a seven stride line.  Then we jumped a two stride to five stride, then to a triple bar.
Duke felt great.  On turns, I bend him a little to the outside, then use an inside open hand to move his shoulders back over.  In between the fences, I have to think really hard about keeping my left leg on so he doesn't drift out.  I don't need to look down at the fence, and for the love of god, put my damn heels down.
But other than that, Duke was a delight to ride today.  It was very much a confidence building lesson.

Amazing dressage lesson

Duke had his hocks done last Thursday, so he had Friday and Saturday off, a hack (at the walk) Sunday, light ride Monday, and increased ride with 20 meter circles Tuesday.
John started us by "breaking up his neck" where he holds his neck stiff at the base.  I opened my inside hand, used my inside leg just a little to keep him from collapsing in too much, and then as soon as he bent his neck, used inside leg to leg yield back out onto a bigger circle (and released inside hand).  If he tried to bulge out through the outside shoulder, I used outside leg to keep him on the circle, moving in.
If I couldn't break him up, I'd either do a couple steps of counter bend, or move his haunches into the circle with the outside leg.  Then, when he gave everywhere, we'd ask him to go forward a little (both legs on-off-on-off even) and John said he could see a difference in the trot (I could feel it) where it was more "swinging".
We did this, took a break, did it again, then did the other side, a break, did it again.
Then we moved up to trot, doing it again, and then canter.
John had us change directions through the circle, and then he did this absolutely amazing thing, where I could FEEL Duke lift up his inside shoulder (John said that was his hind leg stepping under), which was really cool.
Duke tried to figure out what I wanted, and tried to do it.  It was pretty awesome.
But what was amazing was not only could I feel him go round, I could get him to do it.  John had to talk me through it, but I didn't have to have John get on him first to get that amazing feeling.  Very very very cool.

"Feel" and jump lesson

I had an epiphany about "feel".  It's taken a while for me to learn it, but when I talk about how Duke is "talking" to me, it's feel.  And that's thanks to re-reading the books, understanding that feeling what the horse is doing and responding to it is "feel."  I get now how some people have that instinctually, and how I've had to learn it by repetition and John's instruction, but at least I can do it a little bit.  It's been - probably - mostly riding Duke after John's ridden him that's taught it to me.  Very interesting.

Brief jump lesson summary - John said we still have a bad drift, but our distance is ok, that what I need to do is keep Duke between my legs (perpendicular to the fence) so that he doesn't twist in the air over the fence.  He thinks it might be the twist that's catching the rails at the show.  The other part is setting him up ahead of time - doing that bit of counter bend around the corner and then not rushing towards the fence.
There was, of course, much more to the lesson, which was great - with Duke making great turns and jumping huge fences and coming back to me well, and it was a great confidence booster.
The one thing I'm nervous about now is down banks into the water, but I'll ask John when we walk xc if I should just school it to be safe.
Duke's a great horse, John's a great instructor, and I'm pretty lucky to have a life where I can work with both of them.

Super quick summary of jump lesson

We jumped a few days ago, but I am so behind in unpacking and mowing and etc. that I haven't posted.  It was a good lesson; Duke felt great after John rode him while I was in San Fran - his back felt lifted, his mouth was soft, and he was very forward.  We jumped a few singles, then a vertical on each side of a circle, then John made a very complicated course, which Duke jumped dreamy, even though I forgot where we were a few fences from the end.  John said just circle next time I forget.
We worked on putting six strides into a five stride line, and then at the end John had us work on the flat.  The huge lightbulb was the half halt, closing my legs, keeping them closed, and then giving the rein aid.
Today Duke saw the farrier and John said from now on, always have the farrier at least 10 days before a show starts.

Dressage lesson

We had a good ride and John talked me through some of the issues from EI.  He said he was hard on me because I hadn't learned the letters for the dressage test and was looking for them, that when Duke was stiff, I didn't help him relax, and that yes, I do need to work on my posture.  He said I should wear the shoulders back aid at work.  He also said that the trainer next to him said she didn't know that he had students with bad equitation, and when I looked horrified, said she was sort of joking with him.

He said Duke helped me out a lot in jumping, but that he thinks that Duke was doing it for me - that he wouldn't necessarily do it for John or for Ashley and that I should be proud we finished a prelim together when neither of us had ever done one.  (And therefore, I'm not wasting Duke's potential, if he's happy with me.)

He said that we can only think of so many things at once, and so that's part of why I couldn't feel and fix things, but that some of it I should know.

He also said that we need to improve before we can move home, and to plan on staying all of June (until Inavale) but it's not written in stone.

For the lesson, we worked on 10 meter and then 20 meter circle, bending Duke and then counterbending, and then feeling him go round and giving.  For the canter, we worked on me actually sitting down, and feeling the difference in the moment of lift in his canter when I had my butt planted in the saddle, vs. flattening him out by leaning forward.

As always, a very useful lesson, and good discussion.  And Duke was lovely, and I wish we could translate that directly into the show ring.  As I type it, I realize that no one can - that's part of the show pressure.  

God damn, I'm lucky to be able to ride with John.

EI - our first prelim

Woooo.  We learned a lot and have so much to work on, but successfully completed.
Quickly:
Icing is 20 minutes - 15 off - 20 minutes.  Whenever he exerts himself.
Scrub his legs with betadine after he goes through water, to keep from getting little infections in the little scratches.
Put baby powder inside his boots to help prevent rubs.
Wrap immediately after icing, unless it's so hot he's standing in the stall sweating.  Wrapping later doesn't help.
No hay or grain two hours before he goes cross country.
He gets a hack on Monday and Tuesday off after an event.

Our dressage was good in warm up, but he was resistant in test.  We need to improve that, so when I tell him to leg yield, he does it, and doesn't gnash his jaw and stiffen his neck.  And I need to SIT UP.
That's good though - we could do it in warm up - so we just need to move it over to the test.  And he did the 4 steps of rein back!!

Cross country started rough - he was good in warm up, but the first half (10 fences) were like he'd never jumped before.  He seemed surprised, would leap up over them like a deer, land in a heap, and then shoot off again.  Then we had a refusal at the down bank into the water (which apparently several horses had trouble with), which led to time penalties as well.  However, after that we pretty much got our shit together and the second half of the course (the bigger half) was smooth and great.  We had to scramble over a few fences at the start, especially the "roller coaster" with a dip.  He just wasn't listening to my leg telling him to go forward.

Show jumping warm up was spectacular.  Then we took a break while we waited and I fell apart.  So he saved me on the first fence (we got two rails, but Ashley and Katy said it was his left drift that got me), and then it went pretty well.

I'm going to San Fran for four days this weekend, and John said it's too long.  He was hard on me in the warm ups, but at the end said we saw what to work on the rest of the season and it was good I completed.  Duke came in 11 out of 21, but after dressage we were fourth from the bottom (18).  I couldn't have done it without John.  I wasn't shaky nervous, but I wasn't comfortable.

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.

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.

Half halts and the importance of a proper jumping warm up

While we had a serious improvement in our jumping, it was a rough lesson.  John had us do lots of flat warm up - bending Duke outside, then inside, then changing direction, making 15 meter and 10 meter circles, getting him very round, asking him to go forward a bit, and then asking for half steps.
He then started us into the fences right away, and told me to keep the canter the same as it was on the flat.  Duke did great until we started the combinations, and then he'd rush a bit on the far side, but he'd come back pretty much right away, as soon as I gave him the aids.
John had me at the end work on circles again, more trot, and down transitions, similar to the warm up, but a bit more focus on bend.
Duke got pretty sweaty, and I was struggling, but I'm not sure why.
We started with a cross rail, then vertical, then changed directions over the black and white vertical, jumped the plank, then the plank to oxer, oxer to vertical, then slightly bending line oxer to vertical.
A few times we had to circle 10 meters or 15 meters in between, but Duke quieted down.
John said that I need to commit to riding modified and then prelim; that Duke can handle the height and the dressage test (if I ride it and don't wuss out), and that it's just modified.
He said that when I'm riding, I need to ask for more from Duke.  Ask him to be round and don't let him get away with flipping his head and blowing me off.
I'm glad we did better, and I'm glad he worked me through the warm up I need to ride, but I've been pretty anxious about how far we slipped (and today I felt super out of shape and fat, even before I got to the lesson - not enough hours so I'm half-assing everything) with show season starting next weekend.  I'm not sure we're ready for the big leagues, even with the step in between.

Tempered the jumping a little bit

We jumped outside today, and Duke started out with his same ... eager ... approach.  He quieted down towards the end, but I think he just got tired, rather than me riding better.
John had us bend him to the right in the warm up - Duke was very resistant, and later John explained that he needs to bend and not just hang on the left rein.
We started over the plank, then plank with a pole, then a vertical, and then did an oxer - 6 stride - vertical, and we had some problems getting the line.  We had to halt a few times on the far side, rather than Duke motorcycling around the corner.  Then we turned left, then we made a figure 8, with a plank to an oxer, and then oxer to vertical.
Duke got pretty wound up, and John had us circle, then ride past it without jumping, then ride just the oxer without jumping the second vertical.  Then he had put up a guiding pole (leaning on the front of the oxer) and gradually inched it forward.  We did this fine while it was just a circle over the oxer, but as soon as we added the vertical back in, I jumped the oxer too far to the left.
Duke listened, in between the fences, but he was still very forward, and I'm pretty anxious about how the show season will start.  It feels like we've gone very far backwards since our great jumping this winter, but I'm not sure why.

Amazing dressage lesson

Today was a great dressage lesson, where I felt a lot of what John's been teaching me start to really make sense.
We worked on not breaking the connection by bending my wrist or putting my elbow forward.  Duke responds much better when my elbow is "connected" to my hip, and I pull straight back with it, rather than curling my wrist.
We also worked on connection from the inside leg to the outside rein, and shifting from a "C" to the inside of the circle to renvers (a "C" to the outside of the circle).  We did this by riding 10 meter circles, changing directions, and then leg yielding - just a bit - out to make the circle bigger.
Duke was great.
I, however, need to work on my posture.  In both canter and in trot, I need to sit up - pull my shoulderblades back, and in the canter, put my seat down (sit - glide - sit - glide) and then let my knees go "long", which felt a little bit like pushing my legs forward just a bit.
This was one of the very intense "feel" lessons, where I felt the aids connect to get the result, but it is - once again - hard to describe.  I don't know if that's because it's about feelings, which don't translate well into words - or if it's because it's still just a little bit too new and I'm just grasping the concepts.
Either way, Duke felt great.  It feels like we've made so much progress in two years.

Jump lesson - Duke still spicy

Tonight we jumped in a solo lesson, but Duke was still grabbing the bit and rushing at the fences.
John had me half halt, bend him to the outside, steer him (both hands) to the inside, and halt after the fences.  We jumped little fences, and John had me kind of sneak up on them, but once Duke caught on we were jumping, he was still an eager beaver.
It was a good lesson to work on riding him, but it was kind of frustrating that we're still struggling with this.  I'm not quite sure what's going on.

Dressage on the jalapeño

That's a bit of a misnomer, because Duke has actually been pretty good under saddle (other than the one day I let him go crazy) on the flat - it's just over fences that he's excitable.
John had us work on a 10 meter circle at the trot and then canter, and then go out to a 20 meter circle and back in.
Duke was really great, but John pushed us to get more round and for me to not just accept as much as Duke gave.  He had me pull my right elbow (at that point, it was the outside elbow) into my rib cage, which Duke reacted very strongly to, so it must be an aid that John uses regularly.  It helped make him round.
He also had me half halt by closing my legs and squeezing (and slowing down the trot by slowing down my posting or sitting - I posted slower) and then, once Duke was round, doing on-off-on-off leg aids.
I did - I think for the first time - think "inside leg to outside hand" and then did it, and then thought "omg, I just finally did it" so that was kind of cool.  I mean, it's taken 30 years, but I finally got it.
John wanted me to sit up and down more in the saddle, not in the perched half seat, but with my seat bones down in the saddle.  With short reins this was hard, I had to really use muscles to push myself back.  But once I was there, I could really wrap my legs down and around Duke, and feel like I was lifting him up into me.
We talked about changing his grain when he's done with his current bag.  John said the Omolene 200 makes them hot - it has a lot of carbohydrates - and Duke doesn't need to gain weight.

Continued jalapeño

We rode with John's Oregon student today; John wanted to see if Duke was a firecracker because there was another horse there (and work on it) or if he's just full of energy.  Well, it could be either because he was still a firecracker.
We had to ride into the wall to halt (then pat him) and do some half halts on the way in.  Duke wanted to grab the bit and just lunge at the fences.  It was easy to stay with him, but not terribly fun to ride, kind of frustrating.
The funniest part was when John said "whoa" really quiet and Duke pretty much came to a standstill. We all cracked up, and John said he guessed he'd have to stand in the middle of the show arena and do a "whoa whoa" rain dance.

Duke the jalapeño

We jumped last night with Christa, and man, Duke was ready to go.  I put him out in the round pen first, which evoked one leap, but that was about it.
Then I got on him, and he was like "yyyaaaaasssss!"
We could not share with Christa.  Instead, I had to ride him to a halt, because he'd LEAP the final stride and then charge after the fence.  I saw Parker ride one of John's horses using the wall to halt a few weeks ago, so I did that, until he got calmer and we could halt earlier, and by the end, we didn't need to halt at all, we could make the turn (a figure 8 from an oxer to a vertical which I saw Andrea doing last weekend and thought I could never ever do) and go to the next fence.
John checked him about half way through, after he got sweaty, to see if his leg muscles were tensing up, and he was ok, but he said not to go to OHC this weekend.  I thought Duke was just too wound up, but John was focused on him coming back up to work after the incident.