Holy cow, Willig has pulled himself together. Looking back to a year ago and how I was just buying time and making some last ditch efforts before I offered him for sale - to now, where I look forward to riding him, and miracle of miracles, the fear of jumping is slipping away and I'm actually starting to enjoy it again! I owe tremendous thanks to both my trainers, Mike and Shannon, and to Jess, who has done an incredible job working with him since March.
We had a jumping lesson with Shannon on Saturday, and I was all antsy about riding him outside since the Pony Clubbers were there, and I didn't want to be humiliated in front of them. So that's where we rode.
After an odd lunge line experience. Poor Mr. W had Thursday and Friday off because I had to write an unexpected brief for the Court of Appeals, and so I got there for an extra half hour of lunging. And very uncharacteristically for him, he was like "Let's see how craz-ee I can be on the lunge line! Wee!" and proceeded to buck and jump and just canter and canter and canter and canter, switch leads, switch back, and keep cantering.
Shannon pointed out there is a purpose for the side reins, and that I should take the extra 30 seconds to put them on. Especially when I think he might be a bit of a nut. She also said that when he starts bucking, to whip him so he scoots his butt and runs forward, which breaks the buck.
Once I got on, we hopped over a little rail on a circle, Shannon dropped all the fences from the pony club ponies (another fat slice of humble pie for me), then we cantered a little course.
He ran out at the oxer, and that is the only complaint for the whole lesson. Here's the fix:
I felt him hesitating as we approached, but I assumed he was looking at it but going to go over, since he hasn't been refusing lately, and so I gave him a light extra squeeze, but that was it. I didn't cluck, I didn't whip, I didn't kick, I didn't yell. And when he ran out, I just gently looped him back into a circle to come back at it.
The correct response was, at the moment of hesitation (or even a suspicion of hesitation), I can kick, yell, whip, and generally make his life easier by going over the fence than by refusing. I suspect he learned in the past, before me, how to run out, since he's been sneaky and inconsistent with it ever since I got him, but I need to fix that. And if he does try to run out, YANK his face back in front of that fence, and clobber him until he goes over or through it. This is just a show jumping oxer, and we can go through it instead of over it.
Other than that, he did great. After the first "successful" course, Shannon raised all the fences to a "normal" (looks like about 2'4" - 2'6") and we did a slightly different course at the canter, and he jumped a narrow, the oxer, the wall, and felt great.
I still need to keep working on my pesky heels being down, and evening up my right and left hands, but now I am making the jumps a bit bigger and bit scarier (today I brought out a piece of plywood to make one look solid, and a tarp to create a 'water'), and I'm feeling good about how far he's come.
Charlie with the long sought after cooler
Spring NWEC 2013 Novice
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Can a 4Runner pull a light horse trailer?
We're contemplating "downsizing" from my F-250 and my lead bottomed 3 horse trailer to a car that can also pull an alumnium 2-horse trailer but is a reasonable size for daily driving. The new 4Runners only tow 5,000 pounds, which seems to me like it's pushing the limits, but the ones that are just a couple years old tow somewhere in the 6-8,000 range (the exact number escapes me).
Does anyone have any experience pulling a horse trailer with a similar size SUV, or know of any stories?
The only SUVs I've ever seen or known to pull horse trailers are the big ones - like a Suburban.
Does anyone have any experience pulling a horse trailer with a similar size SUV, or know of any stories?
The only SUVs I've ever seen or known to pull horse trailers are the big ones - like a Suburban.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
1st? 2nd? It's all new to me.
We continued to build the next level above our foundation in our lesson with Mike today. He said that yes, next year I should show Willig 1st level, while continuing to work on 2nd and 3rd level moves (!!). He said that he thinks every horse and rider have the potential to go to FEI level if they work hard, because unlike jumping, dressage builds as you go, instead of having the natural limitation of the scope of the jumper. Later, he said that Willig and I were talented enough to keep going, and I took that as a compliment and rolled it around and around with me.
We started with a discussion of my dressage test and how the judges score. Mike gave some input into how he scores, which for any of you who haven't scribed at a local show, you should definitely do it, just for the insight and experience. I was mostly curious about my "tactful", and although Mike wasn't there, he interprets it as a comment for when the horse is being a bit of a goof and the rider doesn't overreact.
So then we started with a repeat (I couldn't do his job - repeating the same thing to me every other week!) about starting him out WORKING. I let Willig blaahhhh down into trot and bllaahhhh around instead of having snappy work starting right away. It's a bad habit, and there's no reason for it. He can start working on the bit after he's warmed up. He doesn't need the first few transitions to remember how to do a transition from walk to trot.
And of course, Mike continued to remind me about stretching my heel down and my knees relaxed. As soon as I think about other things, and especially when I'm trying to get Willig to move out, my leg sneaks back up.
And, let's not forget the left bend. I still don't bend him equally, and my pesky right hand, all during the lesson, kept being further back than my left. Even when I touch my thumbs together, when Mike tells me to look down, that hand is in the wrong place. It's actually kind of creepy.
For the bulk of the lesson, we worked on the trot to canter to trot transitions. This was hard. I asked Willig to come UP but with the same tempo, and then LIFT up into canter from this position, instead of running into canter. Then I'd ask him to hold his head up and slooowwww his canter down (this is sitting back, making sure I'm wiping the saddle with my pelvis, and half halts at the "front" of the wipe combined with some leg aid) and then speed it up again, if we didn't break into trot (which we almost always did). This is teaching Willig to use his hindquarters, but also that there are different speeds I will ask for, and slow down doesn't always mean go down a gait. Mike pointed out that Willig goes twice as fast stretched out as I can get him to slow down, so we need to practice on the slooowwwwiinngg.
Then we left the 20 meter circle and worked the whole arena, doing leg yield both directions. At 1st level, it is center line (A) to R or S. At 2nd level, it is A to B or E. Willig does this fairly well, despite me really having no idea what I'm doing. Mike's main comment is to not let his neck get too crooked, and once we totally lost impulsion when he saw a horse outside.
Then we lengthened down the long sides and across the diagonals. At this (which we did a bit of right at the start too), I tend to, once he really gets moving - bizarrely - throw him away. Even when he leans on me a bit, if I hold him up, he doesn't kind of "splay" out when we really get moving.
Also, at the start, I showed Mike how Willig likes to scootch out sideways (usually towards the wall) when he has been falling asleep (ha ha - I can't even believe I just typed that about Willig) and I ask him to get back to work. Well. Guess who that is? Right! Me! It is my failure to use the outside aids - the rein and leg. As soon as I include them, he straightens right out.
We also came down the center line and did some trot, slow down, walk, halt, walk, trot, halts so I could feel the smoothness of keeping him connected into the halt.
We wrapped up with some stretchy circle at the trot, which exhausted Willig was grateful for.
And Mike suggested that one thing that gets a horse used to show jumps is to take him to like a jumper night, and enter him in 10 classes, and even if he's bored by the 8th one, make him go 2 more rounds. This is a genius idea, since otherwise, it takes him 10 shows - and all spread out so they lose their impact. I was thinking I was pretty much done, but Mike also pointed out that whether I'm riding him 1st or training or 2nd, he's going to be a goof about the same stuff, since that's how he is, and I just need to get him the experience under his girth. (He also, like the wise sage he is, pointed out that I COULD just ask him to do something else when he starts to be a goof.)
So overall, Willig is starting to work more on his hindquarters, lift his head up, we're working more on crisper but more balanced transitions and starting some lateral work, and I'm continuing to work on my lower leg and heel. It still feels like I am riding pigeon-toed (to barely be in the right position) but it's less weird than it was a week ago.
We started with a discussion of my dressage test and how the judges score. Mike gave some input into how he scores, which for any of you who haven't scribed at a local show, you should definitely do it, just for the insight and experience. I was mostly curious about my "tactful", and although Mike wasn't there, he interprets it as a comment for when the horse is being a bit of a goof and the rider doesn't overreact.
So then we started with a repeat (I couldn't do his job - repeating the same thing to me every other week!) about starting him out WORKING. I let Willig blaahhhh down into trot and bllaahhhh around instead of having snappy work starting right away. It's a bad habit, and there's no reason for it. He can start working on the bit after he's warmed up. He doesn't need the first few transitions to remember how to do a transition from walk to trot.
And of course, Mike continued to remind me about stretching my heel down and my knees relaxed. As soon as I think about other things, and especially when I'm trying to get Willig to move out, my leg sneaks back up.
And, let's not forget the left bend. I still don't bend him equally, and my pesky right hand, all during the lesson, kept being further back than my left. Even when I touch my thumbs together, when Mike tells me to look down, that hand is in the wrong place. It's actually kind of creepy.
For the bulk of the lesson, we worked on the trot to canter to trot transitions. This was hard. I asked Willig to come UP but with the same tempo, and then LIFT up into canter from this position, instead of running into canter. Then I'd ask him to hold his head up and slooowwww his canter down (this is sitting back, making sure I'm wiping the saddle with my pelvis, and half halts at the "front" of the wipe combined with some leg aid) and then speed it up again, if we didn't break into trot (which we almost always did). This is teaching Willig to use his hindquarters, but also that there are different speeds I will ask for, and slow down doesn't always mean go down a gait. Mike pointed out that Willig goes twice as fast stretched out as I can get him to slow down, so we need to practice on the slooowwwwiinngg.
Then we left the 20 meter circle and worked the whole arena, doing leg yield both directions. At 1st level, it is center line (A) to R or S. At 2nd level, it is A to B or E. Willig does this fairly well, despite me really having no idea what I'm doing. Mike's main comment is to not let his neck get too crooked, and once we totally lost impulsion when he saw a horse outside.
Then we lengthened down the long sides and across the diagonals. At this (which we did a bit of right at the start too), I tend to, once he really gets moving - bizarrely - throw him away. Even when he leans on me a bit, if I hold him up, he doesn't kind of "splay" out when we really get moving.
Also, at the start, I showed Mike how Willig likes to scootch out sideways (usually towards the wall) when he has been falling asleep (ha ha - I can't even believe I just typed that about Willig) and I ask him to get back to work. Well. Guess who that is? Right! Me! It is my failure to use the outside aids - the rein and leg. As soon as I include them, he straightens right out.
We also came down the center line and did some trot, slow down, walk, halt, walk, trot, halts so I could feel the smoothness of keeping him connected into the halt.
We wrapped up with some stretchy circle at the trot, which exhausted Willig was grateful for.
And Mike suggested that one thing that gets a horse used to show jumps is to take him to like a jumper night, and enter him in 10 classes, and even if he's bored by the 8th one, make him go 2 more rounds. This is a genius idea, since otherwise, it takes him 10 shows - and all spread out so they lose their impact. I was thinking I was pretty much done, but Mike also pointed out that whether I'm riding him 1st or training or 2nd, he's going to be a goof about the same stuff, since that's how he is, and I just need to get him the experience under his girth. (He also, like the wise sage he is, pointed out that I COULD just ask him to do something else when he starts to be a goof.)
So overall, Willig is starting to work more on his hindquarters, lift his head up, we're working more on crisper but more balanced transitions and starting some lateral work, and I'm continuing to work on my lower leg and heel. It still feels like I am riding pigeon-toed (to barely be in the right position) but it's less weird than it was a week ago.
Coming soon - Willig's portrait by Mary Cornelius!
She was at our barn today (we have two elder horses for her project, Ace and Dante) and I was there for a lesson, and I managed to squeeze Willig in, slightly scruffy, for his portrait.
She couldn't use the same lens as for all the other horses because he is so freaking huge that she had to back so far away that a hill got in the way.
She liked a few of his expressions, and I'll post the link once he goes up on her website. Here's her website, which has just GORGEOUS pictures on it:
http://www.marycornelius.com/
She couldn't use the same lens as for all the other horses because he is so freaking huge that she had to back so far away that a hill got in the way.
She liked a few of his expressions, and I'll post the link once he goes up on her website. Here's her website, which has just GORGEOUS pictures on it:
http://www.marycornelius.com/
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Show jumping video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lMsOLq2xqw
To Willig's credit, Tom said several other hopeful horses stopped and looked at the same spot.
To Willig's credit, Tom said several other hopeful horses stopped and looked at the same spot.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Back to School Blast at Caber Farm
Today was our final derby for this year, with the Willowbrook Pony Club's Back to School Blast at Caber. Just like the last pony club show at Caber, this was well run and fun.
Willig was in 1st place after dressage (and he won an embroidered saddle pad!) with a score of 33.5. But then in show jumping, he got nervous about the poles piled next to the barn. Yes, seriously. It was windy, there were a zillion things moving, but heaven forbid should he go past poles stacked on the ground - just. like. at. home.
But backing up a bit. We were warming up with just one other rider in the warm up arena, and his horse was refusing the cross rail over and over again. His trainer came out and had him ride towards the vertical instead (on the far left; cross rail is in the center) and when the horse was approaching, she seemed to jump out at him to scare him over it? It did scare him, into bolting across the arena, with the saddle falling off, and therefore, also the rider. It also scared the bejesus out of Willig, who had been just fine up to that point, but his stupid rider (me) was riding him just a few strides behind but over the cross rail.
So his brain got frazzled, the way that it is wont to do, and rather than stay in the arena with what seemed to me to be fairly unpredictable riders (and all the jr. hopefuls about to swarm in), we went ahead to show jump.
I got two penalties for it, but I don't actually know how penalties work in show jumping, despite riding it my entire high school career - BECAUSE I never had a horse that refused before.
But we were doing excellent - cantering, even! And even with his head popping up to look and then back down and then UP to look and then back down and then UP just in case a new monster appeared, and back down, he was jumping gorgeous.
Until those poles. So he got jiggy, like crazy jiggy, so I just stopped and let him look, since we were still several strides away from the fence. Then I turned him away from the fence, rode it, and he shot out to the right (away from the poles), so we made a circle and went over it (still jiggy).
I'm assuming my decision to stop (not a refusal on his part) was the first penalty, and then his actual refusal was the second.
Going back in time - dressage felt so-so, but obviously was satisfying to the judge. He had a couple weird bobbles, like maybe he was thinking about bucking but decided against it - or he was just being clumsy? He got an 8 for his medium walk and an 8 for his gaits. The rest were 6s and 7s. For rider, it says "tactful" and I don't know what that means. Also, in a move of suave brilliance, I wore my dressage jacket misbuttoned by a hole the entire ride. When I looked down at the salute, I finally saw it. Which begs the question - if I can't button a jacket properly, what in the world am I doing on a horse? (Or driving a car?)
The other big difference from when I got Willig is he is now Mr. Smooth standing around. He was completely unflustered by all the activity. At least, outwardly. He did a series of his downward dog stretches which almost always indicates stress, but he wasn't acting up. He was also Mr. Tall, with at least 5 people asking me how tall he is (17.1, for those of you who have never seen him and aren't curious.)
Cross country was the same as last time (the same course), and he nailed it. We even cantered between some fences and cantered one! He was more focused this time though.
What I DON'T get is why we had four refusals at Lincoln Creek and none here either time (at x-country). I'm not riding that differently, but I also couldn't see what was different between the two. If I had to name one as scarier, it would be Caber, just because there's SO much activity back in the show jumping and tents, and warm up arenas with their colored flags.
So I think for next year we'll work hard all winter (and keep using J's fabulous help!) and try to get the size up and the scary factor up, and then start by entering him into hopeful again, but after three clear shows, move him up. The beginner novice fences are WAY scarier and bigger, and obviously, I still have things I need to improve if he's getting away with refusals, but the size of these fences was no longer even remotely intimidating.
Big pats for Willig. He's really coming along. I had fun on him again today. I was relaxed!
Willig was in 1st place after dressage (and he won an embroidered saddle pad!) with a score of 33.5. But then in show jumping, he got nervous about the poles piled next to the barn. Yes, seriously. It was windy, there were a zillion things moving, but heaven forbid should he go past poles stacked on the ground - just. like. at. home.
But backing up a bit. We were warming up with just one other rider in the warm up arena, and his horse was refusing the cross rail over and over again. His trainer came out and had him ride towards the vertical instead (on the far left; cross rail is in the center) and when the horse was approaching, she seemed to jump out at him to scare him over it? It did scare him, into bolting across the arena, with the saddle falling off, and therefore, also the rider. It also scared the bejesus out of Willig, who had been just fine up to that point, but his stupid rider (me) was riding him just a few strides behind but over the cross rail.
So his brain got frazzled, the way that it is wont to do, and rather than stay in the arena with what seemed to me to be fairly unpredictable riders (and all the jr. hopefuls about to swarm in), we went ahead to show jump.
I got two penalties for it, but I don't actually know how penalties work in show jumping, despite riding it my entire high school career - BECAUSE I never had a horse that refused before.
But we were doing excellent - cantering, even! And even with his head popping up to look and then back down and then UP to look and then back down and then UP just in case a new monster appeared, and back down, he was jumping gorgeous.
Until those poles. So he got jiggy, like crazy jiggy, so I just stopped and let him look, since we were still several strides away from the fence. Then I turned him away from the fence, rode it, and he shot out to the right (away from the poles), so we made a circle and went over it (still jiggy).
I'm assuming my decision to stop (not a refusal on his part) was the first penalty, and then his actual refusal was the second.
Going back in time - dressage felt so-so, but obviously was satisfying to the judge. He had a couple weird bobbles, like maybe he was thinking about bucking but decided against it - or he was just being clumsy? He got an 8 for his medium walk and an 8 for his gaits. The rest were 6s and 7s. For rider, it says "tactful" and I don't know what that means. Also, in a move of suave brilliance, I wore my dressage jacket misbuttoned by a hole the entire ride. When I looked down at the salute, I finally saw it. Which begs the question - if I can't button a jacket properly, what in the world am I doing on a horse? (Or driving a car?)
The other big difference from when I got Willig is he is now Mr. Smooth standing around. He was completely unflustered by all the activity. At least, outwardly. He did a series of his downward dog stretches which almost always indicates stress, but he wasn't acting up. He was also Mr. Tall, with at least 5 people asking me how tall he is (17.1, for those of you who have never seen him and aren't curious.)
Cross country was the same as last time (the same course), and he nailed it. We even cantered between some fences and cantered one! He was more focused this time though.
What I DON'T get is why we had four refusals at Lincoln Creek and none here either time (at x-country). I'm not riding that differently, but I also couldn't see what was different between the two. If I had to name one as scarier, it would be Caber, just because there's SO much activity back in the show jumping and tents, and warm up arenas with their colored flags.
So I think for next year we'll work hard all winter (and keep using J's fabulous help!) and try to get the size up and the scary factor up, and then start by entering him into hopeful again, but after three clear shows, move him up. The beginner novice fences are WAY scarier and bigger, and obviously, I still have things I need to improve if he's getting away with refusals, but the size of these fences was no longer even remotely intimidating.
Big pats for Willig. He's really coming along. I had fun on him again today. I was relaxed!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
1st level - woot woot!
Although I laughed and laughed last week when Mike suggested that I sit the trot while asking Willig to do his working/lengthening trot, it turns out it was only a week away. Honestly, every single time I sit the trot, I want to pat myself on the back. It took 20 years, but I can sit the trot. Yee-haw!
Today, we continued our foray into 1st level with a dash here and there of what will come in 2nd level. It was sooooo cool.
We started with the working trot. Willig needs to WORK it. I am so lazy on my own, it's not even funny. And once he's moving, he is just a gorgeous mover.
Then we worked on - oh, drat, Mike had a catchy phrase for this - at training level, the horse accepts the bit by putting his head down. At 1st level, he starts to accept the bit while lifting through his back from his hindquarters. At 2nd level, he's expected to always lift for his bit acceptance. We started working on the lifting connection - it feels like Willig's back arcs up like a rainbow (a soft, easy to ride, cushiony rainbow) when he lifts up, but he only does it a couple of steps at a time, and then he plummets forward onto his forehand again and my arms go GROAN from the weight of his head.
Then we worked on a german word that I also forgot (uberstriken?), where for one stride, once I've got him connected and in a nice frame, I put my inside hand forward.
Then Mike took the stirrups away and we did about a million hours (good ones, but my thighs were screaming) of sitting trot work. This was the lengthening mentioned above and then also some transitions - slowing him down as much as I can before he does a down transition, and also some interesting rapid changes. Walk - sitting trot - canter - trot - halt, each just a few seconds apart.
And we did some leg yields both directions. Willig was doing these like he does them in his sleep (next time I bet it won't be so easy), but the pointers were not to move my leg back, to bend him opposite the way I'm going (if we're going right, his neck bends left), and to "straighten" him by using a tap-tap with my "outside" (the direction we're moving) leg.
This was another amazing lesson. It gave me plenty to work on, in addition to the huge list that I already work on each time I ride.
I've noticed another big shift when I look back also. I can ride Willig outside now without fear - all the way down to the poodle end of the arena and out in the pasture. Even when he spooks, because my seat and legs are so much better (I think), I don't move as much, and I can correct it faster (I can also feel it coming). I'm actually starting to have fun on him again because I'm not so afraid anymore. And I'm starting to really look forward to working through the winter so we can really show next year. I hope (!) we'll be ready for 1st level.
I was sure that I would have plateaued in my lessons with Mike a while back, but each lesson, I feel like a sponge, just absorbing as much as he can say in 45 minutes, and then working on improving it until the next lesson. I wish I had the time to take a lesson from him every week.
Today, we continued our foray into 1st level with a dash here and there of what will come in 2nd level. It was sooooo cool.
We started with the working trot. Willig needs to WORK it. I am so lazy on my own, it's not even funny. And once he's moving, he is just a gorgeous mover.
Then we worked on - oh, drat, Mike had a catchy phrase for this - at training level, the horse accepts the bit by putting his head down. At 1st level, he starts to accept the bit while lifting through his back from his hindquarters. At 2nd level, he's expected to always lift for his bit acceptance. We started working on the lifting connection - it feels like Willig's back arcs up like a rainbow (a soft, easy to ride, cushiony rainbow) when he lifts up, but he only does it a couple of steps at a time, and then he plummets forward onto his forehand again and my arms go GROAN from the weight of his head.
Then we worked on a german word that I also forgot (uberstriken?), where for one stride, once I've got him connected and in a nice frame, I put my inside hand forward.
Then Mike took the stirrups away and we did about a million hours (good ones, but my thighs were screaming) of sitting trot work. This was the lengthening mentioned above and then also some transitions - slowing him down as much as I can before he does a down transition, and also some interesting rapid changes. Walk - sitting trot - canter - trot - halt, each just a few seconds apart.
And we did some leg yields both directions. Willig was doing these like he does them in his sleep (next time I bet it won't be so easy), but the pointers were not to move my leg back, to bend him opposite the way I'm going (if we're going right, his neck bends left), and to "straighten" him by using a tap-tap with my "outside" (the direction we're moving) leg.
This was another amazing lesson. It gave me plenty to work on, in addition to the huge list that I already work on each time I ride.
I've noticed another big shift when I look back also. I can ride Willig outside now without fear - all the way down to the poodle end of the arena and out in the pasture. Even when he spooks, because my seat and legs are so much better (I think), I don't move as much, and I can correct it faster (I can also feel it coming). I'm actually starting to have fun on him again because I'm not so afraid anymore. And I'm starting to really look forward to working through the winter so we can really show next year. I hope (!) we'll be ready for 1st level.
I was sure that I would have plateaued in my lessons with Mike a while back, but each lesson, I feel like a sponge, just absorbing as much as he can say in 45 minutes, and then working on improving it until the next lesson. I wish I had the time to take a lesson from him every week.
Monday, August 23, 2010
"Air Bags for Horses" - according to Tom
New York Times article on the new inflatable safety vests for eventing:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/24/sports/24airbag.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&hp
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/24/sports/24airbag.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&hp
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Uncharted dressage territory
I was a little worried about today's lesson with Mike. Due to that rascal work, who appears waaayyyy too often in this blog, Willig had basically a week off. (He went on a trail ride Sunday because of the heat, but that was it because I had a half day trial on Friday.) I was sure he was going to be a complete doofus, but instead, he pulled out all the stops to make Mike say "wow".
First:
We worked on my heels. Mike found a "magic button" - if I go into my jump seat - whoosh - my leg goes into the proper position. So I ride around like that for a while, then post a few, then jump seat again, post a few. ...
I am going to stretch my heels at home more and also when I think about really cranking my toe up to touch my shin (which hurts, by the way, not a pleasant stretch up the back of my calf, but pain in the shin, so I think they're too tight and I need to do lots of off-stirrup-stretching), my heel actually drops a tiny amount.
Next:
We worked on getting his trot moving. Thinking about a trot that works to the point of lengthening, when there is that moment of suspension and hang. That's our new working trot. And holy cow - it's enormous. It flings me out of the saddle. Mike suggested one day I'll sit it and I laughed and laughed.
He can warm up, but then he needs to WORK IT. And his stumbling? Him being lazy. Once he was moving, he quit stumbling. So that explains that.
Third:
Then Mike took away the stirrups. Because it was only 87 out. Ha. Anyway - then we did a lot of work without stirrups. I told Mike that I actually like cantering without them, and he looked nervous, but that turned out ok.
So at the sitting trot - this is where miracle number 1 happened. If I sit on him like he is a trampoline - no more working on softening my belly so I'm not a brick bouncing on top of the saddle, but now using pressure so that the moment when the trot bounces me up, I think about pushing down into him with my seat, like when your knees are bent and you're about to jump up on the trampoline - and WOW! He was like "What would you like me to do?" It was wild.
And then we worked on controlling the trot - making him go up and down (like a merry-go-round horse) instead of faster. This was a little trickier - we went over the trot poles so I could feel the "lift" when he lifts his legs to go up, and then I'd try to slow him down and lift him up as we approached the poles and in between. We'd get a couple great steps, and then go back to him plunging forward onto his forehand. This one is a little harder to describe and I need to work at it a bit more. I can feel it when it's right, but can't quite describe yet what I'm doing.
Fourth:
Then we worked on the canter without stirrups and the same lift in the trot - it's on the "up" motion (if you're on a swingset, at the canter, it's when your seat hits what would be the top of the swing) you ask for both a half halt/up and a squeeze with your leg (like a cat kneading) and he starts to lift up into his back. It's pretty amazing. The same thing happens in the trot too, but it's much harder to feel and do - maybe because the steps are so much faster. So for both up and down transitions, I slow him down by lifting him up, and then another miracle happened - I FELT the difference between flopping forward into the trot and riding the trot the same way I was just riding the canter. I don't know why this hasn't clicked for me before, but I was like "OH! Duh."
Fifth:
Finally, miracle #3. Actually, sidebar. When I picked up my stirrups after all the stirrupless work - whoosh. Perfect leg. And it FELT perfect too, instead of the weird toes in, heel *pushing* down, strained feel.
We were trotting down the long line, and Mike explained renvers and travers. (I have read about them in books, but never done them.) Because our bend to the inside with the left has improved mildly (enough that Mike can say something other than "bend him to the inside" when we're going to the left) but not quite enough, Mike had me ride a renvers when my right hand was on the inside. This felt wacky - like a twisty pretzel. It made my tongue stick out I was concentrating so hard. And then, just as I felt triumphant - Mike had us look in the mirror. With a total concentrating twisted up leg and hand, Willig was .... perfectly straight. And miracle #3 happened where something in my body clicked and I was like "oh. Ride BOTH sides of the horse." I have never felt it like that before. It was amazing.
So it was, overall, one of those spectacular lessons that makes me so glad that I ride and totally look forward to the next ride and *swear* that work is not going to keep slowing me down. It was so fun!
Next lesson Mike says we'll start working on the slight twisty canter off the long side, in towards the center, and back to the long side, to start working on our lateral 1st level movements. YAY!
First:
We worked on my heels. Mike found a "magic button" - if I go into my jump seat - whoosh - my leg goes into the proper position. So I ride around like that for a while, then post a few, then jump seat again, post a few. ...
I am going to stretch my heels at home more and also when I think about really cranking my toe up to touch my shin (which hurts, by the way, not a pleasant stretch up the back of my calf, but pain in the shin, so I think they're too tight and I need to do lots of off-stirrup-stretching), my heel actually drops a tiny amount.
Next:
We worked on getting his trot moving. Thinking about a trot that works to the point of lengthening, when there is that moment of suspension and hang. That's our new working trot. And holy cow - it's enormous. It flings me out of the saddle. Mike suggested one day I'll sit it and I laughed and laughed.
He can warm up, but then he needs to WORK IT. And his stumbling? Him being lazy. Once he was moving, he quit stumbling. So that explains that.
Third:
Then Mike took away the stirrups. Because it was only 87 out. Ha. Anyway - then we did a lot of work without stirrups. I told Mike that I actually like cantering without them, and he looked nervous, but that turned out ok.
So at the sitting trot - this is where miracle number 1 happened. If I sit on him like he is a trampoline - no more working on softening my belly so I'm not a brick bouncing on top of the saddle, but now using pressure so that the moment when the trot bounces me up, I think about pushing down into him with my seat, like when your knees are bent and you're about to jump up on the trampoline - and WOW! He was like "What would you like me to do?" It was wild.
And then we worked on controlling the trot - making him go up and down (like a merry-go-round horse) instead of faster. This was a little trickier - we went over the trot poles so I could feel the "lift" when he lifts his legs to go up, and then I'd try to slow him down and lift him up as we approached the poles and in between. We'd get a couple great steps, and then go back to him plunging forward onto his forehand. This one is a little harder to describe and I need to work at it a bit more. I can feel it when it's right, but can't quite describe yet what I'm doing.
Fourth:
Then we worked on the canter without stirrups and the same lift in the trot - it's on the "up" motion (if you're on a swingset, at the canter, it's when your seat hits what would be the top of the swing) you ask for both a half halt/up and a squeeze with your leg (like a cat kneading) and he starts to lift up into his back. It's pretty amazing. The same thing happens in the trot too, but it's much harder to feel and do - maybe because the steps are so much faster. So for both up and down transitions, I slow him down by lifting him up, and then another miracle happened - I FELT the difference between flopping forward into the trot and riding the trot the same way I was just riding the canter. I don't know why this hasn't clicked for me before, but I was like "OH! Duh."
Fifth:
Finally, miracle #3. Actually, sidebar. When I picked up my stirrups after all the stirrupless work - whoosh. Perfect leg. And it FELT perfect too, instead of the weird toes in, heel *pushing* down, strained feel.
We were trotting down the long line, and Mike explained renvers and travers. (I have read about them in books, but never done them.) Because our bend to the inside with the left has improved mildly (enough that Mike can say something other than "bend him to the inside" when we're going to the left) but not quite enough, Mike had me ride a renvers when my right hand was on the inside. This felt wacky - like a twisty pretzel. It made my tongue stick out I was concentrating so hard. And then, just as I felt triumphant - Mike had us look in the mirror. With a total concentrating twisted up leg and hand, Willig was .... perfectly straight. And miracle #3 happened where something in my body clicked and I was like "oh. Ride BOTH sides of the horse." I have never felt it like that before. It was amazing.
So it was, overall, one of those spectacular lessons that makes me so glad that I ride and totally look forward to the next ride and *swear* that work is not going to keep slowing me down. It was so fun!
Next lesson Mike says we'll start working on the slight twisty canter off the long side, in towards the center, and back to the long side, to start working on our lateral 1st level movements. YAY!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
No Donida
Something went wrong and my entry wasn't received, and because I had a trial on Friday, I didn't have time to talk to someone live (and email failed to convey enough information) so that I knew whether or not to pack the trailer Friday night.
I'm disappointed, since Willig REALLY needed that extra opportunity this year with the skimpy amount of derbies we've been to.
On the upside, he got to stand around and sweat in the hot, hot sun at home, and I got to meet Tom and his friends camping a few hours earlier.
I'm disappointed, since Willig REALLY needed that extra opportunity this year with the skimpy amount of derbies we've been to.
On the upside, he got to stand around and sweat in the hot, hot sun at home, and I got to meet Tom and his friends camping a few hours earlier.
Weekly Schedule to condition for 3-days
From Gina Miles' spring training schedule in same issue of "Eventing":
Day 1: Dressage 30 minutes plus 30 minutes walking
Day 2: Jump schooling: low fences, gymnastics, 30 minutes walking
Day 3: Dressage 30 minutes & 30 minutes walking
OR Hacking out/hill work
Day 4: Jump schooling: parts of course plus 30 minutes walking
OR Hacking out/hill work
OR Dressage
Day 5: Dressage 30 minutes plus 30 minute walking
OR Jumping plus walking
Day 6: Conditioning/canter
Day 7: Rest
Day 1: Dressage 30 minutes plus 30 minutes walking
Day 2: Jump schooling: low fences, gymnastics, 30 minutes walking
Day 3: Dressage 30 minutes & 30 minutes walking
OR Hacking out/hill work
Day 4: Jump schooling: parts of course plus 30 minutes walking
OR Hacking out/hill work
OR Dressage
Day 5: Dressage 30 minutes plus 30 minute walking
OR Jumping plus walking
Day 6: Conditioning/canter
Day 7: Rest
Inspiring Quote
From March/April 2010 "Eventing" (I am quite a bit behind in magazine reading):
"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year."
- John Foster Dulles
Amen, brother.
"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year."
- John Foster Dulles
Amen, brother.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Professional shots of us at Lincoln Creek
http://wwc.photoreflect.com/pr3/Orderpage.aspx?pi=0A9H00C91I0000&po=0&pc=11
(I'm #71, and if the link quits working it is actiontaken.com.)
(I'm #71, and if the link quits working it is actiontaken.com.)
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Disappointing, but shouldn't be, ride at Lincoln Creek
Yesterday we went to the Pony Club one day at Lincoln Creek. Willig was being naughty in the cross ties before we left, and I fortunately had a little pad of extra time for lunging - although he didn't act up too much on the lunge line, he did have a few head tosses to get out.
I felt like our dressage test was lackluster, although we did ok - 33.3, with about a point to 2nd place and another point to 1st place.
Tom watched him next to the trailer while I walked the course, which I felt pretty good about. The hopeful jumps were small and not very intimidating (I knew he'd be scared going over the dike, but since there was no way off, he'd have no choice but to go forward). The beginner novice fences, on the other hand, were huge and intimidating.
I got on him a bit early for cross-country, hoping to go early (only by 4 minutes, as it turns out), and watched the hopeful juniors slaughter their position over the warm up fences, then refuse several times, and more than a handful of falls.
Yet, I was still totally calm and confident - the thing upsetting him most was the flies (Lincoln Creek always seems to have particularly persistent ones), and he was kicking at his belly. He spooked once when someone came out of a port-a-potty, but nothing major. We did the warm up fences a couple of times each direction - he wasn't overjumping, was paying attention - everything was smooth.
Approaching each fence, he did a bit of the "snake" move, but I rode him confident and forward, using more leg instead of brakes, and he jumped the first three just fine. But when he went to the fourth - a trot over a ditch (solid ground - we didn't attempt the down bank since he was already being snaky) past a flat bed truck with lots of people standing on it - he started popping his head up looking for things to be scared of. Frustratingly, he could see those people during the whole warm up and couldn't have cared less about them.
Fence 5 was a little A frame that looked just like the A frames at Caber Farms two weeks ago that he rocked out at. He refused it. Ran out to the left, abruptly, right when he should have taken off, and accentuating the fact that I was jumping ahead. So we circled around, came back at it - this time me kicking HARD - and he refused it again. And by that point I was pissed, so we came at it a third time, me kicking him HARD!! and he jumped it, but with his head boinged up at the guy standing on the small hill recording our refusals - where we had to turn right onto the dike and also jump a very small log. Which we awkardly stepped over - continued our hesitant, leapy, jerky trot along the dike (by this time he was working himself into full blown panic and my normal solution at home to that is to stand around and let him cooooooollll down), went down the small hill, made a left turn to blue barrels (which we have at home), which he ... refused. Went back over them - me beating his neck with the crop and kicking furiously - another trot over a ditch which he could hardly stand by this point - to an A frame with brush on it, which he refused by halting in front of.
By this point, I was sure Shannon would kick me out of the barn, so I beat him over it from a standstill, and to add insult to injury, he was perfectly capable of jumping it from a halt.
Then we roared over to a big log, another damn ditch, and a modestly challenging A frame to complete the course.
Although a few people were eliminated in our division - presumably from falling since our refusal points were still more than a fall with no refusals (although how that works - do you get 20 points for the refusal and 65 for the fall?) - we still came in 5th place, after being 3rd in dressage.
Show jumping was equally calm over the warm up fences - no over jumping - and then the mad charging at the fences and trying to spook at everything that isn't a fence. Although he's jumping them just gorgeous, I hate the mad charging feeling.
What was so frustrating about this was I felt like I rode him the same as at Caber, where we had a spectacular ride, only I was more calm and not anxious, thanks to that spectacular ride. After Caber, I thought next year we will definitely be ready to go Beginner Novice. After yesterday, I thought (like sad Eeyore), "No, we're appropriately at Hopeful."
Other than being "calm", I don't know how I rode differently. Because I was less nervous, I had a clearer head to think of Shannon's instructions and follow them (forward, confident, help him) to each fence. So why didn't it work? I have no idea.
I was frustrated and disappointed. But then again, at this time last year, I had given up and wasn't even trying to show anything, let alone Hopeful, and I KNOW that if I just haul him around and build up his confidence he might be quite nice (still a bit wacky, but rideable), but it's just taking so. long.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Lesson on my core
Today's lesson with Mike had the theme of "core". What's weird is that I have a very difficult time feeling this when I'm riding.
At first, there were a couple other riders, so we started out near the scary end (and looking back - for months I couldn't even ride down there!), and worked a bit on smoothing out the transitions. I hint, hint, hint (3 warnings) and then ask for the transition, and at first we worked on keeping him on the bit - thinking overbent and expecting him to pop up and asking him not to. Willig improved rapidly on this!
So then next, Mike started looking at my core - I have consistently (the whole time he and Shannon have been teaching me) curl up and throw away my contact at the transitions. What was fascinating about this was that it seems to be almost the same as the way Shannon is telling me to come to a jump. Mike described it as playing tug of war - you don't pull with your biceps and you don't curl around your stomach - you create this solid wall with your hip and then lean into it.
So then we worked on the canter transitions using my core, and the very last one was absolute perfection. I lifted him up, up, up and then we light-as-a-feather went into trot.
I am supposed to keep working without stirrups and now consistently work on sitting the trot when I do a down transition from canter.
And my heels - the horror. They are a nightmare - the second I stop thinking about them, they spring right back up. Other than at walk, they're almost always, at best, flat. So Mike KEPT pointing it out - to my chagrin - and I just have to keep thinking about it.
Finally, we also worked on my whole lower leg position - thinking about a thrust down and back (I think of it like a frog's legs look jumping), but it's more of a pushing into the saddle with your leg - all of this just to keep my thigh from riding up on the block.
We also started with some standing in the stirrups - to work on keeping the heels down (which is really toes up).
So these are a lot of tiny adjustments which take a lot of thought and concentration, and are just going to take time to turn into new habits. But man - that one transition? It will all be worth it.
It also motivated me, combined with a picture of my fat arm at a race last weekend, to dig out my exercise books and videos and get serious about working on my hips (which HURT when I try to put my legs back) and my core and my upper body strength. I've been procrastinating on that too long now.
At first, there were a couple other riders, so we started out near the scary end (and looking back - for months I couldn't even ride down there!), and worked a bit on smoothing out the transitions. I hint, hint, hint (3 warnings) and then ask for the transition, and at first we worked on keeping him on the bit - thinking overbent and expecting him to pop up and asking him not to. Willig improved rapidly on this!
So then next, Mike started looking at my core - I have consistently (the whole time he and Shannon have been teaching me) curl up and throw away my contact at the transitions. What was fascinating about this was that it seems to be almost the same as the way Shannon is telling me to come to a jump. Mike described it as playing tug of war - you don't pull with your biceps and you don't curl around your stomach - you create this solid wall with your hip and then lean into it.
So then we worked on the canter transitions using my core, and the very last one was absolute perfection. I lifted him up, up, up and then we light-as-a-feather went into trot.
I am supposed to keep working without stirrups and now consistently work on sitting the trot when I do a down transition from canter.
And my heels - the horror. They are a nightmare - the second I stop thinking about them, they spring right back up. Other than at walk, they're almost always, at best, flat. So Mike KEPT pointing it out - to my chagrin - and I just have to keep thinking about it.
Finally, we also worked on my whole lower leg position - thinking about a thrust down and back (I think of it like a frog's legs look jumping), but it's more of a pushing into the saddle with your leg - all of this just to keep my thigh from riding up on the block.
We also started with some standing in the stirrups - to work on keeping the heels down (which is really toes up).
So these are a lot of tiny adjustments which take a lot of thought and concentration, and are just going to take time to turn into new habits. But man - that one transition? It will all be worth it.
It also motivated me, combined with a picture of my fat arm at a race last weekend, to dig out my exercise books and videos and get serious about working on my hips (which HURT when I try to put my legs back) and my core and my upper body strength. I've been procrastinating on that too long now.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Chehalis Valley Pony Club Horse Trials
Sunday Willig and I rode Nervous Novice at the Pony Club derby at Caber Farm. I was nervous, and he's the novice, so unfortunately, the level was correct.
I also had to go alone because Tom was in Colorado, picking up our new puppy, and I didn't get nearly enough riding in the week before thanks to that old ball and chain - work.
Regardless, we started late in the day which was quite nice (3:45 was the dressage test) although in hindsight, had I had a helper, I would have gotten there an hour earlier to go walk the course.
At Caber, you park the trailer in one field, and then it's a pretty long walk (10+ minutes) to the show jumping and x-country. Since Mr. W is improving, but not yet trustworthy tied to the trailer, I was there early, but not early enough to go walk the course. So I rode over to that side, looked at what I could see from his back, and then went back to warm up.
Phase 1 - Dressage:
He started out really, really nice - gorgeous movement, paying attention, sweet as could be. But as the minutes ticked by, his stress level started going up - it was an unusual amount of activity for us, and he started neighing for help. I interpreted it as "Hey! She's actually riding me out here! Can't anyone see this?! Help me! Help mmmmeeeeee!"
I took the Shannon approach to the dressage test and rode about 30 minutes, took about 10 minutes easy the test and a half before me, and then warmed him up again so we were ready to trot right from warm up (big open field) to the test (still big open field). Like the nervous novices before us, he was kind of scared of the dressage stand, but unlike the other nervous novices, he got right over it AND decided instead to be nervous about the horses on the path way off in the distance.
Which is what I think led to ... a frowny face in the comment section on the second move. It's hard even to call it a move since it was a trot down the long line, but he did a weird sproingy 4-feet-in-the-air buck spazzy thing. I went to whip him and yank him around to do it again, realized we weren't off course, we had just stopped, and then went on with the test. He got a handful of 7's, one 8, a couple sixes and a couple fives, and then a 4 for that, and a "quite naughty" next to the frowny face. The judge also thanked me for not falling off, and in a rare witty moment, I said it was my pleasure.
She also said the free walk was not well shown (on the test), and I'll have to ask Mike about that, because he didn't do as well on those at Peteton either, and I suspect it's a nerves at the show thing, since Mike had us work on it at home.
Phase 2 - Show jumping:
We went to the trailer, changed tack, headed over to show jumping, very, very quickly looked at the map of the course, watched one rider ride it, went into warm up, where he WAAYYYY over-jumped each fence. There was enough time in the air for me to think about whether he might buck when he landed, which is a pretty long time in the air for my slow brain. Our barn friend's trainer was there and said he looked good but was way overjumping and I nervously laughed and decided what the hell - let's try the fences.
They had a colorful and fun course set up, with a lot of extra jumps and a LOT of stuff along the sides - people and covered sitting areas and a loudspeaker and the dreaded sign on the side of the road from when he went there for training. So because I wasn't very comfortable with the course (first time never walking it), I spent most of my time trying to look for and remember where the next fence was, and the remainder of my time trying to get him to look at the jump instead of the person/tarp/other fence/whatever could catch his attention. He didn't hesitate at a single fence, and I rode him the Shannon-style - where I sat a few 'strides' (sometimes we were trotting) out and urged him forward, thinking "confidence". I was actually pleasantly surprised with how effortless he was over the fences and how he didn't try to refuse them.
Phase 3 - Cross Country:
We went back to the trailer, where I switched clothes (and what a relief to get out of my long-sleeve shirt and show jacket!) and headed back over to the course, where, since I couldn't walk it, I watched a couple riders do it. Since it was Nervous Novice, thankfully they didn't go really far out in the woods, so I could see the route they each took, even though I couldn't see all the fences.
I had a mixup with the ring steward - there were 5 riders before me so I asked if I had 10 minutes, she said yes, I went to warm up, made two laps (and one spook at the flags) and then she called me. So we popped over the cross rail and shot over to the starting box.
Again, the height of the jumps was no problem - it was all the other stuff to look at and be scared of: big fences, spectactors, jump judges in chairs, jump judges in chairs in the woods, horses off in the distance, people on their bikes/those weird little motor scooter things. But again, I looked at the jump and lined us up, asked him with baby half halts to look at the jump, and squeezed him - from a gentle, "pay attention, I'm pointing you at that jump up there" to "hey! (smack!) there's a jump coming up!" and rode the Shannon-style, what I think of as really, really defensive, sitting before the fence thinking about having my heels jammed way out in front of me. Thinking about "helping" encourage him over the fences is a big help; Jessica riding him is a huge help - he just floats over them now; but I think, oddly, it also helped that I didn't walk the course. I didn't know what was coming, I had to look for the fence after he locked on to each fence, and so I couldn't be anxious about a "big" one coming up because I didn't know until we were on it. Now, 2' is never big, but the green roll top sure looked big, and I thought "Shannon will have my hide if we refuse this" and that was the one that got a smack with the whip - not only was it kind of big and intimidating, but it was heading right towards all the tents and other horses and activity and people jumping around and he just had a lot to look at. And, just like the other fences, he cleared it like an angel. I made myself a little hoarse yelling "Good Willig!" and "Good boy!" the whole way around the course. Also, we went through the water (at a walk) no problem.
So that was it. He ended up in 3rd place. I ended up eating humble pie because I guess we're still in the confidence building stage in Nervous Novice, but most importantly, I had fun on cross country for the first time since I got him. And so I'm willing to live with some more nervous novice if that means that sometime (soon, I hope) Beginner Novice gets as fun as nervous novice was. Although I had been so nervous I wanted to scratch and just give up, I'm really glad that I did it. Even if the sproingy-buck thing bugs me. I can feel a lot of his agitation now, but that one took me totally by surprise.
I also had to go alone because Tom was in Colorado, picking up our new puppy, and I didn't get nearly enough riding in the week before thanks to that old ball and chain - work.
Regardless, we started late in the day which was quite nice (3:45 was the dressage test) although in hindsight, had I had a helper, I would have gotten there an hour earlier to go walk the course.
At Caber, you park the trailer in one field, and then it's a pretty long walk (10+ minutes) to the show jumping and x-country. Since Mr. W is improving, but not yet trustworthy tied to the trailer, I was there early, but not early enough to go walk the course. So I rode over to that side, looked at what I could see from his back, and then went back to warm up.
Phase 1 - Dressage:
He started out really, really nice - gorgeous movement, paying attention, sweet as could be. But as the minutes ticked by, his stress level started going up - it was an unusual amount of activity for us, and he started neighing for help. I interpreted it as "Hey! She's actually riding me out here! Can't anyone see this?! Help me! Help mmmmeeeeee!"
I took the Shannon approach to the dressage test and rode about 30 minutes, took about 10 minutes easy the test and a half before me, and then warmed him up again so we were ready to trot right from warm up (big open field) to the test (still big open field). Like the nervous novices before us, he was kind of scared of the dressage stand, but unlike the other nervous novices, he got right over it AND decided instead to be nervous about the horses on the path way off in the distance.
Which is what I think led to ... a frowny face in the comment section on the second move. It's hard even to call it a move since it was a trot down the long line, but he did a weird sproingy 4-feet-in-the-air buck spazzy thing. I went to whip him and yank him around to do it again, realized we weren't off course, we had just stopped, and then went on with the test. He got a handful of 7's, one 8, a couple sixes and a couple fives, and then a 4 for that, and a "quite naughty" next to the frowny face. The judge also thanked me for not falling off, and in a rare witty moment, I said it was my pleasure.
She also said the free walk was not well shown (on the test), and I'll have to ask Mike about that, because he didn't do as well on those at Peteton either, and I suspect it's a nerves at the show thing, since Mike had us work on it at home.
Phase 2 - Show jumping:
We went to the trailer, changed tack, headed over to show jumping, very, very quickly looked at the map of the course, watched one rider ride it, went into warm up, where he WAAYYYY over-jumped each fence. There was enough time in the air for me to think about whether he might buck when he landed, which is a pretty long time in the air for my slow brain. Our barn friend's trainer was there and said he looked good but was way overjumping and I nervously laughed and decided what the hell - let's try the fences.
They had a colorful and fun course set up, with a lot of extra jumps and a LOT of stuff along the sides - people and covered sitting areas and a loudspeaker and the dreaded sign on the side of the road from when he went there for training. So because I wasn't very comfortable with the course (first time never walking it), I spent most of my time trying to look for and remember where the next fence was, and the remainder of my time trying to get him to look at the jump instead of the person/tarp/other fence/whatever could catch his attention. He didn't hesitate at a single fence, and I rode him the Shannon-style - where I sat a few 'strides' (sometimes we were trotting) out and urged him forward, thinking "confidence". I was actually pleasantly surprised with how effortless he was over the fences and how he didn't try to refuse them.
Phase 3 - Cross Country:
We went back to the trailer, where I switched clothes (and what a relief to get out of my long-sleeve shirt and show jacket!) and headed back over to the course, where, since I couldn't walk it, I watched a couple riders do it. Since it was Nervous Novice, thankfully they didn't go really far out in the woods, so I could see the route they each took, even though I couldn't see all the fences.
I had a mixup with the ring steward - there were 5 riders before me so I asked if I had 10 minutes, she said yes, I went to warm up, made two laps (and one spook at the flags) and then she called me. So we popped over the cross rail and shot over to the starting box.
Again, the height of the jumps was no problem - it was all the other stuff to look at and be scared of: big fences, spectactors, jump judges in chairs, jump judges in chairs in the woods, horses off in the distance, people on their bikes/those weird little motor scooter things. But again, I looked at the jump and lined us up, asked him with baby half halts to look at the jump, and squeezed him - from a gentle, "pay attention, I'm pointing you at that jump up there" to "hey! (smack!) there's a jump coming up!" and rode the Shannon-style, what I think of as really, really defensive, sitting before the fence thinking about having my heels jammed way out in front of me. Thinking about "helping" encourage him over the fences is a big help; Jessica riding him is a huge help - he just floats over them now; but I think, oddly, it also helped that I didn't walk the course. I didn't know what was coming, I had to look for the fence after he locked on to each fence, and so I couldn't be anxious about a "big" one coming up because I didn't know until we were on it. Now, 2' is never big, but the green roll top sure looked big, and I thought "Shannon will have my hide if we refuse this" and that was the one that got a smack with the whip - not only was it kind of big and intimidating, but it was heading right towards all the tents and other horses and activity and people jumping around and he just had a lot to look at. And, just like the other fences, he cleared it like an angel. I made myself a little hoarse yelling "Good Willig!" and "Good boy!" the whole way around the course. Also, we went through the water (at a walk) no problem.
So that was it. He ended up in 3rd place. I ended up eating humble pie because I guess we're still in the confidence building stage in Nervous Novice, but most importantly, I had fun on cross country for the first time since I got him. And so I'm willing to live with some more nervous novice if that means that sometime (soon, I hope) Beginner Novice gets as fun as nervous novice was. Although I had been so nervous I wanted to scratch and just give up, I'm really glad that I did it. Even if the sproingy-buck thing bugs me. I can feel a lot of his agitation now, but that one took me totally by surprise.
Belated lesson report with Mike
I have been so busy at work that I haven't had time to summarize my lesson from a few weeks ago. The silver lining is that I'm concise, because I forgot most of the details.
1. Work on crisp canter aid. This was a new thing, where I sit about three 'strides' out, then ask with the outside leg - pushing it waaayyy back - and then kind of "pop" both hands up in the air. It feels weird and looks weird and only works some of the time.
2. Work more without stirrups. What's interesting as I do this, there are so many nuanced feelings and I have no ideas which are right and which are wrong. The other thing about this is the kind of surprising amount of pain when I try to "open" my hips - when I think about lifting my legs and rotating them out, those muscles (ligaments?) on the outside of your hip, that spend all day all scrunched up because I sit in a chair at work, s-c-r-e-a-m when I try to stretch them out. After a few minutes of agony, they loosen up though.
3. Work on keeping my heels out of his side. As Shannon pointed out at Peteton, especially when I'm nervous, I scrunch up and my heels come up practically to his pad. So I think about pushing them out and away from him. Mike pointed out that at FEI level, you have to wear spurs, but that made me laugh since 2nd level seems pretty out of reach at this point.
I had been super stressed at work before this lesson, so I wasn't in as receptive a frame of mind as I like to be, to maximize what I'm getting and work on it so I can work on something new starting the next lesson.
1. Work on crisp canter aid. This was a new thing, where I sit about three 'strides' out, then ask with the outside leg - pushing it waaayyy back - and then kind of "pop" both hands up in the air. It feels weird and looks weird and only works some of the time.
2. Work more without stirrups. What's interesting as I do this, there are so many nuanced feelings and I have no ideas which are right and which are wrong. The other thing about this is the kind of surprising amount of pain when I try to "open" my hips - when I think about lifting my legs and rotating them out, those muscles (ligaments?) on the outside of your hip, that spend all day all scrunched up because I sit in a chair at work, s-c-r-e-a-m when I try to stretch them out. After a few minutes of agony, they loosen up though.
3. Work on keeping my heels out of his side. As Shannon pointed out at Peteton, especially when I'm nervous, I scrunch up and my heels come up practically to his pad. So I think about pushing them out and away from him. Mike pointed out that at FEI level, you have to wear spurs, but that made me laugh since 2nd level seems pretty out of reach at this point.
I had been super stressed at work before this lesson, so I wasn't in as receptive a frame of mind as I like to be, to maximize what I'm getting and work on it so I can work on something new starting the next lesson.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Schooling at NWEC
Today Shannon and I went out and schooled at NWEC. This wrapped up my three day weekend with a huge success, although in an entirely different way than I hoped for.
Shannon brought her horse Charlie to work on some ditches and water (she is competing Training Level!), and it was both nice to have someone else riding but it was also really useful for me to watch her and be able to ask questions right after she did each jump.
So Charlie started first, by giving Shannon the opportunity to demonstrate how to deal with a horse trying to refuse, but despite the educational scenario, I still wasn't vigorous enough with Willig on that one. But he went over it successfully a few times, we moved on, more success, more success, and he got a little stronger.
After about the sixth jump (we did some a few times), way off in the distance Willig saw a truck and used it as an excuse to try to misbehave, and this was educational opportunity #2 - my instinct would have been to stop and look at the truck and let him calm down and get bored, and instead, Shannon had me keep riding him focused and hard over the same fence until he got calm and relaxed.
Then we went through some water, and then Shannon gave me the option to try a baby ditch, with the caveat that I had to finish what I started. Since last year I blew off Willig at a ditch at a clinic and ended up in the hospital, I was pretty nervous. She had me ride right behind her and Charlie, and Willig was fine until the last second when he saw the ditch and he screeched to a halt.
Shannon's approach was very patient. He couldn't go backwards, and I praised him and patted him and gave him slack when he moved forward. He swung his butt around a lot, and then decided to stare, focused and intently, into a tree in the distance for no apparent reason (again, thanks to Shannon being there, she said it was just to avoid focusing on the scary ditch).
Mostly, it was just him trying to figure it out. Eventually, Shannon got off and kind of assisted him over from the standstill, then he did it from the walk, then he did it from an easy trot, then he did it and celebrated at the end with a bit of hopping. So then we got to do it a few more times. Shannon is merciless. In a very good way.
So then we made it into a combination with another one at the top of a hill - he actually got a bit freaked out by Charlie leaving, stopped but then hopped off of it, so we did it two more times to get it cleaner, and went charging up the hill back to Charlie.
Shannon made another combo, then she did a big ditch a few times, and then, as we headed towards the other water complex, I pointed out some "big" jump Willig's eyes were bugging out at (his face was saying to me "I sure hope you're not pointing me at THAT!") and so Shannon had us go over it.
This was where things got really interesting.
He jumped it gorgeous, with no indication of the rodeo to come, and then started his little bucks. Thanks to my improved leg position, hand position, and skills (crank his head (but not too hard!!)), we made a circle around Shannon. So he continued the bucking/hopping but added in some front leg hopping. (He had done a couple tiny, frustrated rears back at the ditch.) And then we hopped around Shannon what seemed like a ridiculously long time - like several laps. Me without stirrups (and we lost the stirrup pad - I think during all this), and I actually managed to do an extra loop into the reins with my pinkies, I had so much time. It was a lot more exciting than I wanted (all I really want is some clear jumping), but it was also GREAT to have Shannon right there to show me and help me with what to do when he acts like that.
And that was super, since it was again contrary to my instincts - she had me canter way way out across the field, take one of the jumps again - he tried to buck again - so she had me canter way back out, around the field again (at a vigorous canter) - back over the fence (he was a tiny bit naughty again) - so we did it a THIRD time! By this time we were both pouring sweat, and I felt him kind of "give" - we went back over the fence and all the way back out to the fence that started it and then back over it and off in a straight line.
With no acting up at all.
And then finally in and out of the water a couple times - at the trot - no big deal.
And then right back in the trailer like it was no big deal.
So the valuable take-aways:
I'm not pushing him hard enough.
I need to take him more places - that is the sort of experience he needs to be having.
But for both of those - I could push him much harder with Shannon there helping me than I could do alone - especially if I was literally alone way out there.
And then I need to keep working on riding him defensively - with the scooped belly that is the solid defensive posture, pushing him close to the fence instead of pulling back, and "helping" him go over it (not just passively waiting for him to jump it himself). He is a great jumper, and he gets enthusiastic about it, but he still needs the confidence boost.
And Shannon thinks his little bucking/hopping is more like a celebratory happy dance (those are my words) - not being a naughty bad horse. They do seem pretty consistent when he's done something he thinks is hard or new. (This also coincides with a lot more of the downward dog stretches.) The other new behavior is he's checking in with me more - literally turning his head and nudging my foot to let me know things.
I'm actually really happy with today. I stayed on, learned a whole lot, and feel like I have a much better "feel" for how I need to ride towards the fences - it is a touch of fear with a real drive to get over it.
I'm going to try to keep up this vigorously the rest of the summer - now that it is finally summer.
This was VERY useful, and just what I needed to get off my butt and all my excuses why I haven't schooled yet this year.
Shannon brought her horse Charlie to work on some ditches and water (she is competing Training Level!), and it was both nice to have someone else riding but it was also really useful for me to watch her and be able to ask questions right after she did each jump.
So Charlie started first, by giving Shannon the opportunity to demonstrate how to deal with a horse trying to refuse, but despite the educational scenario, I still wasn't vigorous enough with Willig on that one. But he went over it successfully a few times, we moved on, more success, more success, and he got a little stronger.
After about the sixth jump (we did some a few times), way off in the distance Willig saw a truck and used it as an excuse to try to misbehave, and this was educational opportunity #2 - my instinct would have been to stop and look at the truck and let him calm down and get bored, and instead, Shannon had me keep riding him focused and hard over the same fence until he got calm and relaxed.
Then we went through some water, and then Shannon gave me the option to try a baby ditch, with the caveat that I had to finish what I started. Since last year I blew off Willig at a ditch at a clinic and ended up in the hospital, I was pretty nervous. She had me ride right behind her and Charlie, and Willig was fine until the last second when he saw the ditch and he screeched to a halt.
Shannon's approach was very patient. He couldn't go backwards, and I praised him and patted him and gave him slack when he moved forward. He swung his butt around a lot, and then decided to stare, focused and intently, into a tree in the distance for no apparent reason (again, thanks to Shannon being there, she said it was just to avoid focusing on the scary ditch).
Mostly, it was just him trying to figure it out. Eventually, Shannon got off and kind of assisted him over from the standstill, then he did it from the walk, then he did it from an easy trot, then he did it and celebrated at the end with a bit of hopping. So then we got to do it a few more times. Shannon is merciless. In a very good way.
So then we made it into a combination with another one at the top of a hill - he actually got a bit freaked out by Charlie leaving, stopped but then hopped off of it, so we did it two more times to get it cleaner, and went charging up the hill back to Charlie.
Shannon made another combo, then she did a big ditch a few times, and then, as we headed towards the other water complex, I pointed out some "big" jump Willig's eyes were bugging out at (his face was saying to me "I sure hope you're not pointing me at THAT!") and so Shannon had us go over it.
This was where things got really interesting.
He jumped it gorgeous, with no indication of the rodeo to come, and then started his little bucks. Thanks to my improved leg position, hand position, and skills (crank his head (but not too hard!!)), we made a circle around Shannon. So he continued the bucking/hopping but added in some front leg hopping. (He had done a couple tiny, frustrated rears back at the ditch.) And then we hopped around Shannon what seemed like a ridiculously long time - like several laps. Me without stirrups (and we lost the stirrup pad - I think during all this), and I actually managed to do an extra loop into the reins with my pinkies, I had so much time. It was a lot more exciting than I wanted (all I really want is some clear jumping), but it was also GREAT to have Shannon right there to show me and help me with what to do when he acts like that.
And that was super, since it was again contrary to my instincts - she had me canter way way out across the field, take one of the jumps again - he tried to buck again - so she had me canter way back out, around the field again (at a vigorous canter) - back over the fence (he was a tiny bit naughty again) - so we did it a THIRD time! By this time we were both pouring sweat, and I felt him kind of "give" - we went back over the fence and all the way back out to the fence that started it and then back over it and off in a straight line.
With no acting up at all.
And then finally in and out of the water a couple times - at the trot - no big deal.
And then right back in the trailer like it was no big deal.
So the valuable take-aways:
I'm not pushing him hard enough.
I need to take him more places - that is the sort of experience he needs to be having.
But for both of those - I could push him much harder with Shannon there helping me than I could do alone - especially if I was literally alone way out there.
And then I need to keep working on riding him defensively - with the scooped belly that is the solid defensive posture, pushing him close to the fence instead of pulling back, and "helping" him go over it (not just passively waiting for him to jump it himself). He is a great jumper, and he gets enthusiastic about it, but he still needs the confidence boost.
And Shannon thinks his little bucking/hopping is more like a celebratory happy dance (those are my words) - not being a naughty bad horse. They do seem pretty consistent when he's done something he thinks is hard or new. (This also coincides with a lot more of the downward dog stretches.) The other new behavior is he's checking in with me more - literally turning his head and nudging my foot to let me know things.
I'm actually really happy with today. I stayed on, learned a whole lot, and feel like I have a much better "feel" for how I need to ride towards the fences - it is a touch of fear with a real drive to get over it.
I'm going to try to keep up this vigorously the rest of the summer - now that it is finally summer.
This was VERY useful, and just what I needed to get off my butt and all my excuses why I haven't schooled yet this year.
Lessons from Peteton
Shannon came out and gave me and K some help before our first tests at Peteton.
This was super useful!
Just like in my lessons, I was pouring sweat instead of my usual blase riding, and instead of standing and watching the test before mine, Shannon had me ride a lot of "attention" work - transitions, spirals in and out to work on the side that wasn't bending well, and focused riding.
We trotted out of the warm up arena right into the test arena, and then walked past the judge's stand twice - after that, Shannon said it was enough and to RIDE him past it. This was harder for me than it seems like it should be (I'm kind of passive, and want to let him just keep looking at it).
So it was actually just a few take home lessons, but ones that I can remember and continue to try to incorporate and that made a huge difference: ride harder in my warm up, don't put up with so much goofiness, and focus just before the test by getting his attention.
I was quite pleased with how he did. Although he craned at the judge's stand, it wasn't anything unmanageable, and he improved.
He was excellent getting in and out of the trailer, and he actually did really well standing around in between the rides (the part that I had been the most worried about).
It also took down my stress at least two notches to know Shannon would be there telling me what I needed to do, which was huge and kind of a surprise to me how much of an impact it had.
And it was really fun to be there riding with a friend.
This was super useful!
Just like in my lessons, I was pouring sweat instead of my usual blase riding, and instead of standing and watching the test before mine, Shannon had me ride a lot of "attention" work - transitions, spirals in and out to work on the side that wasn't bending well, and focused riding.
We trotted out of the warm up arena right into the test arena, and then walked past the judge's stand twice - after that, Shannon said it was enough and to RIDE him past it. This was harder for me than it seems like it should be (I'm kind of passive, and want to let him just keep looking at it).
So it was actually just a few take home lessons, but ones that I can remember and continue to try to incorporate and that made a huge difference: ride harder in my warm up, don't put up with so much goofiness, and focus just before the test by getting his attention.
I was quite pleased with how he did. Although he craned at the judge's stand, it wasn't anything unmanageable, and he improved.
He was excellent getting in and out of the trailer, and he actually did really well standing around in between the rides (the part that I had been the most worried about).
It also took down my stress at least two notches to know Shannon would be there telling me what I needed to do, which was huge and kind of a surprise to me how much of an impact it had.
And it was really fun to be there riding with a friend.
Peteton - Training 2 & 3 Comments
Training 2 - 61.071%
Slight wobble on centerline
Counterbent (he was spooking at judge's stand), but he got the same comment later when he wasn't
Needs bend
On forehand in one canter
Not straight on centerline
Work on keeping haunches straight in transitions (he has been wiggling like a motorcycle); canter can be on forehand at times
Under submission, she circled attention & confidence (ha! understatement!) and acceptance of the bridle
Training 3 - 61.6%
Haunches trailing on centerline
Counterbent
Inconsistent bend, disobedient (this was a bizarre leap out of nowhere and then right back to work)
Haunches in
Uphill transition
"uphill"
Hurried canter
Nose needs to be out in trot stretchy circle
Lovely horse with much potential; want to keep haunches straight
(Again, lots of good comments too. Next post will be about how this was much harder for him being in a new place.)
Slight wobble on centerline
Counterbent (he was spooking at judge's stand), but he got the same comment later when he wasn't
Needs bend
On forehand in one canter
Not straight on centerline
Work on keeping haunches straight in transitions (he has been wiggling like a motorcycle); canter can be on forehand at times
Under submission, she circled attention & confidence (ha! understatement!) and acceptance of the bridle
Training 3 - 61.6%
Haunches trailing on centerline
Counterbent
Inconsistent bend, disobedient (this was a bizarre leap out of nowhere and then right back to work)
Haunches in
Uphill transition
"uphill"
Hurried canter
Nose needs to be out in trot stretchy circle
Lovely horse with much potential; want to keep haunches straight
(Again, lots of good comments too. Next post will be about how this was much harder for him being in a new place.)
FPEC - Training Test 1 & 2 Comments
63.043% on Test 1
Willig was sticking his right hind out on the centerline
Needs to flex and bend to the inside, not tilt to outside
Stretch more into contact
Judge didn't like my salute
Willig needs to work through back and accept better contact
63.929% on Test 2
Still sticking his haunches to the right on centerline
On circle to right, was hanging on inside rein (need to soften my hand)
Tilting not flexing right
Poll neck and back stiff
Could be rounder
Needs to stretch down (underlined!)
Tilting outside
Very crooked
Needs to work more through back, accept steady contact, and bend on circles and turns
(He got lots of good comments too, but these are what we need to work on.)
Willig was sticking his right hind out on the centerline
Needs to flex and bend to the inside, not tilt to outside
Stretch more into contact
Judge didn't like my salute
Willig needs to work through back and accept better contact
63.929% on Test 2
Still sticking his haunches to the right on centerline
On circle to right, was hanging on inside rein (need to soften my hand)
Tilting not flexing right
Poll neck and back stiff
Could be rounder
Needs to stretch down (underlined!)
Tilting outside
Very crooked
Needs to work more through back, accept steady contact, and bend on circles and turns
(He got lots of good comments too, but these are what we need to work on.)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Willig did great at the show!
For Training-1, he got a 63.043%
For Training-2, he got a 63.929% - despite me blanking on the test, picking up a perfect canter, immediately realizing (by its perfection) that it was in the wrong place, and then going on with the test. But he got marked down 2 points for that.
He was spooky about the stuff I expected him to be, but because I expected it, I was able to take some affirmative action and minimize its negative affect.
I was really, really pleased with him.
As a P.S. from my last lesson:
I need to work on getting my leg back at the canter, not my default anaconda-SQUEEZE.
And even tests always turn right.
Odd tests always turn left.
Pretty cool tip.
For Training-2, he got a 63.929% - despite me blanking on the test, picking up a perfect canter, immediately realizing (by its perfection) that it was in the wrong place, and then going on with the test. But he got marked down 2 points for that.
He was spooky about the stuff I expected him to be, but because I expected it, I was able to take some affirmative action and minimize its negative affect.
I was really, really pleased with him.
As a P.S. from my last lesson:
I need to work on getting my leg back at the canter, not my default anaconda-SQUEEZE.
And even tests always turn right.
Odd tests always turn left.
Pretty cool tip.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
I'm nervous about the show tomorrow!
I've always been excited about shows, but lately, with a lot of other things in my life too, I've started feeling more anxious than anticipation. I had trouble sleeping last night, so I just ran through the tests over and over again in my head - imagining every move and how perfectly I know Willig can do it. This is to counteract his being pretty much an exponentially increasing goober as the week went on. It will be interesting to see how he does tonight - where I am lucky to have one more ride after today's show ends but before tomorrow's begins.
I'm just imagining him on the bit, with his back lifted, and his ears flopping sideways, headed towards the judge, and I'm going to cling to that image, no matter what.
And - at the very least, my take away is how much better he responds when I get kind of mad at his hijinks and ride him really assertively. I think that's what Mike, Shannon, and way back when he went to John's - I think that's what they were all saying. A little light bulb went off on another totally obvious thing: Oh? You mean RIDE him?! Ok! (P.S. RIDING him vs. riding him, makes me breathe heavy.)
I'm just imagining him on the bit, with his back lifted, and his ears flopping sideways, headed towards the judge, and I'm going to cling to that image, no matter what.
And - at the very least, my take away is how much better he responds when I get kind of mad at his hijinks and ride him really assertively. I think that's what Mike, Shannon, and way back when he went to John's - I think that's what they were all saying. A little light bulb went off on another totally obvious thing: Oh? You mean RIDE him?! Ok! (P.S. RIDING him vs. riding him, makes me breathe heavy.)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Weebles wobble but they don't fall down
That's my attitude for our first show this year. Due to a series of bad circumstances (work (of course) and then an odd, temporary lameness) Willig is really only getting ridden this week out of this month, in preparation for our show this weekend at our barn. A month ago, I felt like we were on top of the tests and just polishing the details. Now we feel like chaos in motion.
Regardless, the chaos meant that finally (I can't believe I'm excited about this), Mike got to observe Willig acting up a little bit during our lesson. He was just being a goober about the far end of the arena (I heard that at least four horses got scared of the hose being in a new place, so that makes me feel a little better), and so Mike gave me some tips on how to deal with it during a show:
First - make several little loops as soon as I come in the gate so he sees the scary end at least twice each direction - THEN, if there's time - ride down and past the Judge's stand.
Second - as we approach, watch his ears! (c'mon self, you should know this by now), and BEFORE he pops his head up and his shoulder out and jumps around, correct him. It's ok to use a very firm hand and say "No. You will bend to the inside." Of course, combined with some leg like a half pass.
Third - If I need to, cut the corner a little. It's better to cut the corner and maintain his frame than to force him into the corner, he freaks, everything falls apart, and we lose points on every movement down there.
Other than that, we continued to polish. What's fascinating to me is that he was as good as he was, after all that time off (Mike pointed out it's a big shift in MY attitude since he first met us), and that I can feel the "blips" in the movements - something I didn't used to even notice. We're improving!
What remains discouraging to me is that we're riding Training 1 and 2. Willig is 9 this year. I'm 34. Although I took most of my life off, I've been riding enough years that it makes me frustrated I never learned things properly enough so that I'm farther now. Better late than never I guess.
We did Training 3 at the very end of the lesson, just because Mike had mentioned last lesson it has some odd movements in it, and because I'm riding it the weekend after this at another show. Holy cow, it sure does. Weird 20 meter circles. A stretchy circle at the trot. It's like they jumped an entire level from T-2 to T-3. T-3 to T-4 seems manageable, but I'm not sure I even have the memory for T-3! Yowza!
I'm excited about the show. I wish I'd had more time to prepare, but work has been crazy. I'm just glad I'm getting to ride this week. Also, when I haven't been able to get out for a while, I'm just so grateful to be there and ride at all, that his little hijinks don't bother me as much.
Regardless, the chaos meant that finally (I can't believe I'm excited about this), Mike got to observe Willig acting up a little bit during our lesson. He was just being a goober about the far end of the arena (I heard that at least four horses got scared of the hose being in a new place, so that makes me feel a little better), and so Mike gave me some tips on how to deal with it during a show:
First - make several little loops as soon as I come in the gate so he sees the scary end at least twice each direction - THEN, if there's time - ride down and past the Judge's stand.
Second - as we approach, watch his ears! (c'mon self, you should know this by now), and BEFORE he pops his head up and his shoulder out and jumps around, correct him. It's ok to use a very firm hand and say "No. You will bend to the inside." Of course, combined with some leg like a half pass.
Third - If I need to, cut the corner a little. It's better to cut the corner and maintain his frame than to force him into the corner, he freaks, everything falls apart, and we lose points on every movement down there.
Other than that, we continued to polish. What's fascinating to me is that he was as good as he was, after all that time off (Mike pointed out it's a big shift in MY attitude since he first met us), and that I can feel the "blips" in the movements - something I didn't used to even notice. We're improving!
What remains discouraging to me is that we're riding Training 1 and 2. Willig is 9 this year. I'm 34. Although I took most of my life off, I've been riding enough years that it makes me frustrated I never learned things properly enough so that I'm farther now. Better late than never I guess.
We did Training 3 at the very end of the lesson, just because Mike had mentioned last lesson it has some odd movements in it, and because I'm riding it the weekend after this at another show. Holy cow, it sure does. Weird 20 meter circles. A stretchy circle at the trot. It's like they jumped an entire level from T-2 to T-3. T-3 to T-4 seems manageable, but I'm not sure I even have the memory for T-3! Yowza!
I'm excited about the show. I wish I'd had more time to prepare, but work has been crazy. I'm just glad I'm getting to ride this week. Also, when I haven't been able to get out for a while, I'm just so grateful to be there and ride at all, that his little hijinks don't bother me as much.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Back-to-back awesome lessons
After our incredible jump lesson Sunday, I had to work (14 hours!) Monday and didn't get to try out Shannon's suggestions about steering from the outside rein, so my first order of business was telling Mike about how confusing it was to me.
Mike, like the wise Jedi he is, suggested all in good time, given the things I've thrown at him to work with so far. (Like the 3" of clearance that used to be between my butt and the saddle at both the canter and "sitting" trot. Har.)
Anyway, I was late getting to the barn, so I didn't have time to warm Willig up. It was actually interesting though, to have a "lesson warm up" to see how Mike would do it differently than I do. A lot like what I'm seeing with Shannon - when I'm left on my own I kind of putter around and make excuses - which is probably why when I have lessons, my glasses steam up, which never happens when I'm riding on my own.
Note to self: ride harder.
This was a lesson that was a great ride (although I almost started to cry at the end because my feeble leg muscles could hardly take it), but it was a whole bunch of new stuff and a whole lot of that was based on feeling, so I'm not sure how well I can capture it.
We started with circles and then the arena, keeping him bent to the inside, and noticing what my body is doing, which is, incredibly, my right hand is always almost back on my thigh while my left hand kind of flaps uselessly. Even when I put both hands on exactly the same spot on the reins, my right hand sneaks back.
Mike had two suggestions for this:
- Hold my right hand like I am holding a coffee cup - up a bit and in a slightly formal position. When I think about holding it like this, it gets out of my way, and I can then use my left hand to give inside bend aids.
- Touch my fingers together (or bridge the reins 5" wide) so that my right hand can't escape. This was the same as Shannon's suggestion - when I'm in my jump saddle I have the martingale on, and I can loop a finger on it so my hand can't go off in it's own direction.
I pointed out that Willig has been doing that motorcyle bend a bit at the canter. Mike suggested I look at myself, and sure enough, my body was doing the same thing, and Willig was just a reflection (albeit a big, easy to see one) of my weirdness. Always the human. Never the horse.
We worked on thinking "straight" and equal between my aids - a straight line on all the lines, evenly between me on the corners, and then Mike took it up a notch by suggesting I lift my butt on the left side - then lift it on the right side - and then feel the "even" place in the middle. This was pretty cool.
It was the same feeling as bending Willig inside, then bending Willig outside, and feeling the "even" in between the two.
Then he took away my stirrups and we worked on the sitting trot.
There is just the tiniest shift back - it is "plugging in" my seat bones, but also my torso just a bit further back (I almost always, left to my own devices, lean forward on my pubic bones and in the torso, like an equitation jumper), and then the heavens open up, angels sing, and I can COMFORTABLY sit the trot - even when we make it a bit bigger. Ok, this isn't flawless and it still needs a ton of work and the details are kind of crazy overwhelming, but THIS. IS. SO. COOL. Last year, sitting the trot was this teeth-jarring slam-slam-slam that left me wilted. This year, it's like "could you get some more elevation in his front please?" all fancy pants.
So that's what we did next - thinking "popping the wheelie" which is actually asking him to go forward but channeling it into the reins - something I've always read about but never been able to do. Mike describes it like squeezing the toothpaste from the end but you have control over the cap and can channel it up. And it just feels - amazing.
But it is all feeling. I barely grasp the sequence of steps, so Mike has said (for what must be the hundreth time) to work more without stirrups in between lessons.
Then we did stirrupless canter work. This one was the same popping the wheelie (although it is easier to do and feel at the canter) and then popping it, slowing the canter down with my seat, and then easing him into trot instead of him dive-bombing (on the forehand) into trot.
This was the point where I was about to cry from my leg muscles (and ok, my abs too).
Finally, Mike did a bit showing me steering from the outside rein. This actually isn't as hard as it first seemed in the lesson with Shannon. I think it helps I've had a few days to think about it, but I actually do it a little bit. My mistake was that I thought the rein should never touch the horse's neck (god knows why I thought that), and so I wouldn't leave it there. I do tend to overdo it (not a surprise to anyone who knows me or who has been reading this blog or who even sees the length of the postings), and so when I overdo it, it feels wrong (surprise) because he's bent to the outside around the corners. I just need to tone it down.
Anyway, even though Mr. Willig had yesterday off (I was a bit sore from the jump lesson, so maybe he was too - although probably not) and not much riding last week, he was just as willing and sweet as could be. I have been so happy with him the last month. And it is so satisfying to be doing so much new stuff. Really fun.
One more exercise is to sort of leg yield him halfway over down a long side, and then leg yield him back the other way on the second half. That will also help me find the "even" bend in between.
Also, after my lesson, two women who can ride Intermediare (sp?) did a Pas de deux (sp again?) to music. It was REALLY cool to watch.
Mike, like the wise Jedi he is, suggested all in good time, given the things I've thrown at him to work with so far. (Like the 3" of clearance that used to be between my butt and the saddle at both the canter and "sitting" trot. Har.)
Anyway, I was late getting to the barn, so I didn't have time to warm Willig up. It was actually interesting though, to have a "lesson warm up" to see how Mike would do it differently than I do. A lot like what I'm seeing with Shannon - when I'm left on my own I kind of putter around and make excuses - which is probably why when I have lessons, my glasses steam up, which never happens when I'm riding on my own.
Note to self: ride harder.
This was a lesson that was a great ride (although I almost started to cry at the end because my feeble leg muscles could hardly take it), but it was a whole bunch of new stuff and a whole lot of that was based on feeling, so I'm not sure how well I can capture it.
We started with circles and then the arena, keeping him bent to the inside, and noticing what my body is doing, which is, incredibly, my right hand is always almost back on my thigh while my left hand kind of flaps uselessly. Even when I put both hands on exactly the same spot on the reins, my right hand sneaks back.
Mike had two suggestions for this:
- Hold my right hand like I am holding a coffee cup - up a bit and in a slightly formal position. When I think about holding it like this, it gets out of my way, and I can then use my left hand to give inside bend aids.
- Touch my fingers together (or bridge the reins 5" wide) so that my right hand can't escape. This was the same as Shannon's suggestion - when I'm in my jump saddle I have the martingale on, and I can loop a finger on it so my hand can't go off in it's own direction.
I pointed out that Willig has been doing that motorcyle bend a bit at the canter. Mike suggested I look at myself, and sure enough, my body was doing the same thing, and Willig was just a reflection (albeit a big, easy to see one) of my weirdness. Always the human. Never the horse.
We worked on thinking "straight" and equal between my aids - a straight line on all the lines, evenly between me on the corners, and then Mike took it up a notch by suggesting I lift my butt on the left side - then lift it on the right side - and then feel the "even" place in the middle. This was pretty cool.
It was the same feeling as bending Willig inside, then bending Willig outside, and feeling the "even" in between the two.
Then he took away my stirrups and we worked on the sitting trot.
There is just the tiniest shift back - it is "plugging in" my seat bones, but also my torso just a bit further back (I almost always, left to my own devices, lean forward on my pubic bones and in the torso, like an equitation jumper), and then the heavens open up, angels sing, and I can COMFORTABLY sit the trot - even when we make it a bit bigger. Ok, this isn't flawless and it still needs a ton of work and the details are kind of crazy overwhelming, but THIS. IS. SO. COOL. Last year, sitting the trot was this teeth-jarring slam-slam-slam that left me wilted. This year, it's like "could you get some more elevation in his front please?" all fancy pants.
So that's what we did next - thinking "popping the wheelie" which is actually asking him to go forward but channeling it into the reins - something I've always read about but never been able to do. Mike describes it like squeezing the toothpaste from the end but you have control over the cap and can channel it up. And it just feels - amazing.
But it is all feeling. I barely grasp the sequence of steps, so Mike has said (for what must be the hundreth time) to work more without stirrups in between lessons.
Then we did stirrupless canter work. This one was the same popping the wheelie (although it is easier to do and feel at the canter) and then popping it, slowing the canter down with my seat, and then easing him into trot instead of him dive-bombing (on the forehand) into trot.
This was the point where I was about to cry from my leg muscles (and ok, my abs too).
Finally, Mike did a bit showing me steering from the outside rein. This actually isn't as hard as it first seemed in the lesson with Shannon. I think it helps I've had a few days to think about it, but I actually do it a little bit. My mistake was that I thought the rein should never touch the horse's neck (god knows why I thought that), and so I wouldn't leave it there. I do tend to overdo it (not a surprise to anyone who knows me or who has been reading this blog or who even sees the length of the postings), and so when I overdo it, it feels wrong (surprise) because he's bent to the outside around the corners. I just need to tone it down.
Anyway, even though Mr. Willig had yesterday off (I was a bit sore from the jump lesson, so maybe he was too - although probably not) and not much riding last week, he was just as willing and sweet as could be. I have been so happy with him the last month. And it is so satisfying to be doing so much new stuff. Really fun.
One more exercise is to sort of leg yield him halfway over down a long side, and then leg yield him back the other way on the second half. That will also help me find the "even" bend in between.
Also, after my lesson, two women who can ride Intermediare (sp?) did a Pas de deux (sp again?) to music. It was REALLY cool to watch.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Superstar Jumping Willig!
We had the only jump lesson I could work with my schedule this month today, and of course, it had been raining all day, I was racing around like a madwoman (had to go to work, got to barn late, rush-rush-rush), and it was the tail end of Pony Club, which was inside because of the rain. Fortunately, Shannon's indoor arena is huge, and so even though the group lesson was at one end, and three other people were riding, we managed to squeeze in five minutes of lunging (Willig also got most of the week off - only ridden by J while I worked crazy hours) where he wanted to buck (he did his pre-buck-head-toss but couldn't get his bucks out because the circle was too small).
So all that being said, I thought, grimly, "Well, at least it will be a day where Shannon can teach me how to react when he acts up." Maybe because it was SO overwhelming, or maybe because Shannon immediately made us do 200 things at once, so neither of us had time to think about anything but following directions - he was just fine. In fact, he was better than fine.
He did one little kick when I smacked him with the whip inside (and we did some work on my hands being off - more to come on this towards the end), but he leapt forward, and so Shannon said to praise him anyway. Plus, I kind of deserved the attitude - I was frazzled with expectation about him being bad and so much going on that I wasn't doing a good job giving him clear aids.
The heavy drizzle turned into a light drizzle, so we went outside and jumped a little jump a few times, when, of course with the way the day was going, the Pony Club group lesson ended so people, horses, and trucks and trailers were going every which way, and it was me (ME!) who had trouble paying attention to the jumps and what Shannon wanted us to do - not Willig, who, while flicking his ear mildly in that direction, had (!!) kind of a "ho hum" attitude about it all.
Someone had set up a really cute jump course (earlier in the week I was looking at it enviously) with some ivy and flowers on and below most of the fences, so then Shannon took it up a notch and made us jump a course. At the canter. Over very tiny fences. And I had a big gulp and she told me (colorfully) to ride it aggressively. So with her yelling the necessary instructions (heels forward! sit back! breathe! kick him forward! stop pulling back on him!) we aced it.
She raised the fences, added a couple more, yelled pretty much exactly the same instructions, and we aced it again. He hesitated a bit at the blue barrels, and then he eyeballed her jacket hanging on the fence, but man oh man - J's riding him is REALLY showing.
So it was a huge confidence booster - I was just beaming and patting him and he continued with his "ho hum" attitude, but then I casually asked "What do you mean by steer him with the outside rein?"
Oh lord. Apparently this is one of those huge gaping holes that is so obvious that no one would think that I didn't know anything about it. But I don't. And I didn't understand the mechanics of it and so Shannon had to, very very slowly and patiently and repetitively, explain it. This is something huge that we are going to have to work on. I am still not totally getting it, but Shannon described it as being like a wheelbarrow - you don't turn just one of the handles. Or on your bike. Or, apparently for everyone else in the world, on your horse.
So all this time when she has been telling me and Mike has been telling me to give with my inside hand - they mean something entirely different than what I have been trying to do. And this plays into why my hands are so uneven (another thing I really need to start correcting).
So this is a huge lesson that I'll be working on.
But oh my goodness. What a great ride with Willig. And I've gained a tiny bit of confidence back, J riding him is a great thing for both of us, and I need to stop being such a chicken and just ride him. Today was just hugely full of great lessons, but T is waiting for me to watch a movie (my tiny bit of relaxation for this weekend - next week is another mad rush through the week with too much to do at work for the hours there are, let alone ride and run and clean the house and walk the dog), and then my mom, sister, and nephew are visiting. Then we start getting into lots of summer horsey weekends - yay!
So all that being said, I thought, grimly, "Well, at least it will be a day where Shannon can teach me how to react when he acts up." Maybe because it was SO overwhelming, or maybe because Shannon immediately made us do 200 things at once, so neither of us had time to think about anything but following directions - he was just fine. In fact, he was better than fine.
He did one little kick when I smacked him with the whip inside (and we did some work on my hands being off - more to come on this towards the end), but he leapt forward, and so Shannon said to praise him anyway. Plus, I kind of deserved the attitude - I was frazzled with expectation about him being bad and so much going on that I wasn't doing a good job giving him clear aids.
The heavy drizzle turned into a light drizzle, so we went outside and jumped a little jump a few times, when, of course with the way the day was going, the Pony Club group lesson ended so people, horses, and trucks and trailers were going every which way, and it was me (ME!) who had trouble paying attention to the jumps and what Shannon wanted us to do - not Willig, who, while flicking his ear mildly in that direction, had (!!) kind of a "ho hum" attitude about it all.
Someone had set up a really cute jump course (earlier in the week I was looking at it enviously) with some ivy and flowers on and below most of the fences, so then Shannon took it up a notch and made us jump a course. At the canter. Over very tiny fences. And I had a big gulp and she told me (colorfully) to ride it aggressively. So with her yelling the necessary instructions (heels forward! sit back! breathe! kick him forward! stop pulling back on him!) we aced it.
She raised the fences, added a couple more, yelled pretty much exactly the same instructions, and we aced it again. He hesitated a bit at the blue barrels, and then he eyeballed her jacket hanging on the fence, but man oh man - J's riding him is REALLY showing.
So it was a huge confidence booster - I was just beaming and patting him and he continued with his "ho hum" attitude, but then I casually asked "What do you mean by steer him with the outside rein?"
Oh lord. Apparently this is one of those huge gaping holes that is so obvious that no one would think that I didn't know anything about it. But I don't. And I didn't understand the mechanics of it and so Shannon had to, very very slowly and patiently and repetitively, explain it. This is something huge that we are going to have to work on. I am still not totally getting it, but Shannon described it as being like a wheelbarrow - you don't turn just one of the handles. Or on your bike. Or, apparently for everyone else in the world, on your horse.
So all this time when she has been telling me and Mike has been telling me to give with my inside hand - they mean something entirely different than what I have been trying to do. And this plays into why my hands are so uneven (another thing I really need to start correcting).
So this is a huge lesson that I'll be working on.
But oh my goodness. What a great ride with Willig. And I've gained a tiny bit of confidence back, J riding him is a great thing for both of us, and I need to stop being such a chicken and just ride him. Today was just hugely full of great lessons, but T is waiting for me to watch a movie (my tiny bit of relaxation for this weekend - next week is another mad rush through the week with too much to do at work for the hours there are, let alone ride and run and clean the house and walk the dog), and then my mom, sister, and nephew are visiting. Then we start getting into lots of summer horsey weekends - yay!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Refining Training 1 & 2 and Starting 1st?
In today's lesson with Mike, he had me ride Training tests 1 and 2, which are our first tests of the season at the end of June.
Overall, they went pretty well. The corrections I need to work on are:
- Tipping forward (leaning) at the up transition from trot to canter. I need to think of the "popping a wheelie" up, which makes this nice, lifting transition; instead of a running-into-it transition.
- Working on the free walk across the diaganol. At 3rd level, you maintain the connection. At training, I can throw it away. Not that we want to, but I have been holding poor Willig so tight that he's like "give me more give me more" and I'm all "huh?" up on top, oblivious. This improved like 200%.
- Working on the down transition from trot to walk. I've been giving him the 1-2-3 notice, but then we plummet abruptly into walk. Another easy (yet I never figured it out on my own) fix. I sit, slow the trot down a few steps out, and then start thinking of the elephant's trunk swinging (legs loose and going right-left-right-left) and that makes my hips stay loose, and he just eases like a feather into walk. I had been clamping with my legs and hips as we did the transition. Sigh. Once again, all me.
- Willig was scooting just a bit right down the centerline. This is almost certainly my heavy right hand. Mike suggested riding with a small (5") bridge to become more aware of how often and heavy my right hand is.
- And my circle method worked. I look at the next letter over, and then do the bend to the inside and the inside leg pushing his inside hind leg over, and it comes pretty close each time.
- Avoid rushing the canter. It tends to get longer and stretched out the longer we go, so keep thinking of that wheelie.
After we rode both tests (and then worked on the fixes I described above), we crossed my stirrups and started working in the *new* territory for me. Mike says that at home I should be working 1st and 2nd level so I can ride Training confidently, even with all the show action going on. We did two new-ish things, which were really fun.
First, at the trot, I worked on that feeling of "lifting". I keep the rhythm with my hips, which is hard to explain but easy to feel when Mike says 1-2-1-2, which helps me kind of push into the saddle and have more control. Then I think about pulling my legs back, especially my thighs, applying just a bit with my calf, and at the same time, thinking "lift" with my hands. Every once in a while, nowhere close to 50%, we'll suddenly get it, and I feel Willig's back swell up into me and then it's like floating. It's pretty amazing, but needs lots of work and practice.
Second, at the canter, we worked on popping the wheelie, but also doing the lift, and this one was brand new, so I don't really have vocabulary for it yet. What happened was he did the same sort of floating up with his back, but it was hard to keep him lifted up and not break into trot. This one should be exciting to work on before my next lesson.
Overall, they went pretty well. The corrections I need to work on are:
- Tipping forward (leaning) at the up transition from trot to canter. I need to think of the "popping a wheelie" up, which makes this nice, lifting transition; instead of a running-into-it transition.
- Working on the free walk across the diaganol. At 3rd level, you maintain the connection. At training, I can throw it away. Not that we want to, but I have been holding poor Willig so tight that he's like "give me more give me more" and I'm all "huh?" up on top, oblivious. This improved like 200%.
- Working on the down transition from trot to walk. I've been giving him the 1-2-3 notice, but then we plummet abruptly into walk. Another easy (yet I never figured it out on my own) fix. I sit, slow the trot down a few steps out, and then start thinking of the elephant's trunk swinging (legs loose and going right-left-right-left) and that makes my hips stay loose, and he just eases like a feather into walk. I had been clamping with my legs and hips as we did the transition. Sigh. Once again, all me.
- Willig was scooting just a bit right down the centerline. This is almost certainly my heavy right hand. Mike suggested riding with a small (5") bridge to become more aware of how often and heavy my right hand is.
- And my circle method worked. I look at the next letter over, and then do the bend to the inside and the inside leg pushing his inside hind leg over, and it comes pretty close each time.
- Avoid rushing the canter. It tends to get longer and stretched out the longer we go, so keep thinking of that wheelie.
After we rode both tests (and then worked on the fixes I described above), we crossed my stirrups and started working in the *new* territory for me. Mike says that at home I should be working 1st and 2nd level so I can ride Training confidently, even with all the show action going on. We did two new-ish things, which were really fun.
First, at the trot, I worked on that feeling of "lifting". I keep the rhythm with my hips, which is hard to explain but easy to feel when Mike says 1-2-1-2, which helps me kind of push into the saddle and have more control. Then I think about pulling my legs back, especially my thighs, applying just a bit with my calf, and at the same time, thinking "lift" with my hands. Every once in a while, nowhere close to 50%, we'll suddenly get it, and I feel Willig's back swell up into me and then it's like floating. It's pretty amazing, but needs lots of work and practice.
Second, at the canter, we worked on popping the wheelie, but also doing the lift, and this one was brand new, so I don't really have vocabulary for it yet. What happened was he did the same sort of floating up with his back, but it was hard to keep him lifted up and not break into trot. This one should be exciting to work on before my next lesson.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
GREAT jump lesson with Shannon!
We had our first jump lesson in a while, and I started it with a great conversation with Shannon that was really, really useful for me putting things into perspective with Willig.
The take-away points were:
- I should go ahead and take him to some of the derbies and enter him in hopeful this year. If we have to be eliminated, scratch, or just look hideous - it doesn't matter, so long as we get around the course. She had to take her guy for three years in hopeful.
- When I ride him, it needs to be more assertively. He's always going to be a chicken, probably, so I have to make up for that and say "Rah! We're going over this jump here!" She doesn't think he doesn't like jumping; he's just easily scared of the other stuff going on. (Her guy was too, and he got over it!)
- What the hell is going on with my right hand? Over fences (not just in dressage) and especially when I get nervous, it is like pulling his head to my thigh. I don't even realize it's happening, so I have to think about "even hands".
- I also have to, on the way to the jump, not pull back. If I'm nervous, kick him forward, but don't pull back.
- And ride him in a defensive position. Think about having my legs in front of me on the way to the fence (and by thinking that, I focus on that and get out of his way for the rest of it), which also means I don't jump ahead, which means that I don't throw everything away, which means that I don't lose my balance, which means that I can react quicker on the other side, and it just keeps getting better. I also feel much more secure and safe.
- The nervousness I'm feeling is "normal" (in the relative scheme of normal, given that some eventers are lunatics). It's ok to not want to jump training level. But I can't start backing off or I'm going to back off of everything (this is me, not Shannon) until I sit in a corner in my house scared of the outside world.
- Most of the horses (quite likely all) have been "pack" horses who have just hauled me around the arena. Willig is the first time I'm really having to learn how to ride, and that's what makes you improve as a rider. Selling him and buying a pack horse would just postpone the lesson (and Shannon agrees he is a handsome guy with some nice qualities) or doom me to a fate of always having to buy packers.
When I put all these things together, Willig did GREAT! He jumped a little course and some things that have been scary for us, and although he didn't always hit his take off point correctly, he didn't have a single bad moment. It was a huge confidence builder. Shannon said that J should keep up with what she's doing, because it is really helping, and also offered for us to go school some at NWEC, which would be great!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Pema Chodron could be writing about riding
Pema is one of my favorite authors, and every time I re-read one of her books, I learn something new. In "The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times", the Prologue reads like it was written for a rider:
"As the Zen master Suzuki Roshi put it, 'In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.'
... the three noble principles [are]: good in the beginning, good in the middle, good at the end. We can begin anything we do ... with the intention to be open, flexible, and kind. Then we can proceed with an inquisitive attitude. ... 'Live your life as an experiment.'
At the end of the activity, whether we feel we have succeeded or failed in our intention, we seal the act by thinking of others ... [and] [w]e wish that anything we learned in our experiment could also benefit them.
In this spirit, I offer this guide on the training of the compassionate warrior. May it be of benefit at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. May it help move us toward the places that scare us. May it inform our lives and help us to die with no regrets."
"As the Zen master Suzuki Roshi put it, 'In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.'
... the three noble principles [are]: good in the beginning, good in the middle, good at the end. We can begin anything we do ... with the intention to be open, flexible, and kind. Then we can proceed with an inquisitive attitude. ... 'Live your life as an experiment.'
At the end of the activity, whether we feel we have succeeded or failed in our intention, we seal the act by thinking of others ... [and] [w]e wish that anything we learned in our experiment could also benefit them.
In this spirit, I offer this guide on the training of the compassionate warrior. May it be of benefit at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. May it help move us toward the places that scare us. May it inform our lives and help us to die with no regrets."
Patience, young jedi, patience
I started out whining this lesson - not an enjoyable quality in anyone, but particularly a waste of my valuable time with Mike. Willig was a great horse yesterday, a good horse two days before that, but kind of an idiot the day before those days, when I ventured out on the trail for the first time this year. And by idiot, I mean about 200x better than when I got him, but still not what I want him to be. And I just felt worn down by how far he has come, and how far he still has to go.
So the take away messages were:
- Continue to be patient. Working him slowly, building his confidence, not pushing him too hard - working hard on myself - all of those things are making improvements in him by leaps and bounds, so being frustrated because he's still not a rock solid eventer (and never will be, although Mike things he will progress outside and with fences just as well as he has with dressage) isn't really fair to him.
- Continue to work without stirrups. (Does that even need to be said?)
- Continue to work on the hip-opening feeling. This is actually uncomfortably stretchy, and I have to think about lifting my leg off the saddle, pushing it back off the back of the flap, and then holding it there. Whenever my knee touches the knee roll, my leg has gone too far forward. This one is going to take some effort to make those muscles open up.
- My left shoulder likes to tilt forward. I have to think about pulling it back (which makes me feel, when I'm going right, like I'm looking behind me).
- I need to work on some details, but we have most of the movements for training level tests 1 and 2 down. And I am going to ride them at Mike's show at Forest Park coming up at the end of June:
http://www.mikeosinski.com/images/olympia2010prizelist.pdf
http://www.mikeosinski.com/images/2010DRESSAGEINTHEPARKENTRYFORM.pdf
http://www.mikeosinski.com/
The more detailed version.
After my whining, where Mike asked specifically how Willig was an idiot (and in having to explain, really, guess who the idiot most of the time is? I suspect I have improper expectations, but in reality, I've just lost my nerve, and it actually shakes me up more that I lost my nerve than the actual losing of my nerve), we did both tests.
Willig dropped the canter a couple times, and I have a terrible time seeing the 20 meter circle (I am going to start measuring it out and putting the cones out until I feel it properly), and
- I need to give him 3 strides ahead the heads up that something is about to change - NOT ONE! - When I tell him something is about to happen, we can hit the timing perfectly. When I don't give him enough notice, surprise!, he is a couple steps late.
- It is also ok to sit before the transitions. So just before the corner, start sitting for the transition that will be at A or C. (And start telling him just about then too.)
I have not been understanding what a free walk is. I throw the reins away and doodle along. It is a neck stretching down, like he's grazing, and I keep the contact to remind him "hey!" with my fingers if he pops his head or looks at something, all while encouraging him to move forward with the left-thump right-thump left-thump right-thump. It is not a wide hand pulling his head down to his knees, like I have been doing when I want his head down but "loose" reins. Once he knows what I'm asking, he's nice about it, so I think we can cure this - I've just been doing it wrong.
I need to get my heels OUT OF HIS SIDE and think about my thighs going back off the back of the saddle, but my toes lifting and heels being down. ARGH!
The leg yield out is improving nicely, now that I am feeling where his feet are (inside hip forward, like at the top of a nordic track, is outside hind leg lifting at the walk; at the trot, it is the thump of my butt into the saddle).
We also worked a bit on the proper feeling of the trot - not his dragging around lazy, but a thump thump go! feeling, and then the short side and then a thump thump go! feeling.
The salute is also a 5 step thing, that I never knew how to do (Mike taught me last time, but refreshed this time).
So after all that work, the two dressage tests, and a pep talk, then we went outside and I just rode a couple laps, just as nice as inside, in the outside arena.
Mike said to keep doing that. Next time go a couple feet further. Then a couple feet further. And then, before I know it, we'll be able to work the whole arena.
He said it's ok to keep taking him on trail rides - that any horse looks at the movement in the woods, and that Willig has been quite nice while Mike is watching. (Tom was there for part of the ride, and also observed when I got home that Willig seems to respect Mike and not act up while Mike is watching; I'm going to guess it's that I relax because Mike is watching and can focus on riding instead of worrying about what Willig is going to do).
All in all - another lesson chock full of things to work on, massive improvements, and more goals. And a VERY well behaved Willig, even though I got out there too early, made him wait for dinner until after the ride, and I was a bit scattered today.
I was looking at the dressage tests, since I've kind of given up on the idea of eventing this summer, and we have a lot to learn. Mike thought we could do up through Training Level 4, but I don't know what some of the movements are in First Level, so that is my new goal, is to get solid in Training Level this summer, and start working for First Level for next year. And continue to patiently expose Willig to new things so that maybe next year I can ride him BN.
Also - in filling out the entry form, I had to dig out his records. I forgot that I got him when he was 6. No wonder I scared him with the fences. I set us back probably way more by assuming he was ready and able to do things he wasn't. It helps me look at how far he's come and try to learn some good lessons from it. I hate the thought of having wasted three years of his life.
So the take away messages were:
- Continue to be patient. Working him slowly, building his confidence, not pushing him too hard - working hard on myself - all of those things are making improvements in him by leaps and bounds, so being frustrated because he's still not a rock solid eventer (and never will be, although Mike things he will progress outside and with fences just as well as he has with dressage) isn't really fair to him.
- Continue to work without stirrups. (Does that even need to be said?)
- Continue to work on the hip-opening feeling. This is actually uncomfortably stretchy, and I have to think about lifting my leg off the saddle, pushing it back off the back of the flap, and then holding it there. Whenever my knee touches the knee roll, my leg has gone too far forward. This one is going to take some effort to make those muscles open up.
- My left shoulder likes to tilt forward. I have to think about pulling it back (which makes me feel, when I'm going right, like I'm looking behind me).
- I need to work on some details, but we have most of the movements for training level tests 1 and 2 down. And I am going to ride them at Mike's show at Forest Park coming up at the end of June:
http://www.mikeosinski.com/images/olympia2010prizelist.pdf
http://www.mikeosinski.com/images/2010DRESSAGEINTHEPARKENTRYFORM.pdf
http://www.mikeosinski.com/
The more detailed version.
After my whining, where Mike asked specifically how Willig was an idiot (and in having to explain, really, guess who the idiot most of the time is? I suspect I have improper expectations, but in reality, I've just lost my nerve, and it actually shakes me up more that I lost my nerve than the actual losing of my nerve), we did both tests.
Willig dropped the canter a couple times, and I have a terrible time seeing the 20 meter circle (I am going to start measuring it out and putting the cones out until I feel it properly), and
- I need to give him 3 strides ahead the heads up that something is about to change - NOT ONE! - When I tell him something is about to happen, we can hit the timing perfectly. When I don't give him enough notice, surprise!, he is a couple steps late.
- It is also ok to sit before the transitions. So just before the corner, start sitting for the transition that will be at A or C. (And start telling him just about then too.)
I have not been understanding what a free walk is. I throw the reins away and doodle along. It is a neck stretching down, like he's grazing, and I keep the contact to remind him "hey!" with my fingers if he pops his head or looks at something, all while encouraging him to move forward with the left-thump right-thump left-thump right-thump. It is not a wide hand pulling his head down to his knees, like I have been doing when I want his head down but "loose" reins. Once he knows what I'm asking, he's nice about it, so I think we can cure this - I've just been doing it wrong.
I need to get my heels OUT OF HIS SIDE and think about my thighs going back off the back of the saddle, but my toes lifting and heels being down. ARGH!
The leg yield out is improving nicely, now that I am feeling where his feet are (inside hip forward, like at the top of a nordic track, is outside hind leg lifting at the walk; at the trot, it is the thump of my butt into the saddle).
We also worked a bit on the proper feeling of the trot - not his dragging around lazy, but a thump thump go! feeling, and then the short side and then a thump thump go! feeling.
The salute is also a 5 step thing, that I never knew how to do (Mike taught me last time, but refreshed this time).
So after all that work, the two dressage tests, and a pep talk, then we went outside and I just rode a couple laps, just as nice as inside, in the outside arena.
Mike said to keep doing that. Next time go a couple feet further. Then a couple feet further. And then, before I know it, we'll be able to work the whole arena.
He said it's ok to keep taking him on trail rides - that any horse looks at the movement in the woods, and that Willig has been quite nice while Mike is watching. (Tom was there for part of the ride, and also observed when I got home that Willig seems to respect Mike and not act up while Mike is watching; I'm going to guess it's that I relax because Mike is watching and can focus on riding instead of worrying about what Willig is going to do).
All in all - another lesson chock full of things to work on, massive improvements, and more goals. And a VERY well behaved Willig, even though I got out there too early, made him wait for dinner until after the ride, and I was a bit scattered today.
I was looking at the dressage tests, since I've kind of given up on the idea of eventing this summer, and we have a lot to learn. Mike thought we could do up through Training Level 4, but I don't know what some of the movements are in First Level, so that is my new goal, is to get solid in Training Level this summer, and start working for First Level for next year. And continue to patiently expose Willig to new things so that maybe next year I can ride him BN.
Also - in filling out the entry form, I had to dig out his records. I forgot that I got him when he was 6. No wonder I scared him with the fences. I set us back probably way more by assuming he was ready and able to do things he wasn't. It helps me look at how far he's come and try to learn some good lessons from it. I hate the thought of having wasted three years of his life.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A lesson involving feeling
I started this lesson by telling Mike that despite last week's lesson being a bunch of new stuff, I felt like I "got it" - until my next ride, where it promptly all fell apart and I couldn't seem to do any of it right.
He almost immediately solved the problem - instead of a "thump" (percussion type aid), I continue to do a "squeeze" (anaconda type aid). So it's impossible to time my aid properly (a thump when his rear hind leg is lifting) when I start squeezing, build up the squeeze, and release - which basically takes three steps to do.
So - wham-o - explanation and now back to practice.
We worked a bit more on feeling the swinging of his belly and which hind leg is moving. This is TRICKY. I put my hand on his back hip and felt it coming up and down and up and down, but matching that feeling to my hips is really confusing. I'm going to have to really work on this one.
Mike also pointed out the very strong difference between my right and left (going right, poor Willig's head is cranked almost to his belly; going left, well, poor Willig's head is still cranked almost to his RIGHT belly). I have to be more aware of that and work really hard on the left.
Then we worked on a "thump" with a check-in with the reins, and then how many strides can Willig hold it - and as he starts to fade, a new "thump" and check-in.
Willig was a bit of a slug today (there was a flappy jacket at the end of the arena that his ears stayed pivoted on, but he couldn't muster up the effort for a spook), but he usually catches on right away and is all thankful "A crisp, clear aid! Thank you Mom!"
Then we took away the stirrups and worked for a while at sitting trot - mostly focusing on the bouncing ball and not leaning too far back, and then thinking about pushing my legs DOWN, instead of clamping with my thigh.
We worked on a super-duper feeling thing here - continuing to move into uncharted territory for me - where I imagined Willig the wheelbarrow leaning onto his front wheel with his butt up in the air, and then I would sit up tall and straight and firm and think about him lifting his shoulders up - and then by some miracle, most of the time, he would. Mike says he has quite a nice trot, and not every horse can lift his shoulders up like that. (At the end of the lesson, I was working again on pushing my leg farther back (thinking off the back of the saddle) and then I could really feel him just loosen up and go. Pretty cool.) But this bit was hard because I could tell that I was doing something that had an effect on him, but other than "sitting up" I can't begin to describe what I was doing (yet).
Then we worked on transition from the sitting trot to the canter - keeping the bouncing ball going all the way into the canter transition - what I do is completely stop moving my hips, and then he does this ugly up transition. If I focus completely on the 1-2-1-2 of my hips, the transition is much nicer.
Then we worked on the down transition (after some "swinging" my seat at the canter), and doing the same - thinking about it with my hips so we just drop into it soft like a feather instead of like a bowling ball - off the Eiffel tower - and lo and behold - I can continue to sit the trot when we do it with focus and concentration.
It was another great lesson, although I think my learning curve is about to flatten out quite a bit since all this is new to me (which is keeping it really interesting and fun and challenging between lessons too!).
He almost immediately solved the problem - instead of a "thump" (percussion type aid), I continue to do a "squeeze" (anaconda type aid). So it's impossible to time my aid properly (a thump when his rear hind leg is lifting) when I start squeezing, build up the squeeze, and release - which basically takes three steps to do.
So - wham-o - explanation and now back to practice.
We worked a bit more on feeling the swinging of his belly and which hind leg is moving. This is TRICKY. I put my hand on his back hip and felt it coming up and down and up and down, but matching that feeling to my hips is really confusing. I'm going to have to really work on this one.
Mike also pointed out the very strong difference between my right and left (going right, poor Willig's head is cranked almost to his belly; going left, well, poor Willig's head is still cranked almost to his RIGHT belly). I have to be more aware of that and work really hard on the left.
Then we worked on a "thump" with a check-in with the reins, and then how many strides can Willig hold it - and as he starts to fade, a new "thump" and check-in.
Willig was a bit of a slug today (there was a flappy jacket at the end of the arena that his ears stayed pivoted on, but he couldn't muster up the effort for a spook), but he usually catches on right away and is all thankful "A crisp, clear aid! Thank you Mom!"
Then we took away the stirrups and worked for a while at sitting trot - mostly focusing on the bouncing ball and not leaning too far back, and then thinking about pushing my legs DOWN, instead of clamping with my thigh.
We worked on a super-duper feeling thing here - continuing to move into uncharted territory for me - where I imagined Willig the wheelbarrow leaning onto his front wheel with his butt up in the air, and then I would sit up tall and straight and firm and think about him lifting his shoulders up - and then by some miracle, most of the time, he would. Mike says he has quite a nice trot, and not every horse can lift his shoulders up like that. (At the end of the lesson, I was working again on pushing my leg farther back (thinking off the back of the saddle) and then I could really feel him just loosen up and go. Pretty cool.) But this bit was hard because I could tell that I was doing something that had an effect on him, but other than "sitting up" I can't begin to describe what I was doing (yet).
Then we worked on transition from the sitting trot to the canter - keeping the bouncing ball going all the way into the canter transition - what I do is completely stop moving my hips, and then he does this ugly up transition. If I focus completely on the 1-2-1-2 of my hips, the transition is much nicer.
Then we worked on the down transition (after some "swinging" my seat at the canter), and doing the same - thinking about it with my hips so we just drop into it soft like a feather instead of like a bowling ball - off the Eiffel tower - and lo and behold - I can continue to sit the trot when we do it with focus and concentration.
It was another great lesson, although I think my learning curve is about to flatten out quite a bit since all this is new to me (which is keeping it really interesting and fun and challenging between lessons too!).
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
First lesson in the new saddle (and in a couple months)
The cat just stepped on the mouse in some magical way and deleted 20 minutes of typing.
The lesson today was great - one of the best.
We worked the first 1/3 on, at each quarter of the circle, a leg yield out which made Willig tall and balanced. This involved a lot of thinking (but more, feeling) on my part. Once I put all the steps together, I could instantly feel the transformation, but as soon as I lost a step, I'd have to start over (1, then 2, then 3, then 4, then magic, then I'd lose my hand, so 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, then ooops, then 1, then 2 ... you get it).
The second 2/3 of the lesson we worked on canter transitions (he did quite nice) and this is probably where we're getting the most solid.
The last 1/3 of the lesson we did a dressage test (and I learned how to salute properly!), but Willig got a bit worked up about having to go past the scary short side, so we need to work on that some more. It was a good lesson for when a tired Willig is hungry but he needs to keep working, but wasn't quite as satisfactory as the first 2/3 of the lesson, which were just more magic.
The 20 minute version said that I am excited, and even though he fell down out of fear of the poodle earlier this week, I love the saddle, and today's ride was the reason I spend all my spare time and money riding.
The lesson today was great - one of the best.
We worked the first 1/3 on, at each quarter of the circle, a leg yield out which made Willig tall and balanced. This involved a lot of thinking (but more, feeling) on my part. Once I put all the steps together, I could instantly feel the transformation, but as soon as I lost a step, I'd have to start over (1, then 2, then 3, then 4, then magic, then I'd lose my hand, so 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, then ooops, then 1, then 2 ... you get it).
The second 2/3 of the lesson we worked on canter transitions (he did quite nice) and this is probably where we're getting the most solid.
The last 1/3 of the lesson we did a dressage test (and I learned how to salute properly!), but Willig got a bit worked up about having to go past the scary short side, so we need to work on that some more. It was a good lesson for when a tired Willig is hungry but he needs to keep working, but wasn't quite as satisfactory as the first 2/3 of the lesson, which were just more magic.
The 20 minute version said that I am excited, and even though he fell down out of fear of the poodle earlier this week, I love the saddle, and today's ride was the reason I spend all my spare time and money riding.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Friday, April 02, 2010
Vacation
I was gone for almost all of March, and spent almost all of February working to make up for being gone almost all of March. I was gone for a good reason (http://wademcdade.com/), but poor Willig ...
Now I'm back, enthusiastic and refreshed, and so keep watching for some good posts coming soon.
Now I'm back, enthusiastic and refreshed, and so keep watching for some good posts coming soon.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Willig may be making his Pinnochio move
Today he got 1 1/2 hours of turn-out in the grass because I had to read something for work (it was sunny and warm - yay!). He never once checked in, but contentedly munched grass, and although some dogs barked, someone was riding a 4-wheeler off in the distance, Pony Clubbers were jumping, and eventually, almost all of the horses went in, he made nary a peep. (There was one jump, but followed quickly by eating.)
So tomorrow he is going to try the grass rotation again. Fingers crossed! I wish *I* lived in one of the grass pastures, they are so nice.
So tomorrow he is going to try the grass rotation again. Fingers crossed! I wish *I* lived in one of the grass pastures, they are so nice.
Hive free!
Last week I cut out Willig's hive-reducing/eliminating supplements, and with a few, infrequent days, he has stayed hive free for the week. Yay. That leaves me free to go on vacation without preparing 70 baggies, and 70 baggies to start out next fall the first second a hive shows up.
He has been swishing his tail quite a bit lately, but he has also been severely neglected - a long weekend away, a doozy of a cold, and massive hours for me at work - means he is lucky to get lunged every other day.
The two rides I have managed to squeeze in over the past two-three weeks, however, were quite enjoyable. I don't think that was because he was particularly good (he had what I would consider "typical" unridden consistently quirks), but because I was just so glad to be riding instead of working that my expectations were different.
Huh. How about that.
I am now thinking maybe it will be worth it to shift my show budget to a training budget for the spring/summer/fall, and have the (now two!) people who can ride him over fences work him a bit outside and see if that, with my work too, helps him progress like he did with dressage.
He has been swishing his tail quite a bit lately, but he has also been severely neglected - a long weekend away, a doozy of a cold, and massive hours for me at work - means he is lucky to get lunged every other day.
The two rides I have managed to squeeze in over the past two-three weeks, however, were quite enjoyable. I don't think that was because he was particularly good (he had what I would consider "typical" unridden consistently quirks), but because I was just so glad to be riding instead of working that my expectations were different.
Huh. How about that.
I am now thinking maybe it will be worth it to shift my show budget to a training budget for the spring/summer/fall, and have the (now two!) people who can ride him over fences work him a bit outside and see if that, with my work too, helps him progress like he did with dressage.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
A full hour in the Regal - oh my
I had my first of two dressage lessons this month with Mike today. I have been focused on trying the various saddles to see what I like and if another saddle came close to the Regal experience (one, and oh my goodness saddle shopping is hard), and at one of the boarder's sage suggestions, I wanted to ride in his saddle again to see if it was just the novelty of riding in one that fit well, or if there really was a magical combination of features that makes it just exactly right.
It seems to be closer to Goldilocks and the porridge than novelty.
So I got to warm up in it, then have my entire lesson in it, and I must say, although my legs got a bit tired towards the end after the work without stirrups, it was really quite, quite nice to ride in and not fight with my own seat and legs.
I started with the dilemma with Willig outside. Mike's thoughts were that Willig has improved tremendously in the time he's been working with us, and he doesn't think he's a nasty mean horse, so he thinks I just need to tackle the outside issue as patiently and calmly and slowly as we did the inside issue, and that future lessons we could do the first half inside and the second half outside.
I agree with this approach, I'm just not sure it will work, but there's nothing to do but try. Mike is more confident that Willig will come along than I am. Mike's also a professional and Willig hasn't tried to buck him off yet, and his points are well taken that a high-spirited horse, once channelled, is more fun to ride than a plodding school horse.
So what we worked on:
This lesson felt like refining to me - thanks to the Regal.
We worked on his bend to the left. My right hand keeps him in a headlock, whether we are going right or left, so he is overbent to the right, and not bent at all to the left. Poor guy. That's why he's started picking up the left lead on a right circle - I'm cranking his head so far I'm sending his back end out. This just takes me paying attention.
We worked on his trot to canter transitions, with no running/falling into them. I have to think about collecting him up (and not letting my reins get long!), and then wheelie into it, instead of blah into it.
He has been breaking after a few canter strides (combined with a tail swish) and Mike thinks he is confused and a bit frustrated because I am clamping my thighs instead of loose legs. Loose legs = nicer moving Willig. Again, something I need to pay attention to.
We worked on the speed and "pulled together" trot, with a three step: 1- ask a bit bigger, 2- ask again, a bit bigger, and 3- ask again, this is just below a lenghtening trot, and oh man it is nice. Willig responds quite nicely. Once Willig starts paying attention, he gets very responsive.
We took away the stirrups and worked on sitting trot and canter, with the down transition being a smooth transition into the speed of trot I want (one that I can actually sit in the Regal), and this was really cool too. We did half circles so that I had to keep him together (and not spend half a circle getting him the way I want, then riding the other half of the circle).
The leg work and position for this was a bit more - thinking of my leg really pushing down and back into him, while the sit part is a belly-to-back but on a bouncing ball, and my upper body is a bit back. This is still not quite together, but I still get a few flashes of it being just right and it feels really good. And, for the first time in my life, I could feel his back leg moving. So it really is possible to time when you ask for a canter or whatever. It was pretty amazing, and Mike says it's also partly about riding with a tighter rein and him pulled together that lets me feel it.
Then we ended with an example of how to introduce something scary - working inside closer and closer to the scary side, we just move that way in stages - towards it, make a circle, a little further, make another circle, a little further, make a circle.
Then, walk towards it, stop, let him look, walk, stop, look, walk, stop, look, all with praise and patting. This was another consistent message - I don't reward him often enough when he does the right thing.
So big messages:
Bent to inside and let go with that cranky right hand
Keep working on sitting trot and the feel
Tighten up my transitions - no throwing him away up or down (for trot/canter and trot/walk)
Be patient with him and help him build confidence
And yes, I really want the Regal.
It seems to be closer to Goldilocks and the porridge than novelty.
So I got to warm up in it, then have my entire lesson in it, and I must say, although my legs got a bit tired towards the end after the work without stirrups, it was really quite, quite nice to ride in and not fight with my own seat and legs.
I started with the dilemma with Willig outside. Mike's thoughts were that Willig has improved tremendously in the time he's been working with us, and he doesn't think he's a nasty mean horse, so he thinks I just need to tackle the outside issue as patiently and calmly and slowly as we did the inside issue, and that future lessons we could do the first half inside and the second half outside.
I agree with this approach, I'm just not sure it will work, but there's nothing to do but try. Mike is more confident that Willig will come along than I am. Mike's also a professional and Willig hasn't tried to buck him off yet, and his points are well taken that a high-spirited horse, once channelled, is more fun to ride than a plodding school horse.
So what we worked on:
This lesson felt like refining to me - thanks to the Regal.
We worked on his bend to the left. My right hand keeps him in a headlock, whether we are going right or left, so he is overbent to the right, and not bent at all to the left. Poor guy. That's why he's started picking up the left lead on a right circle - I'm cranking his head so far I'm sending his back end out. This just takes me paying attention.
We worked on his trot to canter transitions, with no running/falling into them. I have to think about collecting him up (and not letting my reins get long!), and then wheelie into it, instead of blah into it.
He has been breaking after a few canter strides (combined with a tail swish) and Mike thinks he is confused and a bit frustrated because I am clamping my thighs instead of loose legs. Loose legs = nicer moving Willig. Again, something I need to pay attention to.
We worked on the speed and "pulled together" trot, with a three step: 1- ask a bit bigger, 2- ask again, a bit bigger, and 3- ask again, this is just below a lenghtening trot, and oh man it is nice. Willig responds quite nicely. Once Willig starts paying attention, he gets very responsive.
We took away the stirrups and worked on sitting trot and canter, with the down transition being a smooth transition into the speed of trot I want (one that I can actually sit in the Regal), and this was really cool too. We did half circles so that I had to keep him together (and not spend half a circle getting him the way I want, then riding the other half of the circle).
The leg work and position for this was a bit more - thinking of my leg really pushing down and back into him, while the sit part is a belly-to-back but on a bouncing ball, and my upper body is a bit back. This is still not quite together, but I still get a few flashes of it being just right and it feels really good. And, for the first time in my life, I could feel his back leg moving. So it really is possible to time when you ask for a canter or whatever. It was pretty amazing, and Mike says it's also partly about riding with a tighter rein and him pulled together that lets me feel it.
Then we ended with an example of how to introduce something scary - working inside closer and closer to the scary side, we just move that way in stages - towards it, make a circle, a little further, make another circle, a little further, make a circle.
Then, walk towards it, stop, let him look, walk, stop, look, walk, stop, look, all with praise and patting. This was another consistent message - I don't reward him often enough when he does the right thing.
So big messages:
Bent to inside and let go with that cranky right hand
Keep working on sitting trot and the feel
Tighten up my transitions - no throwing him away up or down (for trot/canter and trot/walk)
Be patient with him and help him build confidence
And yes, I really want the Regal.
Saddle features
For my lesson today, Mike let me ride in his Regal again. I wanted to compare it now that I have ridden in a handful of other saddles.
Although this time there were no angels singing (the last lesson in it does appear to have been a perfect confluence of timing), it was still far superior to the other saddles I tried.
As best I can tell, here is what I like:
Narrow twist (although I'm not sure I can feel the difference)
A high, steep pommel
A small knee roll (triangle shaped, with the small pointy end at the bottom) that is set kind of high
Deep seat
Slightly forward panels
And the straight down leg position for the stirrup bar
So I'm going to try a few more, but if I can't find anything close, I am thinking it may be worth it to try to find a way to get a Regal.
Although this time there were no angels singing (the last lesson in it does appear to have been a perfect confluence of timing), it was still far superior to the other saddles I tried.
As best I can tell, here is what I like:
Narrow twist (although I'm not sure I can feel the difference)
A high, steep pommel
A small knee roll (triangle shaped, with the small pointy end at the bottom) that is set kind of high
Deep seat
Slightly forward panels
And the straight down leg position for the stirrup bar
So I'm going to try a few more, but if I can't find anything close, I am thinking it may be worth it to try to find a way to get a Regal.
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