Crazy busy!

With the pressure of my first show of the season being two weeks away, I have been busy with Shelley preparing for it.  We have bumped up our lessons to two per week until the show.  So I had a lesson last week on Wednesday, one on Saturday and one yesterday.  My next lesson is scheduled for Thursday. 

Unfortunately, for the past five years, I have had issues with back pain.  This is usually solved by a few visits to the naprapath, but lately the pain has started to become more intense and more frequent.  I finally got an MRI done and found that there are are a few herniated discs, a bulging disc, disc degeneration and mild scoliosis.  I am not one for pain meds or extensive medical treatment, so I am trying to work with my naprapath to do strengthening exercises and strengthen the areas of concern.  I am also going to meet with my general physician about getting muscle relaxers for the particularly difficult days when it is hard to get out of bed.  This pain is definitely exacerbated by riding, especially when I do not use my core and use my upper body instead.  So I am definitely trying to be more conscious about my position and listen to my body when it hurts, telling me to correct my position.

During the first lesson, Shelley worked on our half halts and suppling, and quickly noticed that J will really slow down his tempo, drop at the poll and onto the forehand if he is not told to quicken the entire duration of the half halt or suppling aid.  So she wanted us to GREATLY increase our tempo, to the point of over-tempo, and then ask him for half halts and supple from there.  It was very painful on my back, as I was using too much upper body to try to steer and control his tempo.  But I stuck through it and by the end of the lesson, J was much more honest.

Our lesson on Saturday was a great one.  Shelley got on him first and had no issues with him, she seemed very happy with his work.  She commented that J is very uncomplicated when the rider's position is correct.  Then I got on and she suggested that we start off with no stirrups, so I could work on my position and using my core in a more effective way.  I was a little wary because of my back, but gave it a shot.  We started in walk, working on my pulling my shoulders down and back, bringing my elbows in to my body, lowering my hands and stilling my lower back.  Shelley had a very interesting analogy- which I had previously seen in a Dressage Today magazine- of thinking that the reins were not connected to just my hands, but connected all the way around me and my lower back.  Picturing this definitely helped me use my core and lower back in a more correct way.  We then moved to sitting trot work, going around the whole arena, but doing constant voltes, asking him to turn from my seat and then push him back onto the outside rein with my inside leg.  We had some really nice work and amazingly my back was not hurting at all!  It clearly makes a difference when I am riding correctly!  Then we worked on canter work, doing the same small-ish circles, but keeping them at about 15 meters instead of 10 meters, all without stirrups.  My position was definitely better throughout the entire lesson and I ended up not using my stirrups at all!  I felt really great afterwards- not in any pain, felt very connected to J and did some really nice work.  It was very exciting!

On Monday we went back to increasing his tempo, as he was a bit sluggish, possibly due to the extremely humid and hot weather we suddenly found ourselves dealing with.  Shelley set up cones in a 20 meter circle and had us ride an accurate circle while really making sure he was on the outside rein.  We did this by asking him to move his outside shoulder a hair to the inside and then pushing him back to the outside rein, while controlling the bend with the outside leg being back and keeping consistent contact on the outside rein.  At first he was a bit resistant- he was distracted by the barn owner power washing vehicles in the driveway, which was ridiculous for him to even be thinking about.  But he eventually came around and his work improved.  Once we got good, consistent 20 meter circles at the trot and canter, with lots of transitions throughout, we went to work on our leg yields.  J and I really love to overbend in the leg yields, which is very slight (I am told by Shelley) but enough that he is not coming through his inside hind as well as he should be.  So we really worked on making the turn correctly by not letting him fall out the outside shoulder, quick half halt on the inside rein and follow up with outside leg to ask for outside shoulder to come to the inside and then straighten him with the outside rein and move him quickly over with the inside leg.  All of this happens within 1 or 2 steps, so it is a very quick process.  Than he will typically lose his balance after 5 or 6 steps, so I have to ask him again to turn his shoulder to the inside and move over.  It was really hard work!  And with the temperatures in the 90's with extreme humidity, both J and I were dripping with sweat!  We then worked on the 1-3 trot sequence of the leg yield to the voltes, which did not go so well.  It made me very nervous that we will not get these good enough by the show next week, but we will try our best.  I just have to be very careful to make sure that J is very straight in the first leg yield (which is his toughest way) that goes from left to right, because if he is overbent, our volte really sucks.  I will definitely be doing some work on that tonight!

I'm planning on doing some work without stirrups again tonight and work on my position.  Then we will do the trot work from 1-3 and hopefully get some more consistent leg yields.  I'm so anxious to show next week- I can't wait!!!