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!!!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
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.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Such a fine line...
So I rode J on Monday, with the same idea as to the balance point and having him accept my rein aids. He felt pretty good and really getting the idea of balancing back to the hind end and then pushing off strongly when I ask for the lengthen. But suddenly that feeling changed, he wasn't as quick to move strongly off the hind end and got heavier and heavier in my reins. I felt like he was locked up. So I temporarily ditched the exercise and suppled him and moved him forward, it took a few strides, but he did unlock. Then the light bulb came on... I was using WAY to much rein to balance him back! Basically giving him the rein to hang on, which was opposite of what I was trying to accomplish. So I went back to the exercise with more awareness of self carriage and regulating the tempo with my core instead of my rein, and it went much better.
J got Tuesday off due to my work schedule, but I will be back at it tonight, constantly evaluating the reins and not letting him use them against me- by getting too light or too heavy!
J got Tuesday off due to my work schedule, but I will be back at it tonight, constantly evaluating the reins and not letting him use them against me- by getting too light or too heavy!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Moving full steam ahead!
I had another great lesson with Shelley on Saturday. I had worked diligently all week on J following my hands out to the bridle and responding with a quicker hind leg in the half halt. Shelley was happy to feel the difference, but in the process J had gotten a little dull to the rein aids, as I was so worried about shortening his neck, "holding" him and not asking his neck to stretch into my hand, that I had allowed him to become a little complacent in the reins. So Shelley quickly got to work with J, asking him to be more accepting of the rein aids. She did this by taking a shorter rein and using flexions on each rein to position him a little more honestly. He was a little resentful at first and gave her lots of wrong answers, but he eventually understood that it didn't matter what kind of excuse he gave, he was not getting out of it. Shelley also wanted to work on our lengthenings, as she feels that our other work is passable for a decent first level test.
So I got on and Shelley had me ask J to walk very deliberately and slowly, keeping the balance point closer to his hind end while making sure that J is being respectful of the rein. He actually didn't want to do this too honestly- he kept trying to barge over the reins and walk too quickly, which would force him onto his forehand. Then once he would complete a few steps correctly and with the correct balance, I would ask him to march off his inside hind for three or four steps, then ask him to come back to the deliberate walk. It was tougher than it sounds! The aids have to be very quick and close to each other and if the aids got to strong or long, it would allow him to either fall on the forehand, rush or get behind my leg. Then we did the same thing in the trot and canter- eventually turning the marching steps into some lengthenings. The trot was hardest as he kept wanting to either break to the walk or break into a faster trot. If he broke into the walk, I had to bring him immediately back to the slow walk and then ask him to go into the slow trot. It took a lot of patience and very quick ques on my part, but we did get some nice moments. The canter was easiest as it has the most impulsion and easiest to time the aids. It was a very successful lesson and I can see where these exercises will take us in our work.
On Sunday I worked on keeping his balance point farther back and the exercises that Shelley had taught me on Saturday. I also ran through the 1-3 test and felt that it was pretty decent. We will have to work on the canter work some more, but it is tough in a small arena. I'm excited that our outdoor arena is now open, but it weather has become increasingly uncooperative, even deciding to snow last night. But in preparation for building my dressage arena in the outdoor, I ordered the vinyl letters today and will be very anxious to do some test work outside and also get my freestyle worked out. I plan on showing my freestyle on June 18th and 19th, so it must be ready by then!
So I got on and Shelley had me ask J to walk very deliberately and slowly, keeping the balance point closer to his hind end while making sure that J is being respectful of the rein. He actually didn't want to do this too honestly- he kept trying to barge over the reins and walk too quickly, which would force him onto his forehand. Then once he would complete a few steps correctly and with the correct balance, I would ask him to march off his inside hind for three or four steps, then ask him to come back to the deliberate walk. It was tougher than it sounds! The aids have to be very quick and close to each other and if the aids got to strong or long, it would allow him to either fall on the forehand, rush or get behind my leg. Then we did the same thing in the trot and canter- eventually turning the marching steps into some lengthenings. The trot was hardest as he kept wanting to either break to the walk or break into a faster trot. If he broke into the walk, I had to bring him immediately back to the slow walk and then ask him to go into the slow trot. It took a lot of patience and very quick ques on my part, but we did get some nice moments. The canter was easiest as it has the most impulsion and easiest to time the aids. It was a very successful lesson and I can see where these exercises will take us in our work.
On Sunday I worked on keeping his balance point farther back and the exercises that Shelley had taught me on Saturday. I also ran through the 1-3 test and felt that it was pretty decent. We will have to work on the canter work some more, but it is tough in a small arena. I'm excited that our outdoor arena is now open, but it weather has become increasingly uncooperative, even deciding to snow last night. But in preparation for building my dressage arena in the outdoor, I ordered the vinyl letters today and will be very anxious to do some test work outside and also get my freestyle worked out. I plan on showing my freestyle on June 18th and 19th, so it must be ready by then!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Focus is back!
I've had a bit of a dressage lesson hiatus- not because I have wanted this to occur, but unfortunately scheduling can be difficult, especially when my trainer lives over 2 hours away! So it worked out for Saturday morning and I was more than ready for her guidance! She rode J first (as she customarily does) which allows her to figure out quickly where he (we) is (are) lacking and what needs to be worked on for that particular time. She started running through the First Level test 3 trot work and found that he had some holes in his half halts, he was responding too slowly and not responding correctly. Shelley started to ask J to carry himself with a very high poll, not worrying about roundness per say, but instead focusing on him carrying himself, lengthening his neck and quickening his hind feet in response to the half halt. J's typical response to a half halt is to shorten his neck, fall a bit on the forehand and slow his hind end, leaving his legs out behind him, which is not really a half halt at all. So Shelley worked diligently and he was looking much improved after 15-20 minutes of her riding him. She even did a little bit of stretchy circle and free walk and he was noticeably better.
Then it was my turn. Shelley had us work the full arena, always on the second track or the quarterline. She advised me to take a short-ish rein, keep my hands in front of the pommel and leave him alone with my legs/feet (as I have a tendency to nag him). My reins were to be used to keep him relatively straight and my seat was to steer him, I was only to use my legs/spur when I asked him to go forward. So I would ask him to walk, trot or canter, give him a quick half halt through both reins and/or my seat, then stretch my reins forward (just centimeters through my elastic elbows) and give him small aids from my leg and/or whip until he responded by quickening his hind end and following the bit out to meet my hands but WITHOUT going down. It was difficult, especially at the walk because there is not much impulsion in the walk, but it got better as I got the feel for it. I tend to keep my hands up- probably because I want to carry his head- which is a dressage sin! So I would try to keep my hands down and then J would drop onto the bit and I'd have to pick him back up and then try to remember to put my hands back down. It's like trying to rub my belly and pat my head at the same time! I just have to keep diligent about it so it eventually becomes a habit.
Overall it was a great lesson- Shelley was very positive and encouraging, which I greatly appreciated. It gave me renewed focus on our work and more drive to get our work accomplished. We are hoping to have another lesson next Saturday, which would be great. Show season is sneaking up quickly and I want to be as prepared as possible!
Then it was my turn. Shelley had us work the full arena, always on the second track or the quarterline. She advised me to take a short-ish rein, keep my hands in front of the pommel and leave him alone with my legs/feet (as I have a tendency to nag him). My reins were to be used to keep him relatively straight and my seat was to steer him, I was only to use my legs/spur when I asked him to go forward. So I would ask him to walk, trot or canter, give him a quick half halt through both reins and/or my seat, then stretch my reins forward (just centimeters through my elastic elbows) and give him small aids from my leg and/or whip until he responded by quickening his hind end and following the bit out to meet my hands but WITHOUT going down. It was difficult, especially at the walk because there is not much impulsion in the walk, but it got better as I got the feel for it. I tend to keep my hands up- probably because I want to carry his head- which is a dressage sin! So I would try to keep my hands down and then J would drop onto the bit and I'd have to pick him back up and then try to remember to put my hands back down. It's like trying to rub my belly and pat my head at the same time! I just have to keep diligent about it so it eventually becomes a habit.
Overall it was a great lesson- Shelley was very positive and encouraging, which I greatly appreciated. It gave me renewed focus on our work and more drive to get our work accomplished. We are hoping to have another lesson next Saturday, which would be great. Show season is sneaking up quickly and I want to be as prepared as possible!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Getting 2 horses ready for show season!
So things have been pretty hectic- I took a last minute trip to Minnesota with Tawney to a reining show were she did awesome! It also gave me a chance to watch the "green" reining classes to see what I could expect at our (hopefully) first reining show in May at Gordyville. I was very surprised with what I saw- not a lot of fast spins and most of the riders using two reins- it definitely made me less nervous to show so quickly! I just have to get a sliding stop and we will be ready to go! Fortunately Radar is getting his slider plates "installed" in a couple weeks, so I'll have about three weeks to practice before our show. I've got to get a few items before the show- a cowboy hat, show shirts, a blingy belt and boots. I ordered a really cute shirt today- I can't wait to see it in person!
So J had a couple days off due to me attending the show and I was able to ride him last night. First off, he is doing so great at this barn. He is now off his ulcer supplements and calming supplement and just getting adequan joint supplement (as a preventative) and raw apple cider vinegar (natural anti-inflammatory, insect repellent, probiotic, etc.). He gets one cup of Safechoice per day- spread into three feedings. And he gets loads and loads of beautiful mixed hay. He looks better than he ever has in his life- he has gained weight (and "finish" as Tawney calls it), has a gorgeous golden and shiny coat, hooves are strong (has not lost one shoe since being at this barn) and is generally happy and calm! I'm so happy to see him thriving!
So last night J was a little "looky" at the back door, not sure what he was looking at, but he was a good boy and worked through it, never spooking or acting naughty. I have been making sure to start off on a long rein, going two laps each direction being super relaxed and letting J settle in, this seems to really help him get focused in our warm-up and not make him defensive. Then we worked on lots of halt/walk transitions with some rein-backs thrown in there if he got to heavy on the bridle. I made sure to keep him light in the front and ask him to move off quickly and strongly off his hind end. Then we added in some trot work- doing transitions between the gait, and transitions between the walk/trot and halt. I added some lateral work- some sweeping leg yields that got him more responsive off my lateral leg.
Then I started to work on some of the trot work from the 1-3 test- which includes a leg yield away from the wall, a 10 meter volte in each direction at X and then a leg yield back to the wall. J was responsive but seemed to be really lagging and not trying hard. I debated two thoughts- that 1) he has not been ridden in a few days and may need to be gently brought back or 2) he is just being lazy and can do it despite being off. So I went with the latter- I sat up, took better contact on my outside rein and asked him to give me more effort. He was resistant at first- trying to ignore my request, but when I made it impossible for him to ignore, he went with it and did some great work. I felt that he was really pushing off his inside hind and giving me some swing. We worked a little more on the trot work from 1-3 and then did some trot and canter lengthenings and some changes through the trot. I'm going to have to work on J anticipating the changes because he is starting to throw flying changes when I ask for the downward transition. We also worked on some bending lines in the canter. I was very happy with his work and especially his effort after I got on his case about it. J is definitely the type of horse that you have to ride- he is not going to exert more energy than is being asked. I haven't had a lesson in a few weeks and will hopefully have one this weekend! I need some focus! :)
And as for my ride on Radar, it was great as well. This horse has just as much heart as J and seems to really love to work. I've been working on collecting him and making him work off his hind end instead of running around on the forehand. It is tough for him, but he is getting better and better with each ride. He is the king of anticipation and that is something that I've been working very hard on- making sure that I am the pilot and I don't let him take charge simply because he knows what to do. We did lots of transitions, between gaits and within the gait, than worked on some very small trot circles that eventually became spins and then some flying changes. I did a couple of rollbacks, but the arena was pretty busy and I didn't want to run anyone down. I can't wait to get his sliders on so I can learn how to do a sliding stop and have that last piece of the puzzle at our disposal. I have my first lesson with Tawney scheduled for tomorrow night and I can't wait!
So J had a couple days off due to me attending the show and I was able to ride him last night. First off, he is doing so great at this barn. He is now off his ulcer supplements and calming supplement and just getting adequan joint supplement (as a preventative) and raw apple cider vinegar (natural anti-inflammatory, insect repellent, probiotic, etc.). He gets one cup of Safechoice per day- spread into three feedings. And he gets loads and loads of beautiful mixed hay. He looks better than he ever has in his life- he has gained weight (and "finish" as Tawney calls it), has a gorgeous golden and shiny coat, hooves are strong (has not lost one shoe since being at this barn) and is generally happy and calm! I'm so happy to see him thriving!
So last night J was a little "looky" at the back door, not sure what he was looking at, but he was a good boy and worked through it, never spooking or acting naughty. I have been making sure to start off on a long rein, going two laps each direction being super relaxed and letting J settle in, this seems to really help him get focused in our warm-up and not make him defensive. Then we worked on lots of halt/walk transitions with some rein-backs thrown in there if he got to heavy on the bridle. I made sure to keep him light in the front and ask him to move off quickly and strongly off his hind end. Then we added in some trot work- doing transitions between the gait, and transitions between the walk/trot and halt. I added some lateral work- some sweeping leg yields that got him more responsive off my lateral leg.
Then I started to work on some of the trot work from the 1-3 test- which includes a leg yield away from the wall, a 10 meter volte in each direction at X and then a leg yield back to the wall. J was responsive but seemed to be really lagging and not trying hard. I debated two thoughts- that 1) he has not been ridden in a few days and may need to be gently brought back or 2) he is just being lazy and can do it despite being off. So I went with the latter- I sat up, took better contact on my outside rein and asked him to give me more effort. He was resistant at first- trying to ignore my request, but when I made it impossible for him to ignore, he went with it and did some great work. I felt that he was really pushing off his inside hind and giving me some swing. We worked a little more on the trot work from 1-3 and then did some trot and canter lengthenings and some changes through the trot. I'm going to have to work on J anticipating the changes because he is starting to throw flying changes when I ask for the downward transition. We also worked on some bending lines in the canter. I was very happy with his work and especially his effort after I got on his case about it. J is definitely the type of horse that you have to ride- he is not going to exert more energy than is being asked. I haven't had a lesson in a few weeks and will hopefully have one this weekend! I need some focus! :)
And as for my ride on Radar, it was great as well. This horse has just as much heart as J and seems to really love to work. I've been working on collecting him and making him work off his hind end instead of running around on the forehand. It is tough for him, but he is getting better and better with each ride. He is the king of anticipation and that is something that I've been working very hard on- making sure that I am the pilot and I don't let him take charge simply because he knows what to do. We did lots of transitions, between gaits and within the gait, than worked on some very small trot circles that eventually became spins and then some flying changes. I did a couple of rollbacks, but the arena was pretty busy and I didn't want to run anyone down. I can't wait to get his sliders on so I can learn how to do a sliding stop and have that last piece of the puzzle at our disposal. I have my first lesson with Tawney scheduled for tomorrow night and I can't wait!
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