First, I just want to say how much I love my Red Foxy Snob. I hate to jinx myself, but we've been on a bit of a roll lately. Making more and more progress and jus being more consistent. As always, it is about being honest in my training and not skipping steps. As I talked about in my earlier post about the warm up, Red and I are now adding some more stuff to the repertoire to get him more through and carrying more weight on his right hind. He's a bit lazier about the right hind.
- sitting trot work along the wall, gradually adding more cadence, and then leg yield from the right hind. He must carry himself on the right side not running through. I reinforce my seat and legs with just a tap tap of the whip. While he's stepping up and leg yielding the front of his body is really bent to the wall. Like Sue said, he CAN'T be TOO close to the wall. At one point, I moved to the quarterline and he started rushing through the left rein...I had stopped using the wall to help him shift back...back to the wall, the whole idea is to get him to shift back onto his right hind. And it's true, a smart horse without a deathwish to conk himself on the head will shift his weight back! Once we have the feeling that he's really carrying and stepping with that right hind maintain that feeling along the short side.
-Walk. there was a time in our most recent past that WALK was our most hated gait...but in dressage, walk is the purest of the gaits. Red was very prone to jigging at the walk. We've been working at this and I am amazed at the overstep and reach that Red has in his walk now! Sue has made me stop DOING SO MUCH WITH MY HANDS. I say this in all caps, because I think Sue talks to me in ALL CAPS. But first, how many of you have had your instructor take the reins from you from the ground and try to pull you and they always say, stop pulling, don't be so tense, relax your arms...well, she did that to me again but this time she pointed something out to me. So when she pulled the reins from me, I just continued to carry my forearm in a relaxed manner and relaxing my hand while still holding my reinsand then holding my LATS (muscles between your shouldes and down to your low back) and really melting my butt into the saddle when she pulled- Red actually shifted back. She showed me this to illustate that I didn't have to have a strong arm or hand. And then on to walk, but just activating my lats when Red pulled on me, he just went down to Low, Deep & Round...and back to the big walk. Honestly, I don't think Red has jigged at the walk in weeks and weeks. I can't tell you how many trainers I've asked to work with me on this and nothing consistently worked. Do you know how many coefficients are in walk transitions!?!?!?!? Giving away points people! As we were doing our walk transitions I noticed something, a jingling of Red's bit. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT BEFORE....Red playing and working the bit! OMG! He was actually relaxed and on the bit lightly playing with the bit in his closed mouth!!!! No tension!
Trot Cadence- How do you make the trot bigger or smaller without going to the hand first? Another thing I've been working on is how to bring Red back in our sitting trot with going to my hand...again, it goes back to the Lats! Maybe it is being so tall and seemingly unwieldy, but I tend to want to make my upper body smaller in the saddle and thus squish my shoulders. Sue is telling me MAKE YOUR SHOULDERS WIDER. POST with SHOULDERS! And it is true, I can really make the trot bigger and smaller without going to my hands except for an occationaly flexion by just posting bigger or smaller with my wide shoulders...maybe this is hard to visualize, but once you do it correctly you will really have the feeling....by doing this, I feel like I am not having to constantly soften soften the jaw because I have been constantly driving the trot with my seat.
To recap, the riding has been going really well. I am really pleased. I've been riding late at night mostly by myself because I just can't ride Redster in the heat. By nightfall, maybe we are both a bit drowsy and relaxed.
Another reason to ride late is because I can avoid any drama. Lately, it seems like the atmosphere at the barn has changed. The barn has been infiltrated by Natural Horsemen devotees. Personally, I don't care about your horse games and carrot sticks- just don't be waving that shit around and making your horse buck and bolt when I am working on getting a sensitive horse! Particularly when you are in a non full size arena, you ARE NOT a boarder, and you've got 20 OTHER acres to being doing that in! There is a reason why USEF requires a seperate lunging area at shows. There was a time at this barn when outside people weren't allowed because it infringed on the boarders. The barn has become a BEATDOWN onto its own. So sad.
I really just need to focus on Red. He's still happy and healthy. He's really giving me his all, and really listening...and as obedient as a redhead can be. He knows biting and pawing aren't allowed, so he just headbutts you for a cookie or he halfheartedly raises his hoof and then sets it down without making a noise so that he can get your attention without actually pawing.
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