In the Arena # 111 - We have tested our new rig, and we pronounce it - good...

Finally, we tack up with the new saddle + Thinline saddle fitter pad.

First, about the pad. It is quilted on top, and lined + edged with fleece. The channel sits up from the underneath of the pad, and has no fleece. There are four very well made velcro-ed pockets that hold nice flat shims, which stay put. The pad came with two sets of shims, different thicknesses. I figured that gives me three options: either one of the shims alone, or both together, which is what I tried today.

Our preparation for riding gave me pause. Val was acting super squirrely. Wouldn't stay still, tried numerous times to walk off, head tossing, acted like a far away troupe of crows was certainly death dealing. Then right on cue, my noisy neighbor cranked up the volume and rode various vehicles up and down the property while his dogs barked maniacally. Luckily - his week on of work starts tomorrow. The week will be peaceful. I had a moment of thinking well maybe today isn't the best day to ride... then I thought - screw that. ;)

We warmed up on a loose rein, and from the beginning I was getting halts off my seat. It felt like all I had to do was tip my pelvis back ever so slightly and "fill the sail". (draw my front line forward) Once we picked up some contact, we worked on serpentines and getting a big walk. I did on half of one serpentine and Val was onto me, eagerly anticipating our exercise, which made me laugh out loud.

My ask for the trot was answered immediately, every time, off my leg only. There was much less lugging in the corners,  and I barely touched my whip the whole time. We worked on transitions, figure eights and fifteen meter circles. Smooth like buttah. Cooled off working without reins - stopping and going was simple, but turning needs some practice.

It was a great ride.

I'm satisfied that the saddle change was a good decision, and the pad will tide us over until Val is more muscley. We're back on track - no excuses now!

In the Arena #93 - And then rainbows came flying out of our -----

After a brief cool down, we were blessed with another week of unseasonable delightful warmth and sun. Yesterday was likely the end. For real this time.

I cleared my schedule by early afternoon, and got Val ready for our ride. The horses were surprisingly calm considering that tree trimming guys spent half the day clearing my property around the electric lines with power tools, and then disposing of the cuttings in a giant, deafening wood chipper...

Cat crossing property nowhere near arena = horse eating monster
Wood chipper screaming and whining next to arena - not so much...

I recently have been experimenting with reintroducing some on the buckle warm-up work before we move on to the trot - 'cause I'm stubborn like that. Apparently yesterday I crossed the line into tediousness, and Val acted up... refusing to listen to my aids and getting super choosy about where he wanted to work. After a bunch of head tossing, a spin and getting bucky with it, I gave him a stern "NO" and a little smack with my dressage whip. Instant attitude adjustment. It was so awesome! :)

Believe me, I have traveled a long road leading to the point where I can reprimand my horse and feel okay about it. Too often in the past, I let Val get away with this type of behavior. I made excuses for him, and ultimately I was afraid. Afraid of how he would react, and afraid I would lose my cool.

His tack fits, his teeth are good, he's not in pain. He tests my resolve because he can... because I let him get away with it for so long - ie I trained him to do it... because I can be inconsistent and inaccurate with my aiding... because he's smart and easily bored... and because he's conservative with his energy pretty lazy sometimes.

The best thing is that the confidence I got from giving that correction, letting it go immediately and moving forward, will likely help keep me in the frame of mind that heads off this type of situation in the future. Sometimes a little spanking is a good thing...

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So on to our ride, post correction. Simply our best yet. We got on the bit quickly, with Val carrying himself so nicely that I could have sat the trot all day - which I didn't, as my posting is coming along but still needs lots of work so I can get to where I don't have to think about it every stride. Besides, sitting the trot right now feels like a sinfully delicious treat, one that I'm not sure I've quite earned yet, or maybe might contain too many calories...

We also did some serpentines, baby leg yields and rode deep into our corners. I focused on using my core, especially for downwards transitions, as well as making sure I banish piano hands, and aiding from my elbows, which stay at my sides. There was some big marching walk after the trot work, and tantrum free on the buckle work as well. We finished up as a cold rain started falling... winter's calling card.

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I miss lessons with my trainer... besides the info and supervision, I miss the barn time, companionship and watching lessons with people who are as obsessed with dressage as I am. Nonetheless we are making progress. And ironically this break from instruction is the reason. I have had to accept responsibility for our training.  I stepped up, took responsibility, and found out I'm plenty capable. At least, I'm not going to ruin my horse. Total surprise to me. 

Now I'm contemplating the canter - stay tuned...

In the Arena #36 - Halt. Angle. Flow.

The firing order for exercises aimed at improving lateral leg responsiveness (turns on the forehand, leg-yielding, shoulder-in, half-pass) is: Halt. Angle. Flow. Take note, these are consecutive, not concurrent. Only when the horse listens to the half-halt (halt) and is therefore better balanced, will he respond more easily to the lateral leg aid (angle), after which we must go with the horse freely in the direction of the chosen lateral movement (flow). Avoid using the lateral leg aid at the same time as the half-halt.  Erik Herbermann A Horseman's Notes

Slipped a ride in on the day before Thanksgiving with my new bareback pad, which I absolutely l-o-v-e. When I purchased it I had no idea it would be so helpful with dressage. I figured riding bareback would be good for my seat and balance, and thought it would be a fun, comfortable alternative to the saddle, but so far, it has also totally confirmed that my recurring turning issues are due to the unevenness in my hips--> legs--> stirrups. We had no sticky turning whatsoever bareback - everything was the same in both directions. I haven't worked up the guts to trot yet, but I felt really secure throughout the session.

I want my with saddle riding to feel like my without saddle riding... deep seat, open hips, even legs, relaxed and draping around my horse. I think Sally Swift compared that feeling to a melting ice cream cone dripping down the horse's sides.

Today's ride (saddled) was mainly about keeping the connection on the outside rein, while not totally dropping the contact on the inside rein, and a little bit of lateral work. After warming up, we worked with the cones, doing shallow serpentines. This exercise was super helpful as besides being aware of the contact through the turns, the outside and inside reins changed every few strides, with a couple of neutral strides in between. Don't forget about the leg! I also focused on making my aids as subtle as I could, and still be effective. In the midst of all of this coordinating, I was struck by something my trainer had said to me (long ago)... steering horses is more like riding a bike and less like driving a car. It has taken quite a while for that little nugget to sink in :)

Val cracked me up again with his trying to guess / decide what we would do next. I really can't repeat any exercise too many times without him anticipating. Cones are always for serpentines says Val. I reckon we won't be practicing entire dressage tests when we get ready to show either.

We finished up with some trot work - halt trot / trot halt transitions. I get a better response to my trot request from the halt than the walk for some reason... Val offered to canter a couple of times as well - those pesky crooked hips again. He has a really nice canter. I can't wait until we get the canter depart down, but that will have to wait for now.

As time wears on, our arena gets more areas of churned up, deep sand, which Val DOES NOT want to work in faster than a walk. I have no desire to risk injury, so we will be waiting for our next trip to my trainer's, or some substantial rains to firm things up before cantering on purpose. This is actually a good thing - it will give me more incentive to get the finances together for our planned "real arena". If can envision it, I can make it happen.