Looking Ahead

Mailed in our entries yesterday for the March 27 Topsider show. Our goal at this show is to earn our final score in first level and our initial score in second level toward our USDF bronze medal.

11th Hour Breakthroughs

Delphi had her annual teeth float done yesterday by her veterinarian Dr. Michael Davis. Added to that, today was my fourth ride trying a new bit: a straight bar egg butt snaffle with natural rubber wrapped over the bar at each outside edge.

After the first 20 minutes of the lesson grinded by and I still had not managed to get my horse on the bit, I was beginning to feel frustrated. Karen, knowing that I've been working on raising Delphi's neck Jeff Moore style, noted that I am simply "posing" Delphi's neck and not really ever getting her back up or getting her through the aids. Karen asked me to abandon for the moment raising the neck and having only a tenuous on the bit connection and focus for the time on allowing Delphi to relax her neck by riding her deep and what would seem to me over-round or "behind the vertical."

My breakthrough moment finally arrived only after Karen got on Delphi for a show and tell session: Karen kept Delphi's neck lower and her frame rounder. When I got back on, it occurred to me that while my elbows are nicely down as they should be, my hands are too far up and far too busy. By keeping my elbows down and my wrists set in a straight line to the bit (to me it felt as though my elbows were straight though they certainly were not) with my hands low and quiet, I was able to keep Delphi's head lower and relaxed in a deeper, rounder frame (read reliably on the bit). To add more impulsion I simply spring quicker and higher, thus activating the back-as-sensory-organ thereby improving collection, suppleness, throughness, balance and self carriage: all prerequisites to second level.

The straight bar egg butt snaffle bit? Karen told me that while occasionally trying different bits can indeed be beneficial, for now go ahead and put the bit back in the ol' tack trunk and go back to riding in my reliable, if plain, loose ring snaffle.

Jeff Moore Clinic at Belle Terre

February 28 (my birthday!) found Delphi and me at Belle Terre again for two lessons with Jeff Moore. Some key points follow:

• In shoulder in to renver (such as in 2nd level test 3) the rider's sagital plane is at a 35 degree angle from the wall (we'll say we're in left shoulder in) left, with the horse's head turned a little left. When you turn the horse's head right, keep the rider's sagital plane exactly the same and this is now renver. You must release the left rein when you turn the horse's head right. Make the angle with the sagital plane left for "left shoulder in" then turn the horse's head right and GIVE the left rein, keeping the rider's same left angle with the sagital plane angled 35 degrees left. The rider's guts hold the horse at the left angle while her head is turned right. The rider's sagital plane stays the same in shoulder in and renver. The horse's body angle stays the same in shoulder in and renver.
  

From shoulder in, I give the left rein, keep my sagital plane the same, and will then turn Delphi's head right to begin renver:

• In canter, the rider's seat must reach back and each time the thigh and knee should slither back as well. To develop the horse's back as a sensory organ in the canter to trot transition: in canter give the reins until they're floppy and then trot with your body until the horse flows into trot. Also to cause the horse's back to be a sensory organ in the walk (or trot) to canter: give a floppy rein in walk (or trot) then ask the horse to canter. Jeff suggested doing this a couple times in each warm up. Later you can add contact to keep the horse round, soft, light, bent etc rather than using contact as a handbrake. We must re-develop the horse's back as a sensory organ.
  

In canter I work on active reach back and allowing my thigh and knee to slide back:

• For walk pirouette, put your outside seatbone back and across. That does two things in one: 1) it displaces the rider's weight to the inside and 2) it turns the rider's sagital plane to the outside. The strongest influence for getting the horse's legs to work right in walk pirouette is the sitting with your outside seatbone back and across. Then the inner rein can say "you could turn dear-- you're fine." If you put your right seatbone back and across that turns your entire upper body to the right. The outside hindleg must keep stepping to midline: cause this by putting your outside seatbone back and across.
  

Delphi's outside (left) hindleg stepping toward midline as a result of me putting my outside (left) seatbone back and across and turning my sagital plane left:
Delphi's outside (right) hindleg stepping toward midline as a result of me putting my outside (right) seatbone back and across and thus turning my sagital plane right: