If there's one lesson that Sue is beating into my head, it is about being honest in my training and consistent about not skipping steps. Before you even get on your horse, you have to set the tone for the entire ride. Even after a week off because of the heat and a busy schedule, if I can stick to setting the right tone from before I walk into the arena, I can make sure that the ride is productive, progressive and pleasant for both of us.
Like I said, I took the week off because of the heat and I wanted to spend some time at some local clinics. One thing I saw this weekend were some really pleasant outlines. I made it my goal to have a similar out line.
As we walk to the arena, I make sure Red starts focusing on me...does he come back when I take small steps, when I walk out does he walk out? When I mount, even on a long rein I start making sure he's listening to my seat- big steps....little steps. Listening to each rein, giving me his jowl on either side. As I collect the reins, he must do it without any resistence or rooting against me. And then I start on asking for his haunches....does he listen to my right leg and then my left leg. He can be a little sluggish to the right leg. I now go to a halt, asking one step at a time for a turn on the forehand....and then we move on to leg yield. I ask him to continue to give me a long and low neck, even as I take up the reins.
One thing I learned this weekend is about insisting for the horse to stay on the bit and stepping up eveny into the contact. So I added that to my warm up. He must stay on the bit, with a long and low neck and then I ask him to step up with which ever leg is not stepping under. It is really mind opening how just by doing these little things it improves the rest of my ride.
From here, I move onto trot work....alternating the cadence in the trot....bit steps/small steps...always a long and low neck (he tends to want to be giraffe- so asking for a long and low neck is a constant for us) From here, adding legyields from the quarter lines and then onto shoulder fore. Tonight I decided to add haunches in down the longside of the arena....I think it helped him loosen up and bring his back up sooner. From here I went to sitting trot, shoulder in/ haunches in and working on the circle and working our the cadence of the trot. At the sitting trot, I have been really working on using my seat to change the cadence....it's getting better. On the circle, I work on shoulder fore and leg yield before asking him for the canter...again, long low neck and again, I work on the cadence. I just want it to not be tense transitions...it is all about the seat, and the looser my seat (not pinching my knees) the better the transitions from working to medium canter...I work on that 4th level movement, asking for collection and giving the reins...He was awesome at this going to the left! Go Big Red!
As he works more from his hind end, I am having a lot of trouble controlling the balance and tempo in the downward transitions...I think I am going to have Sue help me here.
I've had two weeks off from lessons, but I've been working really hard on all my homework and Red has been ON POINT! So let's home that Sue doesn't tell me crack is wack and I need to go to dressage rehab and 2x a week lessons...I don't think I can handle it!
So anyway, I will report back post lesson on Wednesday- NAMASTE!
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