The Sleep of the Innocent

Only truly domesticated horses could sleep this soundly with people and dogs milling about.

To the Victor Goes the Spoils

A day off work and plenty of horse cookies and carrots to be specific. Job well done, Delphi. This time she truly "threw a little dirt on the judge's score card" at yesterday's Freestyle Farm schooling show.

More Second Level Feedback

Pam Grace was the judge at today's Freestyle Farm schooling show in Fulshear. Some of her comments:

• Halt: square and balanced 8
• Medium trot (test 1): first four steps very high quality, then cantered (7 crossed out) 4
  
• Medium trot (test 2): good from behind 8
• Halt, rein back: through and balanced 8
• Circle right and shoulder in: nicely through and connected; cover more ground with more energy 6
• Free walk and medium walk: good overstep and good stretch 8
  
• Counter canter: better 7
• Travers: above bit, lacks angle and bend 5
  
• 10 meter canter circle: above bit 5
• Simple canter change of lead: stiffening, trot steps 5
• Collectives: Smooth ride- encourage more engagement and throughness and Attractive horse- encourage better throughness and better engagement
  

Take home lesson: I need to be consistent in my aids to keep the throughness in all gaits and transitions, to keep Delphi supple through her back and her hindquarters engaged. Overall a better effort on Delphi's part.

Pieces of a Dream

Watch as Delphi schools elements of second level test one:

Inside Leg to Outside Rein

Seems so simple, and it is. I'm continuing to learn. The following is what I gleaned from an article in Practical Horseman (September 2009) by Kristina Harrison, given to me by my trainer Karen Brown.
Rhythmically squeeze with your inside leg as your horse's inside hind leg comes off the ground, then relax. This is what Karen calls "activate the inside leg." Concurrently regulate the forward energy with your outside rein so the horse balances her weight back on her hind end. When the horse rounds over her back and gives with her head, relax your inside leg and outside rein a little and allow the horse to travel in self carriage. If she picks up her head or slows her tempo, repeat your aids to connect her from your inside leg to outside rein. Guard against allowing your outside rein (and hand) to go forward; rather, keep your reins even, your outside elbow down, and your shoulders even. To prevent the horse from counter-flexing, be sure to use sufficient inside leg (and whip as needed) and keep your hands even as you take and relax the outside rein. To prevent evasion by raising her head up or out, guard against half halting too firmly with the outside rein. Rather, relax your outside rein enough to allow the horse to give, then use your inside leg to ask for more bend so she can relax forward and "down" to the contact. On the other hand be sure not to overbend to the inside by regulating the horse's balance by increasing the frequency of give and take on your outside rein.

The Daily Grind

Work-a-day schooling captured on video by Karen Brown:

The One Rein Stop in Action

Or, what a week of standing in a stall will get you.

Hooray for the one rein stop!

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.