Strategy Continues

When schooling during warm up, be very fussy about riding very accurate geometry in 20 meter circles, 15 meter, 10 meter, etc.  Study the arena diagram and know exactly where each size should be ridden according to the posted letters and where you are in the arena.  

In transitions, bend Jazzy between both legs with the outside leg back to bring the haunches and the inside leg forward at the girth, dynamic (not holding constantly but rather deep, elastic and available to give a good aid).  Carry the inside rein even a bit wide in the warm up to avoid crossing your hand over the neck, and to encourage Jazzy to bend and swing through his body.  At this point push the tail out on the circle and have your outside leg back to keep the bend and the outside hind leg active.  Keep the horse bending-turning-flexing while doing multiple, prompt transitions walk-trot-walk-trot, keeping Jazzy's inside hind leg active and stepping under, and maintaining a loose but dynamic inside leg with outside leg back to keep the outside hind leg active as well, and heels down, toes up, deep inside leg and strong position in all transitions.  

A helpful exercise to school both bending and simple changes: starting in right lead canter, canter down the long side from R to F and make a half 10 meter circle turn down centerline at A, collecting the canter (you can eventually even use this to school large schooling pirouettes); canter a diagonal line toward B, making a transition to walk before you reach the long side while still on the diagonal line.  Continue in collected walk to B, then make a transition to collected canter left lead on the long side.  Repeat by cantering B to M and make a ten meter half circle turn down centerline from C and canter a diagonal line back to B, collecting the canter as you go; make a transition to collected walk while still on the diagonal line.  Making the transition to walk going toward the long side wall helps by using the wall to back the horse off a bit.  

Riding the ten meter half circle on the short side between M and C (or between F and A) is your opportunity to really bend the horse well between the outside and inside bending aids.  Timing is important: in the upward transition from collected walk into collected canter you must keep the outside rein to maintain collection while first (at the walk) establishing flexion with the inside rein but softening the inside rein to keep the nose up and out in the transition into canter itself.  Strong position is important, loose legs, deep heels (toes up), and correct positioning of deep inside leg and outside leg back, while maintaining a deep seat and shoulder blades back and together, and keep the outside rein to keep the collection.  In the transition from collected canter to walk, Jazzy must be very supple in the contact and light in the hand so he can land softly into a forward walk; to do this I must have him up and out in a forward carried hand and I must bring the hind legs with me into the transition to walk.  Timing is everything.  Strong position is everything.  Correct contact and connexion is everything.  

Show Strategy

Jazzy and I had a good show this weekend at the HDS Laborious Day Show.  My trainer and I talked about improving our show strategy.  Of course doing well at shows is NOT why we ride and train and work hard, we do dressage for the improvement of our horses, to make them increasingly beautiful and sound, and to improve ourselves in the journey as noble equestrians.  However, it seems reasonable to have an element of test riding skill if one continues the not inconsequential effort and expense of going to horse shows.

With that in mind, and as USDF Region 9 championships are a few short weeks away, I did an analysis of all Jazzy's second level test three scores and individual marks from this year by building an excel spreadsheet.  Here are some of the trends that emerged: 

Test movements I need to improve most (in order of urgency):
Travers left,
Transitions to and from medium canter left lead,
Simple change right to left (double coefficient),
Travers right,
Medium canter left lead, 
Walk pirouette left (double coefficient),
10m trot circle right, and
Transitions to and from medium trot left to right rein (double coefficient).

The other double coefficient movements are worth improving too, they are (in order of average score lower to higher):
Transitions to and from medium trot right to left rein,
Simple change left to right,
Halt-rein back,
Walk pirouette right, and
Free walk.

Interestingly, the walk pirouette right scores higher than the walk pirouette left.  The simple change left to right scores a bit higher versus the simple change right to left.

Jazzy's top four highest scoring movements: 1) Centerline halt and salute at end and beginning, 2) transitions from canter to trot near the end of the test, 3) shoulder in left, and 4) free walk.  

Notes on Canter

In schooling the canter, keeping my outside leg back and inside leg long with a deep inside heel and bumping Jazzy with my inside leg into the outside rein then letting my inside leg be dynamic by keeping it soft yet deep and available, are the bending aids that create engagement.  Especially in the counter canter, I must use activating half halts, (not holding him up nor pulling) by establishing his balance so that he can raise his withers and shoulders at the same time bringing the hindlegs by keeping the deep position of my seat and legs cuddling the fat (round) part of Jazzy's belly.

The activating half halts, where I keep Jazzy tall in front and bring the hindlegs with my strong position and maintaining correct inside and outside leg position, allow Jazzy to travel in self carriage and be lighter in front so that he can maintain the counter canter, and so that he can collect again after the medium canter lines.

As I am using activating half halts, remember the outside rein should be filled (inside leg to outside leg) but I must test that the inside rein is carried and even softened from moment to moment, so I can give a strong re-balancing half halt, but then give again (especially the inside rein) constantly and immediately so there is nothing to frustrate Jazzy nor hold him.  Once he is in a taller, more self carrying position with active hindlegs, I can them supple him in the contact within this taller carriage.  A key element is to carry and soften the inside rein, while maintaining a strong position (even think sit back at this stage) and accessing the hindlegs with my deep seat and deep heel with my inside leg correctly at the girth and dynamic, and outside leg back to establish and maintain the inside leg to outside leg connection.

In this photo example, my inside heel should be deep which would allow it to be more correctly forward at the girth, and my overall position should "sit in to him" with a deeper, more adherent seat.  The outside rein can be filled, while the inside rein should be carried.  Shortening my reins a bit in this photo example would help too, allowing me to keep my elbows in front of my waist and my hands carried.

Lyndon Rife Clinic August 2019

Warm up included bending Jazzy with my bending aids so that his ribcage moves out away from my inside leg and his flexion is to the inside and his hindquarters are to the inside of the bend so his ribcage is out and he is bent around my deep inside leg and my outside leg back to establish bend.  I mustn't hold my inside leg on constantly, Jazzy will just push against it, rather I must bump him off my inside leg and even surprise him with it if he is not responding by moving his ribcage out (bending) and then consistently allow my inside leg to be light again.  

Warm up also included shoulder fore on the long side, where I first establish straightness on the straight line, then establish the inside flexion, and only then get the definite angle with the outside aids as well as the inside to establish shoulder fore.  Separate out these three elements, and eventually they happen quickly but be sure to establish first the straightness, then ask for inside flexion, then get the definite angle for shoulder in.  

When riding onto a diagonal line, say on the left rein, keep the left flexion on the diagonal line to prevent the horse from automatically changing the flexion right and tumbling over to his left shoulder.  This helped me to ride a definite straight diagonal line.  Also when riding the medium, it is most important that the horse carries himself by bringing his hindlegs; I facilitate this with balancing half halts and when I come with my usually light leg and then hold it on for the moments of medium he responds to my leg aids by bringing the hindquarters with me and keeping the forehand light with good freedom of his shoulders.  But his free shoulders have to be carried by developing bringing the hindlegs with me.  

In the counter canter, remember to keep the inside (of the canter bend) flexion, and have my outside leg back to support the canter lead.  This keeps Jazzy from falling onto his inside-of-the-lead shoulder and then just changing leads to keep his balance. Instead, my inside leg must stay forward at the girth with a deep heel with my outside leg back, and keep the flexion of the lead so that he can counter canter in balance. When preparing to develop flying changes, a pre-requisite is that the horse can do prompt, uphill walk-to-canter transitions, and that the horse can counter canter in balance.  In canter transitions from trot, keep the inside flexion and half halt the outside rein a couple times to rebalance, think slow-slow-canter.

The idea of developing the horse by teaching him to carry and be in self-carriage is of utmost importance.  To do this you always examine and challenge the straightness, the bending, the connexion, and the lightness of the aids.  In a moment of crisis, first establish that the horse is carrying itself (you are not holding it up nor pulling it down on the forehand with the reins), then establish that the horse is in alignment (the horse is not falling over the outside shoulder with neck in, but rather the horse is established into a good outside rein connexion and the rider's inside [and outside] leg is being used as described above to keep the ribcage out in correct bend), and then make the contact good by suppling the horse within this already established correct balance and alignment.  Developing the horse for the future by teaching it to move correctly in the way of a dressage horse is the most difficult thing, but the most important thing.  The idea of training movements for a particular level is not worth much without the overarching idea of developing the horse correctly, right now and to build on for the horse's future.