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!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
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...
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...
Monday, June 27, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, June 20, 2011
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-
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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
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
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!!!
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!!!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
My horse, the goof!
So this may be a record- two posts in one day! But I am serious about trying to be more diligent with entries, and knowing that I have a very busy day tomorrow, I thought it would be best to write tonight.
I was not able to get out to the barn yesterday as it was my brother's birthday and we had a family dinner for him (for which I made an amazing blackberry lime cheesecake with blackberry lime curd- YUM!) so J had the day off. I got to the barn today to find that the horses had been inside their stalls yesterday and today due to the terrible storms that have been moving through the area, resulting in flooded pastures and paddocks. My wonderful barn owner and amazing barn help are very good about getting the horses turned out in the indoor, but that also depends on other rider's schedules as well. And my horse getting turned out in the indoor is just not the same- he can be much more distracted when he hasn't gotten the mental release of being outside all day.
So today was decent weather and despite a small pond in one portion of the outdoor arena, I knew I wanted to get J outside and even take advantage of the water- as many times we have to plop through water in the show ring. I got J groomed up, which was no easy task as he has been inside the past couple days and he loves to use his manure has his pillow and mattress! I took him straight outside, mounted off a big rock (isn't that what everyone uses as a mounting block, LOL!) and started to walk him around the outdoor. He was relaxed at first, then seemed to realize that 1) he was outside for the first time in days and 2) he was the only horse out there. He had a couple little temper tantrums, seemingly wanting to burst out the seams and let some hooves fly and after a little while of this, I decided that, after working a couple good circles, I would take him into the indoor to burn off that excess energy. So we made our way inside and I worked him pretty hard, working our corners, 10 meter voltes into shoulder-in, leg yields and a couple of half passes. Also did a few lengthenings in the trot and canter, which were pretty decent. I tried to be sure that he was stretching his neck throughout his work and I was not letting him just sit on the bit. I would throw in random voltes to try to vary the work and not let him get too complacent in whatever we were doing. After working for a while in the indoor, we made our way back to the outdoor, as I was not going to let him off that easy. So back out we went and he tried to be distracted a couple of times, but I was quick to get him back and we worked on transitions while staying soft and supple in the bridle. He did pretty well and I was happy with how our training session ended.
We have a lesson scheduled tomorrow evening, so hopefully it won't be cancelled by either party and Shelley and I can get some good work done!
I was not able to get out to the barn yesterday as it was my brother's birthday and we had a family dinner for him (for which I made an amazing blackberry lime cheesecake with blackberry lime curd- YUM!) so J had the day off. I got to the barn today to find that the horses had been inside their stalls yesterday and today due to the terrible storms that have been moving through the area, resulting in flooded pastures and paddocks. My wonderful barn owner and amazing barn help are very good about getting the horses turned out in the indoor, but that also depends on other rider's schedules as well. And my horse getting turned out in the indoor is just not the same- he can be much more distracted when he hasn't gotten the mental release of being outside all day.
So today was decent weather and despite a small pond in one portion of the outdoor arena, I knew I wanted to get J outside and even take advantage of the water- as many times we have to plop through water in the show ring. I got J groomed up, which was no easy task as he has been inside the past couple days and he loves to use his manure has his pillow and mattress! I took him straight outside, mounted off a big rock (isn't that what everyone uses as a mounting block, LOL!) and started to walk him around the outdoor. He was relaxed at first, then seemed to realize that 1) he was outside for the first time in days and 2) he was the only horse out there. He had a couple little temper tantrums, seemingly wanting to burst out the seams and let some hooves fly and after a little while of this, I decided that, after working a couple good circles, I would take him into the indoor to burn off that excess energy. So we made our way inside and I worked him pretty hard, working our corners, 10 meter voltes into shoulder-in, leg yields and a couple of half passes. Also did a few lengthenings in the trot and canter, which were pretty decent. I tried to be sure that he was stretching his neck throughout his work and I was not letting him just sit on the bit. I would throw in random voltes to try to vary the work and not let him get too complacent in whatever we were doing. After working for a while in the indoor, we made our way back to the outdoor, as I was not going to let him off that easy. So back out we went and he tried to be distracted a couple of times, but I was quick to get him back and we worked on transitions while staying soft and supple in the bridle. He did pretty well and I was happy with how our training session ended.
We have a lesson scheduled tomorrow evening, so hopefully it won't be cancelled by either party and Shelley and I can get some good work done!
Building momentum into show season!
So it has been quite awhile since my last entry, for which I regret and hope to get back on a semi-regular basis again. I feel like much as happened since my last entry, but at the same time, nothing monumental (i.e. my horse hasn't won the Olympics and I haven't been named the next rider for Ravel, LOL!).
J has been doing well, still keeping 4-6 day/week training sessions, lasting about 45-60 minutes each. Really working on his endurance/stamina, honest engagement of hind end and supple contact. I had the acupuncturist work on him two weeks ago, not because J was doing poorly, but felt that he would benefit from a routine tune-up session before our show season starts. Dr. Johnson confirmed that J was still sore in his pelvis, although less so than last time. He stated that he was also a bit sore in his left stifle, so he worked on that area also. He encouraged that I still do adjustments on J's shoulders and rib area prior to each ride. My lessons have not been as regular as I prefer, due to scheduling conflict's, illness, etc. But we still chip away and I feel confident that I know what is correct for the work that we are doing without needing Shelley's guidance on a constant basis.
The weather in Illinois has been tumultuous, to say the least, making it very hit or miss as to when I can get into the outdoor arena and practice my movements in a regulation size dressage arena. Fortunately all of last week was beautiful, so we worked outside exclusively. On Thursday I was able to put up my "white trash" dressage arena (vinyl letters stuck to buckets) and at least get the feeling of riding the movements in correct dimensions. Tawney (my barn owner) is seriously considering putting up a permanent dressage arena, which would be in our 200 X 200 outdoor arena, so that would be really great! But until then, mine definitely does the job. The footing in the outdoor is a little deep, although it is really nice torpedo sand and my barn owner is great with maintaining it. Because of the deeper footing, J can get lazy, so it is actually good for him to have to step it up a little bit and helps to build his endurance even more.
I've been really working on making sure J is turning with his outside shoulder during the turn. Sometimes he can get distracted or lazy, and when he does this, his outside shoulder will not actually turn towards the inside of the circle, even to a small degree. So we've been addressing this by using my inside rein a bit more often but direct and asking him to move his OUTSIDE shoulder with a small contraction on the inside rein. Now sometimes this has to be a large contraction and a large reaction, but the goal is that it will become very small, invisible to the judges, but he will know that means to get his inside shoulder underneath himself and even move it towards the inside. If I ask for a large reaction, I will follow up by asking his haunches to fall to the outside and for a small "wheelie" turn and then continue on our way. I have found this exercise very helpful when he is distracted or not on my aids as well as he should be. It prevents him from falling out the outside shoulder and ignoring my outside aids. This aid is very useful in my leg yields and my shoulder-in's, as I can very minutely turn his front end but keep his hind end underneath and no falling out of the movement.
His lengthenings are getting more consistent and powerful, as long as I make sure to really half halt him through the corners before the diagonal and keep him waiting for me to ask him to move out. Then I make sure to half halt him to bring him back to working gaits, but not hold him up at the same time. As a matter of fact, I am working on our corners in general, using them more efficiently to use them as an opportunity to half halt and get him more engaged. I can tell that I was have been very soft on him in the corners, because he really wants to cheat in the corners- either by getting crooked in the body or neck, slowing down and leaving his hind legs out behind him or throwing his outside shoulder out and "motorcycling" around the corner. So I have to be very diligent and work very hard to make him understand that is not how we ride a corner anymore.
And the exciting news- I have officially entered our first show of the season! It is June 10-12th at Silverwood and I could not be more excited to get out there and show our stuff! Shelley and I are planning on 2 per week lessons to get our work solid before that show and also working on my freestyle, as I plan to show that on June 16th at Sorensen. For the first show, we will just be showing 1-1 and 1-3 (qualifying) on Friday and Saturday and than 1-3 (qualifying) on Sunday. I am really hoping that I can get my regional qualifying scores for 1st level right away that first weekend, but regardless, we will just try our best. Than throughout the season I will show my freestyle and hopefully get qualified for regionals for the freestyle as well.
J is feeling really great right now. He is extremely focused, working hard and has pretty good endurance to hold up to the strains of showing. He also has a great attitude, which is what I love so much about him.
J has been doing well, still keeping 4-6 day/week training sessions, lasting about 45-60 minutes each. Really working on his endurance/stamina, honest engagement of hind end and supple contact. I had the acupuncturist work on him two weeks ago, not because J was doing poorly, but felt that he would benefit from a routine tune-up session before our show season starts. Dr. Johnson confirmed that J was still sore in his pelvis, although less so than last time. He stated that he was also a bit sore in his left stifle, so he worked on that area also. He encouraged that I still do adjustments on J's shoulders and rib area prior to each ride. My lessons have not been as regular as I prefer, due to scheduling conflict's, illness, etc. But we still chip away and I feel confident that I know what is correct for the work that we are doing without needing Shelley's guidance on a constant basis.
The weather in Illinois has been tumultuous, to say the least, making it very hit or miss as to when I can get into the outdoor arena and practice my movements in a regulation size dressage arena. Fortunately all of last week was beautiful, so we worked outside exclusively. On Thursday I was able to put up my "white trash" dressage arena (vinyl letters stuck to buckets) and at least get the feeling of riding the movements in correct dimensions. Tawney (my barn owner) is seriously considering putting up a permanent dressage arena, which would be in our 200 X 200 outdoor arena, so that would be really great! But until then, mine definitely does the job. The footing in the outdoor is a little deep, although it is really nice torpedo sand and my barn owner is great with maintaining it. Because of the deeper footing, J can get lazy, so it is actually good for him to have to step it up a little bit and helps to build his endurance even more.
I've been really working on making sure J is turning with his outside shoulder during the turn. Sometimes he can get distracted or lazy, and when he does this, his outside shoulder will not actually turn towards the inside of the circle, even to a small degree. So we've been addressing this by using my inside rein a bit more often but direct and asking him to move his OUTSIDE shoulder with a small contraction on the inside rein. Now sometimes this has to be a large contraction and a large reaction, but the goal is that it will become very small, invisible to the judges, but he will know that means to get his inside shoulder underneath himself and even move it towards the inside. If I ask for a large reaction, I will follow up by asking his haunches to fall to the outside and for a small "wheelie" turn and then continue on our way. I have found this exercise very helpful when he is distracted or not on my aids as well as he should be. It prevents him from falling out the outside shoulder and ignoring my outside aids. This aid is very useful in my leg yields and my shoulder-in's, as I can very minutely turn his front end but keep his hind end underneath and no falling out of the movement.
His lengthenings are getting more consistent and powerful, as long as I make sure to really half halt him through the corners before the diagonal and keep him waiting for me to ask him to move out. Then I make sure to half halt him to bring him back to working gaits, but not hold him up at the same time. As a matter of fact, I am working on our corners in general, using them more efficiently to use them as an opportunity to half halt and get him more engaged. I can tell that I was have been very soft on him in the corners, because he really wants to cheat in the corners- either by getting crooked in the body or neck, slowing down and leaving his hind legs out behind him or throwing his outside shoulder out and "motorcycling" around the corner. So I have to be very diligent and work very hard to make him understand that is not how we ride a corner anymore.
And the exciting news- I have officially entered our first show of the season! It is June 10-12th at Silverwood and I could not be more excited to get out there and show our stuff! Shelley and I are planning on 2 per week lessons to get our work solid before that show and also working on my freestyle, as I plan to show that on June 16th at Sorensen. For the first show, we will just be showing 1-1 and 1-3 (qualifying) on Friday and Saturday and than 1-3 (qualifying) on Sunday. I am really hoping that I can get my regional qualifying scores for 1st level right away that first weekend, but regardless, we will just try our best. Than throughout the season I will show my freestyle and hopefully get qualified for regionals for the freestyle as well.
J is feeling really great right now. He is extremely focused, working hard and has pretty good endurance to hold up to the strains of showing. He also has a great attitude, which is what I love so much about him.
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