Homework

This week my homework assignment is to allow my knee and thigh to be relaxed (rather than pinching or gripping with my upper leg) so that I can make better use of my leg and seat aids.  To do this I must go as far as lifting my leg off Rijkens and then keep my knee softly hanging once I return my leg to normal position.

Also, I must continue to give the inside rein, especially in counter canter so that Rijkens' whole body can stay supple and through.


Had an AB FAB ride on Lola today.  What a horse.  What a girl.  What a mare!  It's been a couple months since I've ridden a Trakehner mare and my ride on Lola today reminded me how fun it is!

Lola using her shoulder:

 Rijkens:

Rijkens:

A Few of My Favorite Things

 Prissy pretending to be nonchalant:

 The boy can bend his hocks:

Crystal Ball

Looking toward the future, we are continuing Tiede's longlining work.  I've always maintained that there is no magic bullet in dressage.  But if there were, in hand longlining would be it.

Tiede is developing strength to maintain self carriage and is establishing instant obedience and better balance in canter. 

Uphill trot with good use of his Fresian neck:

There are many instants with Tiede where we can glimpse his future and see the grand prix horse in there.  Here is one such moment:

So Much Work

Rijkens and I are continuing to get a feel for each other.  During our lesson today at Belle Terre with Lurena Bell, we worked on suppling and throughness exercises that included shoulder in, renvers, and travers.  I must be quick to give especially in the left rein, and it is Rijkens' responsibility to accept the right rein as well as the left.

Lurena reminded us that particularly while schooling, Rijkens should say "How much angle would that be?" for the shoulder in, renvers and travers. 

Travers:

 "How much angle would you like?"

Renvers:

 Rijkens finding the right rein:

 

Video clip of Lurena schooling Rijkens:

Longlining

I took the reins today with Tiede between the longlines.  We schooled transitions, turns, walking leg yields, collected trot and collected canter.  The immediate control over Tiede and his balance in self carriage was extremely satisfying.  Tiede's owner, my barn buddy Judy, was able to audit our lesson with Karen Brown today.

Here's a favorite photo of  trainer Jeff Moore longlining.  Note the horse's uphill balance, bending joints, and self carriage:

With Bells On

We arrived with no time to spare for our lesson with Lurena Bell at Belle Terre Farm today.  I pulled in, let the dogs pee, got the big guy off the trailer, tied him to the side, whipped his tack on and marched to the arena to go right into our lesson.  He handled it like the experienced, laid back champ that he is in a workmanlike yet relaxed style.

Transitions-- within gaits and paces and between gaits-- were our focus to begin the lesson.  On a six loop serpentine width of the arena Lurena reminded me that I, not Rijkens, choose the trot I desire.  In shoulder in I am to keep my position to aid but my leg hangs down.  If I feel the need to urge or kick or ad spur, then Rijkens earns a tap with the whip.

"The littlest canter ever" was practiced by Rijkens, where I really sat him down into a very collected canter.  If he broke to a walk that was just an excuse to school walk to canter transitions.  If he tried to convince me to use more driving leg he earned a visit from the riding stick.  From "littlest canter" we would go to a few extra-forward steps (not really medium canter but thinking that way) back to a few littlest canter steps, and back-and-forth; up to six or more times on the long side or three times on the short side.  Muchas transitions.

Again in half pass I positioned my aids but allowed my legs to hang.  If I felt I had to push with my leg Lurena said I should actually take my leg completely off by hinging it away from Rijkens, then crack his rib, once.  Then he decided "Oh you mean really I need to be moving sideways? OK."

In canter half pass Lurena explained that unlike in trot half pass where the horse sweeps sideways, the horse rather makes a series of single jumps sideways in each canter stride.  In schooling I am allowed to make the half pass (in trot or canter) "messy" by asking for extra bend and being very quick in the gives.

It was especially obvious that I need to be vigilant in being quick to soften on the left rein, whether it is the inside or outside rein.  Also I must allow my right leg to hang down and even swing my leg away from Rijkens' body, or use the whip, rather than be tempted to nag with constant small driving leg aids.  As Lurena reminded me, I will reserve my leg aids for Grand Prix when I really need them for things like piaffe and passage.  Otherwise my legs should be quietly hanging; it is Rijkens job not only to carry me, but to travel in self carriage as well.

A hard day's work earns a relaxing grazing session back at home.

Obermeister is Back!

Three questions.  Three simple answers.  At THE BARN today with Karen Brown. *Cheers of joy!*

Q: Concerning canter pirouette, what should a correct pirouette feel like, and should one attempt to school it alone on a trained horse?

A: A canter pirouette feels like the horse, from a haunches in position, jumps in very collected canter strides around a very small circle described by the horse's hind legs.  The sensation of each canter stride is "canter in place" but the jump must be maintained in the gait.  Only when one has sufficient mastery of riding full canter pirouette (by understanding completely the process through having mastered it by repetition preferably over an acceptable amount of time on multiple horses in front of a knowledgeable trainer) should one attempt to school it alone.  In my case it is best for me to school quarter pirouettes in collected canter while riding a square, as previously learned with Delphi: canter a very straight line, then bring the outside leg back only slightly and and have the horse carry the shoulders around the haunches-- one stride, two strides-- of canter pirouette, then canter straight ahead again and repeat the process while describing, for example, a 20 meter diamond configured square. 

Q: What's an exercise that will help improve canter half pass?

A: Do NOT school endless lines of half pass and think this will somehow improve-- it won't and has the potential to make things worse.  Rather practice moving the shoulders and the haunches around a large circle (as described earlier).  For canter, school haunches in along the wall: in collected canter keep the horse's haunches bent around your inside leg with the haunches in.  If you were to nail an imaginary yardstick to the star on your horse's forehead, the yardstick would be directly perpendicular to the arena wall with the horse's body bent around your inside leg in a C shape.  Balance the exercise by returning to an absolutely straight canter (by allowing a return to straightness by softening the inside rein), then ride shoulder fore in canter, then straighten, then haunches in and so on.  Guard against whipping back and forth speedily from haunches in to shoulder fore; rather intentionally school a phase of straight canter between each. 

Q: Transitions!  Help me for the love of all that's holy! 

A: In canter, think of riding with a dot painted on the outside of your hip, just below your belt and straight up from your stirrup.  The dot will move in a circular motion in canter.  For a transition to collected canter, cause the dot to move more up and down in a vertical oval shape.  For a transition to trot/walk/halt spring up, up, up in the saddle drawing the horse's withers up to your seat into a soft transition to the gait (or halt) into which you ride forward.  Guard against stiffness by allowing elasticity and softening in your forearms and by being quick to give in the reins.