Ugh Dressage!

The event season is pretty much over for the winter (it's too wet in Area VII to school cross country courses, much less compete outdoors. So while it is fun to jump in the indoor arena, it is also a good opportunity to  focus on flat work and dressage. This past week I had gotten super frustrated with my riding and pretty much convinced myself that I had somehow become a terrible rider. Even though my last lesson with Erin was great with help on canter transitions, for some reason I was not getting it on my own. On top of that, I was having major trouble keeping Deuce together and bent on a circle without falling to the inside going right and popping the shoulder out going left. Then the more intent and frustrated about it I got, the worse he went. Poor Deuce. He was probably wondering what the heck I was trying to do up there on his back!

So I decided it was time for another lesson with Erin who again helped us tremendously. We broke down the steps to canter transitions, again but to tiny parts.  The key (even though, I know this and have heard it a million times... it just clicked this time, at last!!)  is to keep him bent to the inside with a giving rein and lots of leg (squeeze the rein for the bend then push hand  forward) while maintaining the outside rein, sit up, right leg behind the girth and shift my weight to the inside leg and step into canter. It took some doing but we got it and then got it consistently. Erin also give me some pre riding strategies to help develop a mental action plan to help keep from getting into the vicious frustrated cycle. Then tonight I road again and practiced everything Erin and I worked on in our lesson and while it was not perfect, it was so much better!

Now that I can reflect on it objectively;  our point of frustration is actually a good thing. It means Deuce and I are progressing in our training and we are now getting into more technical aspects in our riding and training.

Eating Habits

Deuce is funny about his grain. He is quite eager at feeding time; he looks anxiously for the ones that feed him to get to his stall and sometimes even paws at the door and neighs his little high pitched whinny neigh. He gets his hay, then his grain and dives in like any normal horse. But in the mornings, he gets about 3/4 of the way through his grain and leaves it for his hay!! That's a new one to me! Most horses will clean up every last bit of the tasty grain before thinking about hay... but Deuce must like leftovers.  When he is turned out in the morning after his hay is gone, there is still grain in his feeder and when he is brought back to his stall in the late afternoon he must enjoy his afternoon snack, because by dinnertime at night, his feeder is empty again.
maybe he is just that clever.... =)

A time to give thanks

There is so much to be thankful for in my life... Of course my wonderful horses are one of many.

Deuce is quite a horse. He's talented and while a bit opinionated at times, overall he is willing and agreeable to all I have asked him to do. (even if he does try to talk me into getting away with bad habits) I am thankful for his strength and health. I am thankful for the wonderful barn where he lives and all the people involved with his care and our training.

I am thankful for my fellow horse enthusiasts and all those eventers who are passionate about our sport and making sure it remains the fun and exciting competition it is.

I am thankful for my dear friends and family who are encouraging and supportive of my horse and eventing habits. And especially thankful to Russ who is patient and ultra supportive of all of my horsing around.

A loaded lesson

This afternoon I had a lesson with Erin; yay! It has been too long since I have had her instruction and Deuce and I needed it. The biggest focus on the flat was to get him to bend off my inside leg and get round. He tends to get stiff at the base of his neck and plow through my hands and pop his shoulder left on a circke right or  fall into the circle going left.  I worked really hard on staying back and keeping my legs nice and long and supportive while using my subtle inside rein to encourage the bend and an outside supportive rein to keep him his shoulders in line. I also had gotten into the habit of being stiff in my shoulders and arms which caused his trot to get short and choppy. So I need to push him forward and soften my hands. And for now, even lengthening my rein a bit to get him forward.

In the course a of a few weeks, my upward canter transitions fell apart too. We had fallen back into running  into canter (ack!) So we worked on that too. I was caving in and throwing away my reins and thus throwing him out of balance and not getting a good transition. But Erin helped me remember to sit up, keep my outside rein and still maintain the bend. I finally got it and had multiple lovely trot-canter transitions. 

Then it was time for gird work. The line was a trot with a canter pole then one stride to a verticle and then another one stride to an oxer. The great thing was how straight Deuce stayed down the line. Then I was able to really focus on my riding by sinking in my heels and giving a better release over the top. Both of these things really helped him get better take off points and remain balanced on the landing so he could stay nice and soft to make the sharp turn a the gate without stumbling. Yay! While we improved, Erin kept raising the oxer height. By the end of the lesson, we were clearing 3'2"! Go us!

New Saddle!!!

Since the realization this summer that I have a competitive event horse, I have had it in the back of my mind that I need a new saddle... My Wintec Close Contact has done well for where I was but Deuce and I are stepping it up and I need a saddle that puts me in a better position. I have tired out a few in my budget range and decided I wanted to go with a monoflap... so when I found a nearly new M.Toulouse Marielle Monoflap for a great deal;  I pounced on it! While I was at it, I got a new jump bridle too as we really needed one...

Working on the flat....

Today was a pony club mounted meeting. The instructor was Marc and the focus was Dressage.

We had to drop our stirrups and stretch out our legs in an effort to stretch out our legs and lengthen our thighs. This was easy to do at the walk, but once we started trotting, it got tough to keep balance and not grip and shorten the legs. The idea was to keep a long upper leg to wrap around our horses' barrels and loosen our seats and flow with our horse's rhythm. (Locking the hips inhibits the horse's movement)
It was a really good exercise! And while I was concentrating on staying in the saddle and keeping my legs long... Marc reminded me to point my thumbs up and lift up my hands.... I was bracing and keeping my hands too low. Argh! But when I got it all right, Deuce let me know. His trot would get more forward and fluid since I am not inhibiting when I let go.

After we started to get the hang of keeping a nice long leg... Marc talked about half halting with lower abdominals.  So the idea is to use my abs to half halt, which creates a lifting effect in the front part of my seat and a bit of a tucking effect in the back and allows Deuce to lift his withers up and sit back a bit into a proper half halt. And when I remembered to do it; I got a great balanced half halt!

Then we did some canter work. I finally got the hang of keeping my leg long and preventing it form bunching up his sides and then it was back to the drawing board again in a new gait. I also worked on more of a  scooping seat and rocking hips back to get my shoulders slightly behind my hips (I have a tendency to fall forward). SO keeping leg log, thumbs up, fluid, rocking motion at the canter and stay back in upper body... oh yeah, and steer, and try to keep him round too...Sure, no problem!

It was a great lesson, really. There were lots of technical things Marc helped us with and they are just what we needed to get to the next step in our riding. It was hard work and I am sure I will be sore tomorrow but it will be one of those good sores... and lots of homework to do! But Deuce and I are most definitely game!

Ahhhh!

It was going to be a late night at work so I decided to take the morning off and spend it at the barn. It was a beautiful sunshiny morning Deuce and I had lovely ride in the arena then took Flash for a walk out in the fields.

After our ride, I turned him out and he promptly  trotted off to the bare spot in his field, dropped and rolled and rolled! Deuce is not a roll all the way over-er. He rolls one side, gets up, shakes and drops to the other side. At least he's balanced that way.

Big Sky Ride

After a ride on Deuce, I took him for a cool out walk with Flash along side as we enjoyed the setting sun. These pictures don't really do the sky justice. The colors and contrast were pretty cool... and it looks darker than it really was. 

The perfect name.

Second Draft is the name I have been using when I enter Deuce  in competitions this season. I don't love the name but I have not come up with anything better. Since we have not yet gone recognized  I have not registered him with USEA and thus not locked in an official name. However, I have since found his name. It came to me while I was reading one night and the word jumped off the page....

Paradox.

There are some many ways this name fits the big spotted half draft trail horse/pasture ornament- turned  big bold jumping machine and eventer.

Deuce is a true Paradox