Mare Swap

Meet Bailey:
In our lesson Friday, Bailey's owner and I will be mare swapping. My friend will ride Delphi and I'll get to ride Bailey. A Jockey Club registered Thoroughbred and also registered in the Oldenburg main mare book, Bailey is Delphi's stablemate. Should be interesting to experience some forward medium canters, and also neat to see someone else piloting Delphi.

UPDATE:
Let it not be said that we chickened out, 'cause we so didn't. It turns out that the girls had to stay indoors due to weather so were especially fresh for their lesson, and Ceil and I sagely reasoned together that it would be best to postpone the swap to a less cold, windy, excess energy day.
However we did school an excellent exercise for both improving the shoulder in and the parallel leg yield: say you're leg yielding left; as you ride through the corner on the short side, aim across the long diagonal but immediately begin shoulder in right. Maintaining shoulder in right does two things: it keeps the haunches from leading or trailing, and it keeps the horse parallel to the long side. Bailey expertly demonstrated how to do a forward, correct leg yield by doing shoulder in across the diagonal. Delphi and I improved, and finally "got it." Fun!

Pastoral setting:

Funny boy Poder with the girls:

After the lesson, a well deserved break:

Progress

Judges' comments have always been a helpful learning tool. Yesterday's Solstice Farm Halloween show was both fun and educational. The following are comment highlights from Delphi's second level tests 1 and 2 from judge Donna Meyer:

• First medium trot: Some loss of rhythm, run vs lengthen but in the second medium trot: clear effort, shows thrust but come uphill vs over through bit

• Shoulder in: overbent neck, leg yield
  

• Travers: lost energy and connection and need bend, angle and energy
  

• Halt, rein back: not square but obedient and correct steps back

• Medium canter: need thrust and ground cover, crooked

• Counter canter serpentine: need rounder connection
  
• Counter canter on a straight line: straight but not on bit

• Halt: straight, nearly square
  

• Collectives: Adorable pair- keep developing thrust and rounder topline and Some better moments- horse tries :) Keep developing balance to hind and energy, impulsion so comes through back and improves throughness and connection. Capable pair- keep trying!
  

My take home lessons: for shoulder in step into the inside stirrup, tap with the whip as needed to keep a lively impulsion, GIVE the inside rein and keep her into the outside rein to maintain a straighter position; for medium trot: Delphi's thrust is good but now we need to add uphill balance; for medium canter: think shoulder fore to make it straight, and add THRUST and GROUND COVER; for canter work: maintain straightness and create throughness and suppleness by improving the connection; and overall work toward better throughness, more consistency and relaxed back to front connection.

Juuuuust Right

One must learn the difference between too much rein or give, and too short of rein or absolute elevation (defined as the raising of the horse's neck [in isolation] without shifting the horse's balance to the rear). Delphi needs to maintain self carriage (defined as the state in which the horse carries itself in balance without taking support or balancing on the rider's hand), and I must support this by allowing enough rein for her to relax while concurrently consistently keeping her round and on the bit (defined as acceptance of contact [without resistance or evasion] with a stretched topline and with lateral and longitudinal flexion as required; the horse's face line is at or slightly in front of the vertical), or connected (defined as the state in which there is no blockage, break, or slack in the circuit that joins horse and rider into a single, harmonious, elastic unit). She must always be ready to reach down to the bit, and I must always keep her in a back to front frame so that she maintains self carriage. Today Karen said let's assume that if something goes wrong, it's because I need to half halt with my seat, sit back to keep my shoulders following my pelvis, and keep the rein contact consistent and neither drifting forward nor restraining.
Concerning travers, it is important to keep the shoulders, withers, head, and neck straight along the track and ask the haunches to come in with the rider's outside leg. Avoid creating too much bend as this cancels out the travers. Rather, keep the forehand straight (and light) and ask the haunches to come in.

Supple Canters- Counter and Medium

To maintain suppleness during counter canter, prepare first by doing a true canter circle, during which do flexions left and flexions right, being sure to back up the flexions with leg. As you go into your counter canter, continue the subtle left and right flexions to keep the horse's shoulder from popping out and to keep the horse from leaning in-- in other words, keep the horse "straight" and softly seeking the contact.
You can continue the supple-ing flexions in medium canter. Stay soft, relaxed, and BREATHE, and allow the horse a few good forward strides of medium, then collect for a good transition. For schooling purposes, at the end of the medium canter immediately ride a ten meter canter circle. This will accustom the horse to "coming back" immediately for a good transition from medium to collected canter.

Articulating Joints

Using cavalletti is great way to jazz up your training regime and (safely) put to good use pent-up energy if your horse has had to be indoors due to weather. Because ground pole work demands extra effort, we kept it to a brief 30 minute lesson. After first walking a series of five poles spaced four human paces apart, we trotted in away from the gate to get Delphi using her hind end to thrust herself into the air and move in cadence and rhythm. In rising trot, I first gave Delphi a little extra freedom with the rein so she could stretch down and round her back. Her back sprang up beneath me at each stride as the poles made her step higher and push off the ground with extra energy. Karen then increased the distance between the poles to five human paces; that's when it got really fun! Because Delphi is slightly more advanced, her back is strong enough to carry me in sitting trot. With the energy that was created, I was able to ride super mediums, shoulder ins, ten meter turns and circles, and even one very good step of passage! Way cool!

Inspiration

This video inspires me. Not so much about the horsemanship, flying changes, rein backs and other maneuvers, though those are all impressive in themselves. To me the greater miracle is that, in a huge crowd in an unfamiliar arena, the horse is constantly licking submissively and gives the appearance of complete relaxation and trust.

A Picture's Worth

Behold the change in Delphi over the last six months.

"Before" trot in April '09:

"After" trot in September '09:

Note in the "after" photo her conformation seems to have changed; by becoming more round she actually looks like she has a shorter back. She is also more "up" in her forehand and "under" in her hindquarter, showing more relative elevation in the "after" photo.

Progress comes slowly, but nevertheless it comes!