Self-doubt SUCKS!

So J is in his fourth week of increased training, with Shelley working with him (and sometimes me) three times per week.  It has been a bit difficult to arrange for lessons due to conflicting schedules and health issues with both of us, so she has been primarily riding him while I am at work. 

I had a lesson on the 10th and it was VERY tough, but I learned a lot.  It was mostly working on the same things as we have been doing, keeping him quick in the hind legs, keeping him straight and bending him through his back.  We started off in the walk, working on honest responses to the half halt.  J is naturally very lazy in the walk and keeps his hind legs out far behind him, so I have to remember to keep his rhythm quick, half halt and then quicken his rhythm again.  And then let him get unbalanced so I can balance him again, not constantly nag him for it. Then we moved on to the trot and canter, mainly working on a 15 meter volte.  I would keep him very straight through little vibrations through my reins, keep both legs on (which is actually hard for me, I usually want to keep only the inside leg on, so I have to really concentrate on this), ask him to "fall" to the inside with my (primarily) seat and outside leg and then ask him to move forward onto my outside rein with my inside leg.  It was very quick and very tricky, as J can be a bit of a lug sometimes, which doesn't always work when the rider is trying to have quick aids.  He will use any holding in the reins to lean on, even in the most lightest way possible, but it still restricts him from folding his hind legs up underneath himself, which eventually creates the collection that we need for 2nd and 3rd levels.  Shelley had me sitting the trot, which I hadn't done a whole lot of since my surgery, and I felt like I was flopping all over the saddle like a dying fish!  Keith (my husband) was there for the lesson (bless his heart- and he even stayed awake the entire time) and swore that I didn't look like I was having an epileptic fit, but it sure felt like it!  I did have some positive moments, but it can be a bit frustrating as Shelley makes it look so easy! 

Unfortunately I have not had a lesson since, although not for trying.  We are (hopefully) going to do two lessons next week, so that will be very helpful.  I have been riding J in the evenings, even the days that Shelley has already ridden him, so hopefully his endurance level will be getting better and he will be more prepared for show season.  I am in a stage of not feeling very confident on my own, I feel like I am just ruining all the hard work that Shelley has done with him, which makes me not want to try and second guess everything I do.  I really want J to progress although at the same time, I worry that I will not be able to ride him at that level, so what's the point?  I don't know... sometimes I wonder why I don't take up crocheting instead!! Ha ha!

Fits like a glove!

So with all the riding that Shelley has been doing as of late, she has informed me that my saddle needed to be fitted, as it was moving a bit side-to-side and making the rider get behind the motion.  I little background on the saddle: it's a Sommer Savoie Flextra, custom made for and purchased from Horse Of Course.  Marty is the professional saddler who helped with the design of this saddle and was the one that fitted the saddle for the first few years.  I was very fortunate that Marty made regular trips to the area, so I was able to have him fit the saddle about every 6 months.  This saddle has a spring tree, so it tends to need more frequent fittings, but it is worth it.  Then a couple of years ago, Horse of Course basically fell off the map, not returning phone calls, emails, etc.  I was in desperate need to get my saddle fitted again and they were incommunicado.  I was so desperate that I had a fitter look at the saddle who was working on other people's saddles in my barn.  I was not a big fan of his thought process on how to flock the saddle, but I really needed the saddle fitted, so he and I compromised on it.  The saddle was better, but not perfect like it had been when Marty fitted it.  Then I moved to Marengo, to a primarily western barn, and I was really on my own in regards to a saddle fitter!  My trainer had found someone that she had recommended, so about 5 months ago I gave her a call and she agreed to come out to my barn.  I was very disappointed when she arrived- she did not deal with flocking on-site and didn't really know how to work with my type of saddle (the spring tree) she kept saying the entire time that I should buy one of her saddles and that the spring tree was bad for my horse and would eventually break.  Then she put my saddle in some sort of hydraulic machine, squeezed the tree together and called it a day.  She charged a large amount of money and (stupidly) I thought it would be okay for at least a little while.  It is now 5 months later and my saddle is really ill-fitting.  So I basically went on the Internet and started searching. 

I ran across a woman by the name of Dawna Ullrich, who is a County Saddlery Rep and a master saddler.  I emailed her and plainly stated that I was NOT interesting in purchasing a new saddle and that I just wanted to have my saddle fitted.  She was quick to response and scheduled the appointment for the following week.  Dawna arrived, 10 minutes EARLY, and promptly got to work, taking tracings of J's back and doing a palpation and examination of his back.  She was very thorough, much more than any previous saddle fitter that I had work on J.  She then concluded that my saddle needed more flocking in the shoulder area, as there was way too much room and that is why the saddle was moving side-to-side.  She also indicated that the saddle had a rocking point, so she was going to fix that as well.  She promptly got out her tools and bag of wool and got to work.  I'll save the boring details, but two hours later and two rides later, the saddle fit like a glove!  It was amazing to feel the saddle actually fit correctly- it had been so long.  It was a bit of an adjustment for J and myself at first, but we got into the rhythm of things.  It was interesting to find that I had been compensating so much for the ill-fitting saddle, allowing my position to get in front of him, just so I didn't get left behind him.  So when I rode in the "new" saddle, I was WAY to forward! 

Once I got used to having a place to sit and sitting on my seat bones again, it made a world of a difference in staying with his movement and ride him more off my seat and leg.  I rode him last night and he was great- worked on keeping him very straight through the neck, keeping my outside rein down and away from his neck so he can't lean on it and use it to balance himself and keeping him quick to my aids.  He did a really nice job!  My lesson was (unfortunately) rescheduled, but I will have one on Saturday, which will be my first one back since before my surgery.  I am definitely ready!!!

Training Wheels Required

I rode J "for real" on Tuesday night, and by "for real" I am referring to anything that consists than more of a pony ride!  We did walk, trot and canter and I found myself very unsure as to how to even approach this.  I had voiced my concerns to Shelley prior to even getting to the barn and she reassured me that J would be fine if he wasn't in "work" mode and to take my time getting my seat back.  But of course, I was concerned that I would ruin all the hard work that Shelley had done with J and all the progress that J had made.  So not only was I dealing with being unsteady in the saddle, I was dealing with confidence issues as well... GREAT! 

Shelley had ridden J earlier in the day, so I knew that he wouldn't be crazy or act up.  I tried to not focus so much on his position, suppleness, roundness, etc. and just make sure he was forward and off the forehand.  His trot felt very different, very springy and bouncy, and I was even posting the trot!  I felt like I had terrible hands, like they were stiff and not as soft as they can be.  It took a few minutes to get my balance worked out, but seemed to improve.  Since his trot is his most difficult gait, I didn't spend a whole lot of time in it and moved on to the canter.  The canter felt great, although I found that if I'm not really on the correct seat bones, he will change leads.  The biggest difference was his canter to the left, where he has always been very crooked and throws his haunches to the inside and bends his neck to the inside (I picture one of those roly-poly bugs when I think of this).  But when I asked him to canter, his hindend actually stayed under me and I had something under my right seatbone!  It was pretty incredible!  And I didn't even have to beg him for it, as Shelley had done such a great job of making him understand that this is the way we are going to canter from now on. 

So all-in-all, it was a good ride in that I got my rhythm and balance back (for the most part) and I had no pain during or after the ride, so my body is telling me that I am ready to ride seriously again.  However I am a little lost in the saddle... I just don't know what to do to help him and what not to do so I don't screw him up.  I won't have a lesson until next Thursday, so I will fumble around until then and hope that J can be forgiving!

Bittersweet...

So I have not been in the saddle in 13 days, 18 hours and 17 minutes... or thereabouts.  Fortunately my surgery went well and I did not have any side effects or lasting pain.  According to many of my friends who have had this surgery, I am healing remarkably quickly and moving around much more and more quickly then they had.  I am trying to be really careful about not overdoing it so I don't have a setback, but that is a hard task.  To assist me in the feat, I have, for the most part, stayed away from the barn except for Saturday of last week, I went out with my husband and we groomed J and gave him some love (a.k.a. treats).  On Monday of this week I met Shelley at the barn and watched while she rode J.

Now this is the moment that is bittersweet.  At this point on Monday, Shelley has ridden J three times the previous week and this was her fourth ride.  J is having NO other exercise besides this, except for slopping around in the mud (thank god he is barefoot!) every day.  Shelley gets on him and as usual, he has to start off with some protesting, just to make sure that we all know that this was not his idea nor was this in his contract (LOL!).  But Shelley rides him through it, asking for him to be more active while staying straight through the neck.  She rides him primarily going to the left, as that is his more crooked side.  At first, the ride looks about average, nothing earth shattering or vastly better or worse.  Shelley then takes a break to discuss with me what she was doing with him and why she was doing it.  Basically the same issues we've been working on for the past few weeks- getting him more active in the hind end while staying honest up front, not pushing his chest into the rein and truly carrying himself.  While she is doing all of this, she is allowing (and sometimes asking) him to keep his head/poll really high and not encouraging (or even allowing) him to get round, her theory being that it is hard him to work more honestly as it is, why make it more difficult by asking him to be round.  Also, when he is round, he is more able and/or likely to cheat and push his shoulders forward instead of bringing his back up and hind end underneath him. 

So after the walk break, she starts back up again, but this time she puts everything together a little more cohesively and this time asks him to be a little more supple... and voila!  J has a fabulous trot hiding in there!  I couldn't believe my eyes- it was like his entire body structure changed, his weight shifted to his rear and he really started using his hind end and especially his hocks!  I had no idea that my little yellow horse was capable of this, I had only dreamed of him having this kind of movement.  Shelley did a few straightaways of a trot that was nearing a medium trot!  It was beautiful.  So at that moment I knew that we were on the brink of making a large step in training and I couldn't possibly go back to once per week lessons.  So Shelley and I discussed it and made arrangements for three sessions per week, two of those being rides and one being a lesson.  We are going on a month-by-month basis and just see how well he progresses. 

And ultimately this means that I will not be showing J in March, as I don't have an endless supply of cash.  My feelings are that J's training is more important than showing and we will accomplish more if I invest in his training at this point.  My ultimate goal would be to get my bronze medal and bar with J, and I already have the scores for 1st level, so I need to get him comfortable with the 2nd level work.  And neither him nor I are getting any younger, so if I'm going to make a strong push to get him there, it's going to have to be now.  Shelley thinks that there is no reason that J can't do 3rd successfully!

A Quick Update...

So since the show, my life has been crazy busy.  I am preparing to have surgery this Friday, so there has been many things to get done, as I will be laid up for a little while afterwards.  Upon finding out that I needed surgery, I promptly took care of the most important task, securing a plan where J would be worked and kept in shape.  So my amazing, caring and gracious trainer,  Shelley Day, immediately agreed to ride J for three days per week for the initial two weeks following surgery.  I am hoping that I will be back to riding after two weeks, but Shelley will continue to ride if I need more time to heal.  So that was a big relief to have that taken care of, and it will be nice for Shelley to ride J on a consistent basis without me screwing him up!

Shelley and I had a lesson on Monday, which will be our last one for a few weeks.  Shelley is really focusing on J using his hind end more and being more honest in the half halts.  He leaves his hind legs trail out too far behind himself instead of bringing his hind feet up and under himself while staying stretched through the neck to the bit.  And of course, keep his neck straight and ask his inside hind to step up under the center of himself.  So we asked him to keep his pole super high during the entire ride, which was very exhausting for him, but necessary.  He can be a little sneaky in the reins where he is super supple and can round up in a heartbeat, but he also can shove his shoulders into the reins in a way that the rider does not feel like he is using the reins to support himself, but he actually is. So we did lots of transitions with him, keeping his poll really high and demanding immediate transition and not allowing his shoulders to drop down and out the front.  He did fairly well with it and got to understanding the exercise pretty quickly.  We worked in all gaits with the same idea- poll high, super straight neck, keep his hind legs coming.  This work will make him have a more honest half halt and be more balanced which will lead to proper collection. 

My surgery is on Friday, so I have two more days of riding before my break.  Fortunately I will be able to go to the barn after the first week and at least groom him and such.  So it will be an interesting time!  I'm still aiming to go to the March show at Field's and Fences, so hopefully I will heal quickly and be back on in no time.  But it's a comfort to know that my barn owner and trainer will be taking such great care of him and I have nothing to worry about.

A good start!

So we made it through our first show of the season!  The show was at Fields and Fences in Gurnee, Illinois and we showed tests 1-2 and 1-3 on Saturday and Sunday.  J and I have never been to Fields and Fences, so it was a new place for the both of us.  We trailered in on Friday afternoon and J settled right into his stall with a flake of hay.  Keith and I set up the tack stall and then got J all tacked up.  The facility has two separate arenas, connected by a breezeway, so warm-up is totally separate from the show ring.  The facility is heated and the warm-up ring has a large heater mounted to the ceiling in the back corner of the warm-up ring, placed above the round pen that is used for lunging.  I decided to lunge J first, just to make sure he was not going to have any tantrums.  He lunged great, so I didn't do too much and took him to the show ring and mounted up.  He was a little cautious of the flowers that were placed along the seating area, but otherwise was very comfortable in the show ring and we had a really good schooling session.  He settled back in his stall for the night with his Back on Track leg wraps on and a big pile of hay in front of him.

On Saturday, J was mellow as could be in his stall and slept the entire time that I was braiding him.  I assumed that this meant that he was going to be mellow during the ride, however I was very wrong!  J decided that the heater in the warm-up ring was a torture device for horses and was going to eat him alive.  During our first warm-up, J did just about everything that did NOT represent dressage including spinning, running off, kicking out and planting his feet and refusing to move.  Despite all of that, I managed to keep calm and ride him through it.  I was really proud of myself for not getting frazzled and feeding into his hysteria!  He finally calmed down enough where I could actually steer him (somewhat) and do a few transitions, but soon it was our turn to get into the show ring.  As soon as the person in front of my saluted, I took him around the show arena, doing leg yields and canter/trot transitions, and he was back to his old self.  He's such a goofy horse!  We had some mistakes in the test, J was not as soft or supple as he needed to be and his tightness allowed for him to want to break to the canter several times throughout the test.  But I was relieved that J was able to keep it together during the test and not act like a maniac like he did in the warm-up arena!

So for my second ride, J was better in the warm-up arena, but when a horse acted up in the round pen (who was being lunged) J heard a commotion and decided to split- I lost my stirrup in the process, but stayed balanced in the saddle and got him back under control.  We then went back to work.  This test was 1-3 and J was more supple and honest, but we still had mistakes, mostly him breaking to the canter in the corners or anticipating a transition.  I must say that his stretch work in the trot and his free walk were both pretty decent, he is definitely improving in those areas.  But because of the mistakes, we did not get a qualifying score, but did get some good feedback from the Judge as to how to correct some of these mistakes.

On Sunday we showed test 1-3 first and J warmed-up pretty well.  He was still cautious towards the back of the warm-up arena, but at least not having total meltdowns.  I decided to post the trot in this test, as he felt a little tired and behind my leg.  Overall, he had a better test, although there were still some mistakes.  The Judge commented that this test was better than yesterday and I got some good scores on my collective marks.   Unfortunately I missed a qualifying score by less than 1% point.  That was a disappointment, but we did make too many mistakes, so understandable.  For the last test, 1-2, J was really tired and not wanting to put out as much energy as he needed.  I posted the trot in the test and while I thought it had gone better then the previous tests, as in not so many mistakes, the Judge did not agree as much.  According to my comments on my test, I threw the reins away throughout most of my test, which may have been true as he was tired and I was trying to get him to be more forward.  I did score quite a bit of 7's throughout the test, but unfortunately my coefficient scores and collectives were low, so that brought my test down. 

In the end, we ended up 1st in all our classes except the last class, where we came in second.  We also won High Point Champion on Saturday, so that was really nice!  I did not get a qualifying score for 1st level, which was a disappointment.  But I was happy with the way I rode J.  I felt that I was an active rider, not a passenger and I corrected mistakes instead of letting him get away with them, afraid to make a scene in the show ring.  I was proud of handling his meltdowns in the warm-up ring and pushing on to the show ring, in the past I probably would have scratched after such a terrible warm-up, or at least let the warm-up negatively effect my test.  I have definitely obtained the confidence to know that I can handle whatever he throws at me and my seat is going to stay in the saddle!  So all in all, it was a good start to the show season. 

Unfortunately I recently received news that I have to have laparascopic surgery.  The doctor is predicting that I will be off from riding for 2 weeks.  So I have already made arrangements for Shelley to ride J while I am "off" and I am still hoping to show at the next Fields and Fences show in March, but that will all depend on how fast I can heal.  The surgery is scheduled for February 10th, so I have some time to ride and work on some of the stuff from the show before then. 



J's blue ribbons from Saturday



J settled back home with his blue ribbons and high point ribbon!



So much FUN!

Despite dealing with more of my health issues, resulting in less riding over the past week, J has really been making progress!  Shelley rode him for me on Monday and she emailed me that night, stating that she did all the movements from the 2nd level test 3 and that he can do them!  She added that he is truly collecting himself and is much more correct!  It was so exciting to hear that.  Shelley is a perfectionist and works really hard, so I know that when she is excited and pleased with a horse, it means something!

So I was able to get to the barn last night to ride and my face hurt when we were done, which I attribute to smiling the entire ride, but it could have also been the cold! LOL!  He just feels so great- carrying himself, responsive to smaller aids, balanced and supple.  It is just so much FUN!  Sometimes I catch myself giggling like a little girl!  It's amazing how great it is to ride a horse that is truly in self-carriage and he is happy to do it!

So last night I worked on some of the 1st level work (leg yields of varying steepness, voltes and lengthenings), then some shoulder-in in the trot and canter (varying amount of angle while keeping his impulsion up) and did some turn on the forehand work in the walk and trot.  He felt so amazing, like he just took a giant leap forward in his training and it feels like it happened over night.  But I know we have worked hard for this and it has taken so much time, but we are getting there!

I entered the show at Fields and Fences at the end of the month.  I am SO excited for it.  If his work keeps at this level and he keeps a cool head about him, we should have no problem getting a qualifying score for regionals.  That is my ultimate goal for this next show, but I also want to ride every step of every ride and not give away any points on stupid things.

Great lesson!

I had a lesson with Shelley on Monday and when I started getting a major migraine earlier in the day, I was very upset that I wouldn't be riding my best for the lesson.  Fortunately a friend gave me some Excedrin migraine and it took the edge off, so I was able to focus for the lesson. I have been dealing with constant headaches and/or migraines for the past few months and it has been really frustrating.  But I am now taking medications that will hopefully lesson the occurrence and intensity of them.

So usually Shelley rides him in the beginning of the lesson, which I really appreciate her doing for two reasons. 1) She gets him quicker to the aids and 2) I learn very visually and if I am able to see her doing it, it helps me in understanding what needs to be done.  But for this lesson, Shelley asked that I ride for the entire lesson as her back has been bothering her again.  So I was able to ride the entire lesson and really work on the exercises.  As stated previously, J has a false bend to the left and that is something that we are really trying to address as he will need to be honest in order to correctly do the 2nd level work.  We are also trying to get J's shoulders up to meet the reins while he is bending his back, which is also a strength issue.  When he bends his back correctly, he wants to get slow in his hind end, which then puts him on the forehand.  So to deal with all these issues, Shelley had me do and exercise that was very challenging for both J and myself.  I had to turn J to the inside with my inside rein (just a small bit, nothing dramatic), then use my inside leg behind the girth to push his inside hind up underneath him and then use my inside leg up near his shoulder to drive the inside shoulder up and forward to meet the bridle.  All the while keeping a very stable outside leg and outside rein, doing absolutely nothing with either one.  And then repeat about 1 million times, on both a circle and the straightaway.  We started to the right, which is easier for both J and myself and we got pretty good.  We did some nice work and J was getting more and more responsive to smaller aids.  Then we went to the left, which is our weak side.  It's a bit of the "chicken or the egg" case... I have a hard time keeping my right seat bone in the saddle while I'm using my inside (left) leg, so when I use that inside leg, he falls out to the right and doesn't turn correctly or move his shoulder.  Which came first?  I don't know, but I'm willing to take the blame on that one.  So we went to the left and J was resistant, kept wanting to fold his neck up like an accordion (to the left) and fall down on his left (inside) shoulder.  I would use my leg to ask him to stand up on his shoulder and go forward and he would get pissy and just stop.  So it took a little while of asking and waiting, but he did finally understand that I was not going to give up.  We did this in the walk and trot and then took a break and worked on some trot lengthenings across the diagonal.  Shelley had me counterflex/counter leg yield him through the short side, straighten him on the diagonal, stretch his neck and then ask for the lengthening, while re-stretching his neck every couple of strides.  I found that if he was crooked in any way, leaning on either rein or had his neck too short he would either fall onto the forehand or break into the canter.  But I think that we got some decent lengthenings that I won't be ashamed to show at the end of the month.

After getting some good lengthenings, we went back to the previous exercise and J was much quicker to get to task.  We went back to the left, as that is the more difficult way and worked in the canter.  We actually did pretty well!  J was actually turning and moving his hind end underneath himself and then I would rein-yield him out and ask again.  We were even doing very small volte's- probably on a 6 meter circle and he was keeping his balance and keeping tempo.  Shelley had me do a couple walk/canter/walk transitions from this exaggerated shoulder-in positioning.

All-in-all it was a great lesson!  I felt that I was moving well with him, not hindering him as much in my seat and reins and getting better at not giving him static aids where he would tune me out when I applied an aid that I actually meant.  We have come a long way in the past few months and I really look forward to this show season!

Full Steam Ahead!

So J has now been on the magnesium supplement for a few weeks and he has shown definite improvement that even my barn owner and trainer have commented about.  His muscles are less twitchy and tight, he has a better attitude and is much more forward from the very beginning of the ride.  It is pretty amazing that this little bit of supplement can make such a huge difference in a horse!  It's a relief to have my horse back.

We are still working on the same things- trying to keep him bent correctly through his back, loading his hind end and keep his neck straight and stretched.  Shelley rode him last week and the biggest issue was his false bend while tracking to the left.  I directly contribute this to my riding flaws, which I am trying to correct.  While going to the left, I tend to collapse my inside hip, which then takes my right seatbone out of the saddle.  Then when I use my inside leg to ask for bend, he just falls out the right side or if I use my outside aids to ask for a turn, he is either ignoring the aid or falling in.  So I have been really trying to be more aware of this and keep both seatbones in the saddle and no collapse.  It definitely makes an immediate difference!  It's a work in progress.

I must say that our first level work is really coming along.  His canter lengthening to the left is really doing better- he sits back and really lifts with the shoulder- it is such a great feeling!  And best of all, he is coming back to me really nicely while staying supple.  The canter lengthening to the right isn't as reliable, but we are working on it.  His leg yields are really improving as well.  He is keeping his balance point farther back and becoming more adjustable in his lateral work.  In the 1-3 test, it calls to come around the short side of the arena and then immediately from the corner to the center line of the arena, so the problem was that he was crooked in the turn and then I didn't have enough time to straighten him, flex him in the new direction and then leg yield and get to the center line.  Or else he would run out of impulsion and it was not flowing.  But now he is much more responsive and active, which makes it fairly easy!  So that is really exciting!

I have no doubt that we will be ready to do our freestyle this year, which I am really looking forward to finally using my movement and showing it!  I am all ready to show 1-2 and 1-3 at Fields and Fences at the end of the month and hopefully I can get one qualifying score that weekend.  Then I'm shooting for the Fields and Fences show in March for (hopefully) my second qualifying score and then I can start working on my freestyle to show in the spring.  My show season goal is to qualify for regionals at 1st level AA and 1st level freestyle and to compete at Region 2 championships, which are being held at the Kentucky Horse Park. 

Deep Breaths...

It's mid-December and we have had a very mild winter (so far) but the days that are cold(ish), as in below 40 degrees, J has been really cranky.  He acts up in his stall, in the cross ties and under saddle.  He is very snarky towards other horses, his muscles are very tight, he is cold backed/saddle sore, he is hesitant to go forward until really warmed up, he is much less tolerant of correction and more spooky.  He has been prone to this in the past and a couple of years ago it was suggested that he was magnesium deficient and after being put on a supplement, he got much less cranky.  When we moved to White Springs, I was able to gradually take him off all his supplements (except the Adequan for maintenance), as he was getting great turnout, great feed and back on pasture.  He has been great all summer, but with this cold weather he has been a bit of a monster.  So I decided to put him back on a magnesium supplement, but this time decided to go with MagRestore, made by Performance Equine USA, which touts human-grade supplements.  So he is on the loading dose now, started on Sunday night and lasts for 10 days, and then he goes on the maintenance dose.  So we shall see if his attitude gets better with the new supplement.

So I have been working hard at keeping him in correct flexion and asking him to bend his back, which has been a trial of patience, for both J and myself.  We have some moments of correctness, but we have lots of moments of resistance, which is really trying for me.  I want him to be perfect NOW, but in the back of my mind, I know that is not possible.  He has to build up the muscles and learn what I am asking for, but it is hard to remember that when I am in the saddle.  And it doesn't help when he is obstinate and throws little temper tantrums because I'm actually making him work and use his back!  So I try to not "drill" the exercises and take a break once in awhile, by doing canter/trot lengthenings or simple transitions and praising him a lot.  It gives both of us a break- both mentally and physically, which definitely makes a difference. 

I feel like I am still giving him too many static aids and he gets dull to my aids and doesn't more forward with enough impulsion as he should and does do with Shelley.  I get mad at myself and mad at him, which I know is unfair.  But I try to take a deep breath and calm things down and then get back to it when we have both relaxed.  This is definitely a lesson in patience for me!

And THAT'S collection!

So Shelley had recently audited a clinic with Cathy Morelli and was reminded of a very important step in teaching a horse collection.  While we all strive to ride "inside leg to outside rein" we cannot allow the horse to hog down on the outside rein and use it to lean on, balance himself, etc.  And J was doing just that, especially going to the left (so leaning on the right rein). 

Shelley was a little late to the lesson, so I had warmed J up prior to her coming in and she was able to hop right on and get to work.  First off, Shelley had to get J more responsive and not so slow to the aids- this seems to be the story of my life as J and I tolerate each other, and not in a good way.  I know that I have too much "static" going on with my aids and need to be more deliberate when I mean it and not give aids that don't mean anything.  Once Shelley reestablished his sensitivity, she started in on the work of getting him truly balanced.  She did this by keeping her outside rein away from his neck, not crazy wide, but not snugged up against his neck where it would be easier for him to lean on it.  Then she would use her inside rein to turn him and then use her inside leg to ask his inside hind to come up underneath him, all while keeping his neck really straight.  He had a couple minor hissy fits, but eventually got with the program and did some really nice work.  Then it was my turn!

We started going to the right, which is J's "easier" side (and mine as well, which is NOT a coincidence) as J is much more reactive to turning off the inside (right) rein and bringing his right hind under while keeping his neck straight.  Shelley didn't necessarily want me to make this into big movements (ala turn on the forehand) but very subtle but definitely bend through is back, but if I had to make it into something bigger, I could do that.  We did pretty well, doing the best in the canter where it's easier to use the natural bend of the horse and the impulsion that is in the gait.  I have to learn to start with small aids and train him to be response to those smaller aids instead of having to nag him or beg him, which he can obviously do because Shelley does it every time she rides him.

So then we went to the left, which is a more difficult direction for the both of us.  I have a nasty habit of shifting too much to the left, which then takes my right seat bone out of the saddle.  This allows his outside shoulder to fall out and create this false bend, so he is not straight.  J is also convinced that he cannot possibly bend his back without bending his neck while going to the left.  He would love it if I would keep my right rein tight against his neck and steer him all day long off of it- basically neck reining.  But he is not straight and balanced when he does this and therefore true collection would be impossible.  So I worked on keeping my right rein away from his neck, keeping my right seat bone in the saddle, keeping his neck straight, then asking him for a small turn (though the shoulders) to the left with small aids on my left rein and then follow-up with my left leg, bringing his inside hind underneath him.  While going to the right it seemed much more natural and not so chaotic, but going to the left was a completely different story.  We both struggled, especially in the walk and trot.  J felt like a ping-pong ball- flying from one side to another in his balance- from the right rein to the left rein and back again, while bending his neck at the smallest aid.  It took me quite a while to find that "sweet spot" where he was correct.  We got it a few times for a few steps, so I was happy that I had at least gotten the feel for it so I could practice it between lessons.  Then we went to the canter and as it was in the other direction, it was much easier.  And then suddenly, with seamless little effort, J got balanced, bent through his back, round and supple and it felt great!  We ended the lesson on that last effort.  And with that Shelley said...

"And that's essentially collection!" 

I felt so hopeful that we would eventually get there!  Can't wait to ride tonight and try to get it again!

Doing well!

After a week of riding with a major emphasis on stretching his neck, working over his back and getting more swing in his gaits, his work has already showed improvement.  I had a lesson with Shelley on Saturday and she rode him first, and now that he is stretching his neck nicely, she went back to bringing his balance point farther back to his haunches (which then results in collection).  She mainly did this by keeping his neck stretched and super straight and then asking him to do steep leg yields/lateral movement/half pass.  I know that I am biased, but he did look pretty darn good!  I love watching Shelley ride him, she really makes him look the best he is capable of!

So then it was my turn to ride and Shelley wanted me to be really aware of his balance point and making sure he wasn't rushing onto his forehand.  She told me to think about half steps or piaffe, without losing the stretch or swing, and that seemed to really help me get the feel of what we were trying to do.  The canter was especially tough, as J really wants to be crooked and when I ask him to straighten with his balance farther back, he changes leads instead of doing what I ask.  But Shelley wasn't too concerned about it and said that it would just take repetition and more strength on J's part. 

Interlaken (the chiropractor/acupuncturist) is coming out tomorrow night and I'm having them work on J.  He hasn't been worked on in a few months and although he feels really good, I want to make sure he is maintained and it will be good to have him treated before our next show in January. 

Stretch that neck!

So last week I was able to do two training sessions, as I didn't have one the week before.  So I asked Shelley if she would be willing to ride him on Wednesday (as this was the day before Thanksgiving and would give me more time to prepare for hosting Thanksgiving dinner) and we could do the lesson on Friday.  Shelley thought that was a great idea and agreed to it. 

So Friday morning I met Shelley at the barn and we got right to work.  Her big focus for this lesson was to really teach J to use his back and stretch his neck even more.  He is pretty good about keeping a long neck, but Shelley really wanted to emphasize him stretching the 3-4 inches of neck right in front of his wither, which is a difficult area to access.  When he does this, he will be effectively using his back and his gaits will get more swing (or schwung!).  We did this by keeping a very consistent outside rein, keeping my hand close to the pommel/wither area, gripping with my thumb and forefinger and using suppling actions through my wrist and ring/pinkie fingers.  I would ask for him to "yield" to the rein, and once I felt him give, I would soften my reins and push him forward to a bigger gait.  At times he got tight, which I responded by keeping consistent pressure on the rein until he softened and then we would go back to work.  At first he was pretty belligerent about it, throwing little temper tantrums and stomping his feet, but he soon learned that I would wait until he got good, so by the end of the lesson, he was pretty consistent. 

By Sunday he had very few meltdowns and worked really nicely in all three gaits.  He gets a little deep at times, but Shelley says not to worry about it right now and that once he is more consistently stretching that area above the withers, it will be easy to get him to a more proper "frame" with small half halts.  But she wants to really encourage that stretch and swing, so a little deep isn't horrible.  It does feel like he is lifting his back more honestly and his gaits are swinging more.  Keith went to my lesson and observed that J's trot was significantly better, as he was using his hind end a lot better and had more articulation in his hocks. 

My next lesson isn't until Saturday, so we'll be plugging along until then and hopefully Shelley will be happy with our work!

Minor hiccups...

Well, J and I had been (seemingly) back on track to consistent training, but lately I've been having some medical issues that have kept me from the barn more often then I care to admit.  But hopefully things are being resolved in that department and we can get back to frequent rides.

I've been able to keep up on the weekly lessons with Shelley and we are really working on shifting his balance to his hind end while keeping his neck long and straight.  We've been working on this through a couple of different exercises, doing full passes in walk and trot, counterflexion and spiraling in on a circle at the canter and turn on the forehands in walk and trot.  The full passes can be difficult because of his urge to move forward instead of bringing his feet up directly underneath himself.  So when he surges forward, I halt him, stretch his neck, back him up, stretch his neck again and ask him to move directly sideways, in either walk or trot.  This keeps him from leaning on the bit, his legs underneath him and responsive to my aids.  The counterflexion and spiraling-in in the canter is interesting as well, as I have to be super quick with my aids and super quick to put him back to correct flexion as he will throw flying changes, with he is using as an evasion technique.

I don't know if it is the work or the colder weather, but he is wanting to constantly break to the canter.  So I have to make sure that he is really "on" the outside rein and stretching through the neck.  I make sure my aids are soft and I'm not unintentionally telling him something through my legs or seat.  He was also a bit stiff last week- we do carrot stretches (with mints though) before every ride and he was noticeable stiff last week.  But each ride it got better and yesterday he was back to full range of motion.  I will definitely have the acupuncturist/chiropractor work on him when they come out to the barn next.

J's first level work is getting more and more solid, even the lengthenings.  So I'm still aiming for the show at Fields and Fences in January!  It will be nice to get a couple of shows out of the way before the hot weather hits!

Still alive and kicking!

So it has been ages since my last post... everything got in the way- life, work, laziness, etc.  I also lost a little bit of focuse towards the end of our show season, so I cut it short and didn't even go to Regionals, although we had achieved our goal of qualifying and everything.  I'm a little disappionted in myself, but ready to move on and get to next show season!

Our last show was in August at Silverwood and it was very hot and humid.  Shelley had given us a very strenuous lesson on Thursday night and we went to Silverwood on Friday, where J was uncharacteristically tired and didn't have his normal "show off", big-chested attitude.  I didn't work him long while schooling on Friday, hoping that he would recover by Saturday.  We had two tests on Saturday and it felt like our hearts just weren't in it- we were both tired and didn't have much motivation.  Our scores were low (compared to other scores from the season), but I really didn't feel bad about it, as I knew that we didn't try our hardest.  I decided to scratch my class on Sunday, as J was still tired and I didn't want to push him and chance an injury.  It wasn't the greatest show to end the season on, but I really felt that I had to take a break from the stress and pressure of showing.  And with that, I took a month "off" of training with Shelley and just got back to enjoying my horse and spending quality time with him.

We got back into consistent training in October, and I immediately saw all the holes where I had let J (and myself) slide for that month off.  Luckily J remembered a lot of it and once I became more diligent about riding him correctly again, he was back.  So we are back to weekly lessons and J is doing really well.  We are working the 2nd level movements and J seems to be handling the work well.  Shelley rode him once while I was out of town, and taught him flying changes.  For the next week, he was doing flying changes everywhere, even though I wasn't asking for them!  At the last lesson, we really worked on moving his shoulder over and then asking his hind end to dramatically follow (like a turn on the forehand) in all three gaits.  Once he was really responsive to my aids, I would add my outside aids, close up his outside hind and move into a shoulder-in or shoulder-fore.  That exercise really helped a lot.  Then Shelley rode him last week (as I was out of town for a work conference) and worked on flexion turns with him, so I've been doing both for this week and have my next lesson on Sunday.

I hope to get to the Fields and Fences winter series USDF shows this winter- they are scheduled for January and March- J has much more energy in the winter and if I can do those two shows, then I can do less shows in the heat of the summer and save him for Regionals.  So that is the plan for now!

So much to do, so little time!

Yes, it has been awhile since my last post.  It's been extremely hectic between getting a new position at work, friends and family outings and of course, riding both J and Radar. 

The last show at Silverwood was such an eye opener for me, which resulted in a very positive change in our training.  I realized that J was simply not holding up his end of the training "bargain" and he needed to be more accountable for himself in our daily rides.  I became extremely focused on keeping proper position in the saddle and insisting that J work to adapt to me instead of him "talking me out of" it and allowing him to be lazy.  See, J has a way of making me think that he cannot possible stay forward, round, straight and pushing off the hind end if I am sitting on my seatbones, keeping my shoulders back and a constant elastic connection in the reins.  So I start to cave my upper body, lift my hands and round my shoulders, which gives me no power in my core to half halt and remind him to work off his hind end.  So since the last show, I have been not giving away an inch in my position and even when J throws a hissy fit, I won't budge and I still keep my position and wait it out, teaching him that no matter how he tries to change the subject, it's not going to work anymore.  These hissy fits have become less and less and he has learned that it is now a pointless release of energy for him.  I've also been working on positioning him, not being satisfied if he is round and forward, but now asking him to bend through his back and weight his inside hind, which allows for more engagement and push.  It seemed like such a huge endeavor at first, leaving me physically and mentally exhausted, but after two weeks of really not giving an inch, the change is nothing short of dramatic.  And now my rides have been much less physically tolling on me because he is actually carrying himself and being more responsible in his own movement.  It is such a wonderful feeling!

So I had a show at Silverwood this past weekend, showing 1-2 and 1-3 on Saturday and Sunday.  Shelley was not able to coach me, but I was confident that I could do well on my own.  He had an acupuncture treatment on Wednesday, where the vet was very happy with his progress and stated that he didn't have much work to do on him.  Loren (the vet) immediately noticed that I had been diligently doing stretches and leg pulls with J, as he was very flexible and pleasant about the adjustment.  J was a little sore in his hind end, but nothing abnormal for a horse doing the kind of work he is doing.  On Friday we schooled at Silverwood, I didn't drill anything, just kept it very relaxed and to the point.  He did a great job and sauntered around the showgrounds like an old pro.  On Saturday we had test 1-3 first, which was a big class of 12 competitors.  My goal was to earn my second (and last) qualifying score for championships, so the score had to be above a 62%.  Since the class was so large, I wasn't concerned about trying to win the class or anything, as that seemed a bit unrealistic. He was a bit lazy in the warm-up ring, just being TOO relaxed, which I would have never guessed three years ago!  I got into the ring and went to work, having to push him harder than I had wanted, but it was still a decent test, capable of earning at least a 62%.  I later checked the scores and found that I had indeed gotten my qualifying score with a 63.226%, however I had also won that HUGE class as well!  The judge scored fairly low, but was low across the board, so I was happy that it was all fair.  I was thrilled to get my qualifying score and to win that class, which went far beyond my expectations.  I showed 1-2 later in the day, where I decided to wear my smooth rowels instead of my knob spurs.  It proved to be a very wise decision, as J was much more responsive and worked beautifully.  The test went well except for a small issue in the free walk where I asked him for more impulsion without half-halting first and he had a couple steps of jog.  I wasn't upset, as it was correctable.  The judge (a different one then the previous test) had positive comments and scored us a 65.946%, which won us the class.  I was so proud of my golden boy!

On Sunday we showed 1-2 first, under a very forgiving judge who tends to score high.  I wore my rowels again and J warmed up really nicely.  Again, we had improvements that could have been made, the largest being that he threw his haunches to the inside while I was bringing him back from the canter lengthen, so I tried to correct it and while doing that, he broke to the trot.  I got him straight back into the canter and finished the test without any issues.  J scored a 67.938%, but did not win that class, which was not a disappointment. I showed 1-3 later that day, although I had strongly considered scratching the test for a couple of reasons.  First off, I had already earned my qualifying score, so riding that test wasn't truly necessary for championships, secondly, J had been so great all weekend and I didn't want to push him for no real reason behind it and take the risk of ending on a negative note, and thirdly, I had checked the judges scores for the day and couldn't help but notice that she was giving out pretty low scores.  Now I know that it is not necessarily the best policy to scratch a test because of the possibility of getting a low score, but when year end awards depend on averages throughout the show season, those things must be taken into consideration.  It's the nature of the beast of competition.

In the end, I decided to show him.  I felt that both he and I should push ourselves and it would be more practice at a test that I would show at championships.  I took J into the warm-up 20 minutes before our scheduled ride time and he was simply amazing- felt like I hadn't stopped riding him since the morning ride and required NO warm-up.  I then realized that I had 20 minutes to waste and I didn't want to ride him too much as I didn't want to use him all up in the warm-up arena and have nothing left in the show arena.  So I walking him on a long rein for quite awhile, keeping him marching and working over his back, but not doing much more then that.  As the last rider was finishing her test, I got him back up on a shorter rein and back into the trot and canter.  He had a really nice test, his leg yields were probably the best he had done to date.  We did have a couple mistakes, we missed the first attempt at our change of lead through the trot, which was my fault as I didn't change his flexion before asking again.  I corrected it though, which was noted on my test.  We also had an issue with the second canter bending line, where he tripped, fell out of the canter, but we got ourselves back together and continued on.  Keith noted that the lengthened trot was some of the best he had seen us do.  So I was a little shocked when I found my score to be a 59%, although more shocked to see that some of the competitors that had scored higher then me were noticeably lacking in correctness.  I was most surprised to read the judges comments, which did not seem to match my ride at all and were comments that I had not received all year long from any other judge.  At first I was a bit disappointed, but I texted with Shelley and she gave me great advice and helped me to get over it.  It's only one judges opinion, and fortunately one that seems to be out of the norm for this season.  So we will keep trudging along and doing our best!

J will have today off from hard work, although I will probably walk him around, riding bareback in a halter, as we have terrible thunderstorms in the area today and he did not get to go outside, so I want to make sure he doesn't get stiff.  Then we will get back to work tomorrow, getting ready for our next show on July 30th and 31st.  Then we won't have another show until regional championships in Mason City, Iowa on September 9th-11th!

Getting better and better!

Had to write a quick update- seems that all this hard work of making him more accountable and responsible for his own work is really paying off for J and myself.  We had a superb ride last night!  J is getting stronger and is more agreeable from the very start of the ride.  He is getting better about staying straight and loading that inside hind leg, which is really paying off in our 1-3 test work!  We ran through the test yesterday and it was probably the best we have ever done the entire test!  So hopefully we can carry this through to the show!

It was definitely a tough commitment to really ride him each and every step while making him carry himself, even through his tantrums, but it is really paying off!  I wish I had done this years ago!  But we live and learn...

Chugging along!

So one of the biggest lessons I learned from the last show is that J needs to become stronger and needs to be more accountable and not slack off and be lazy.  I've been trying to ride every ride with that in mind and pushing his endurance levels farther and farther while keeping everything fair to him.  I've been more cognizant of him carrying himself for the entire ride and not using me to hold him up or get lazy.

Shelley and I had a great lesson last week, where we really worked on his connection to the outside rein and I finally had a big light bulb moment where I truly felt my horse be straight and be reliable on that outside rein.  It felt wonderful- the connection was spongy, elastic and I could use my outside rein to half halt, get him more round, turn him, etc.  I was also able to better control his body parts individually and independently of each other.  We worked on a lot of shoulder-fore, where he would slow his tempo when he was correct, which Shelley said was natural due to it being harder for him.  So I'd patiently ask him to truck along once his positioning was correct, so that he wouldn't get tight and blow the positioning.  And that connection also helped me in keeping a correct position and using my core while keeping my shoulders back.  As a result of this work and my consistency in my expectations, J has already become more reliable in his 1st level movements, which makes me very excited for our next show!

I sent in my entry for Silverwood on July 9th and 10th.  This time I signed up for 1-2 and 1-3 (qualifying) on both days, as I seem to have issues with 1-1 and remembering the test! LOL!  1-2 seems much more flowing and sensible to me, so hopefully it won't be such a chore in remembering it as I ride it!  My goals are: lots of half halts, make him carry himself the entire time and get my second qualifying score for championships.  So hopefully we can accomplish that!

I have another lesson scheduled for Wednesday, so hopefully Shelley will have noticed an improvement in our work!

Great first show!

So we survived our first show of the season!  It was a really great weekend and I learned so much.  Last week had started with extremely hot and humid weather, making training very difficult on both J and myself.  But thankfully a front came in on Wednesday night and gave way to beautifully cool weather.  On Thursday we trailered J up to Silverwood Farm, which is in Camp Lake, Wisconsin.  I am incredibly lucky as I live within a one hour drive of three dressage facilities that regularly host USDF shows, and Silverwood is definitely my favorite of these three showgrounds.  Shelley brought 2 horses that she was showing herself in training level and second level.  J and I were scheduled to show in Rings 3 & 4, which worried me as J has previously had issues where Ring 4 is now placed, but I knew that he would just have to deal with it.  I schooled him in the warm-up ring, Ring 3 and Ring 4 and while he was a bit tense, he held it together despite some of the other horses having some pretty spectacular meltdowns.  I was proud of my little man!  Shelley worked us through the test work and we called it a day.

Friday came with gloomy skies and cool temperatures, but that was great with me as I knew I would be sweating from all the hard work.  I braided J up, gave him a quick lunge to assess his "rowdyness" level and set off to the warm-up ring for our first 1-3 test.  I had paid for it to be a qualifying test and was in front of Curtis Sage, who has always had positive comments for J and I and has given us very generous scores in the past.  Shelley helped me warm-up, but some first-show-of-the-year nerves popped up and I rode my test with way to much conservativeness.  We had a few mistakes which resulted in a 60% (62% needed to qualify) score.  Curtis was very rewarding on our good movements- several 8's- but we also scored several low scores on different movements.  A few hours later I had rode test 1-1 in front of Curtis again, but this time was very different.  I decided that I had been a passenger in the first test and I was not going to let that happen again, I was actually going to ride my horse!  I sat up, made him half halt and used my aids much more clearly and directly.  Our test went really well, despite the fact that I went off course!  I had only done this once before, and much to my horror, I did it again!  I don't use a reader at the shows, so I was on my own and had a total brain fart.  But even with the 2 point errror, we still scored a 66.897% and won our class!  It was a major breakthrough and made me remember that I have to ride each and every movement and not to let show nerves get the best of me!

On Saturday, the weather was still gloomy with about the same temperatures.  My first test was 1-1 in front of Curtis again.  I went into the warm-up with the detemination to ride him well and make him carry himself.  The warm-up went really well and the test was smooth, except for ANOTHER mistake on my part!!  UGH!  I made a mistake on the placement of my downward trot transition!  I then decided that test 1-1 is NOT for me!  LOL!  But despite our mistake, we still scored a 67.931% and won the class!  A couple of hours later I showed test 1-3 in front of Kem Barbosa, who is a more conservative judge but has very fair and constructive comments.  J was tired for his second ride of the day, telling me that I really need to work on his endurance.  He was a bit dull and we had some moments when he was not through or over his back, which made the test very average.  We scored a 60% again!  Still no qualifying score.  But I was still happy- I felt that I had ridden him much better than the 1-3 test the day before and we were making improvements with each and every test. 

Sunday we had only signed up for one test- 1-3 and it was in front of Curtis Sage again.  Shelley wasn't there, so I was on my own for warm-up, and J was VERY tired.  I did my best to keep him forward and have some brillance in his movement, although it was difficult.  J tried very hard and I rode every step of that test, and for that we were rewarded with a 67.097%!!  I got my qualifying score!!  I was so proud of him and myself!  Now I just have to get a second qualifying score, which I will hopefully get at my next show on July 9th and 10th.  Here are some pictures from the warm-up on Sunday-

And here is J looking like Fabio after his braids were taken out



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!!!