Gnat

Already ~1,600 pounds, at five years old Freya is a big little girl. Another one of the horses I've been riding lately, Freya is learning to go forward in relative balance and is even beginning turns around the forehand.

Dream Boat

This is Poder, one of the horses I rode today. Poder (pronounced Potter) is happily teaching me all the school movements through fourth level. He is THIS much fun to ride and an absolute sweetheart.
At twenty-something years old, Poder has much to offer. Seemingly my destiny lies in riding grey horses.

I Learned to Canter Today

Trot work, including lateral work, extensions, collection etceteras comes very easy for both Delphi and me. We have historically struggled however with canter work, both separately and together. I had a canter breakthrough in our lesson with Karen today. At the beginning of the lesson Karen gave me some insider theory concerning how best to ride the canter. Karen's seat at all gaits is impeccable, and particularly so at canter-- other top trainers such as Lurena Bell and Jeff Moore have noted this also. So, in considering the way that she-Karen- rides the canter, she came up with a simplified version of how she sits for canter:

by pressing your elbows down toward your thighs, keeping your elbows firmly and stably attached to your torso, you create and maintain the rhythm of the canter from the balls of the feet upward by sitting in such a way that you let yourself get pulled into the saddle. Be sure to maintain the canter rhythm to prevent your seat from popping out of the saddle, and you can give and take the reins while still maintaining your elbows pressing firmly down.

Note how firmly my elbows are attached to my core:

Here we see Delphi's relative elevation improve and though my elbows remain firmly down I could sit more securely by letting myself get pulled into the saddle:

Delphi maintaining self carriage and collection and me maintaining upright posture, core, and elbows down; a true feat for us in canter!

Photos, theory, and training courtesy Karen Brown.

Gryphon Schooling December 2011

Wish List

Includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Canter pirouettes
• Piaffe
  
• Canter half pass
• Flying changes

During our lesson with Lurena Bell at Belle Terre Farm yesterday, we schooled the prerequisites for all the above. Lurena reminded me to continue strengthening and suppling the lower back by doing walk exercises such as shoulder in, pirouettes, walking turn on the forehand, etceteras to continue to teach Delphi to articulate her lumbo-sacral joint which will in turn improve all her canter work, including pirouettes and changes. We schooled half steps while keeping Delphi round yet up from the withers. We schooled large canter pirouettes by doing haunches in on a circle. We schooled canter half pass with the premium on keeping Delphi engaged, supple, and sitting over her haunches.

Asking Delphi to sit more over her haunches in canter:

Canter half pass right:

Slightly more up from the withers in canter:

Half steps:

Half steps:

A soft, happy eye at the end of the lesson:

Chiropractic Adjustment

Frankly I am still getting adjusted to the idea of taking a perfectly sound horse to a veterinarian. However that's just what I did this Friday: Delphi had her very first chiropractic consultation and adjustment with Robin Robinette,DVM at Veterinary Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Clinic. Jeff Moore has commented upon Delphi's "stilted-ness" at canter and her need to more fully articulate her lumbo-sacral joint; the clinician Michael Vermaas also commented that Delphi could benefit from a chiropractic adjustment; and our trainer Karen Brown not only has suggested having Delphi evaluated but uses Dr. Robinette for her own horses as well.

Turns out that Delphi was out in her pelvis (confirming the lumbo-sacral joint needed attention) as well as at the poll and bilateral jaw. While we were there I also had Dr. Robinette do a saddle fit evaluation that confirmed Delphi's Albion saddle fits her well with no pinching of the spine, back or withers and ample spine clearance in the gullet, over the back, and under the cantle-- though it was suggested the saddle could eventually be re-flocked as it seemed I sit heavier to the right side based on the flocking distribution. After she performed the adjustment Dr. Robinette suggested two days off work but with ample turn out, which Delphi got. Today I worked Delphi.

Did I notice a difference? Well, there is no magic bullet, so if I expected chiropractic to be enchantment, it isn't. However I did notice slightly more fluidity in Delphi's lateral work today, particularly in canter half pass. She gave me two excellent flying changes- one in each direction. Most importantly: first we did no harm. Delphi was not stiff or sore, and even seemed slightly more supple in the neck. In canter she felt through and balanced.

Dr. Robinette suggested that after Delphi's return visit scheduled for one month there is no particular set schedule for follow-up adjustments, but that one allows the horse to tell us when they are needed. All in all I am pleased with the result and will definitely return to Dr. Robinette in future.

Delphi arriving at the beautiful Veterinary Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Clinic:

Dr. Robinette begins her evaluation by having Delphi stand squarely:

During the adjustment Delphi looks almost as skeptical as I felt:

Dr. Robinette performing a saddle fit evaluation:

A nice moment at the last Jeff Moore clinic:

Music Sound Check

Busy Bees

Since we have a longish break between our next show that is not until March of 2012, Delphi and I are taking this time to focus our efforts on continued, intentional training. Four rides at the Jeff Moore clinic helped us learn to "approach collection."

(When I asked Jeff to help me learn about collection, he gave me this anecdote: at the 1984 Olympics Jeff was there to watch Reiner Klimke and Ahlerich win all the medals, etceteras that they won that year. As he was coming out of the arena after his gold medal grand prix ride on Ahlerich, Dr. Klimke commented "Wow, I think I just approached collection." Jeff's point was that I shouldn't worry too much about judge's remarks on collection, for now.)

Delphi and I have the upcoming Michael Vermaas clinic here at our home base, and will be taking supplemental lessons at Belle Terre Farm with Lurena Bell as well as continuing our lessons with our trainer Karen Brown.

With the idea of "approaching collection" Karen has had me doing exercises to engage Delphi's hindquarter while keeping the forehand light: you put x amount of pressure into the reins (and x becomes less and less as the horse becomes more and more responsive) then use leg reinforced with whip where needed to activate the hindquarters. When the horse gives and the balance changes, the rider gives. Karen pointed out that if you get the horse to commit to it right off the bat at walk, then the other gaits will come easier.

During the warm up for our last lesson yesterday we were working on just that, at the walk. As Delphi became more and more engaged from behind and lighter and lighter in the forehand, I gave with the reins and continued to ask for engagement with my legs and springy seat. Out of the blue and from her own volition Delphi offered piaffe! After just a few steps I let her free walk out of it and made "big fuss." I was happy but wondered if it were repeatable: after a few minutes I asked again and voila, there it was: piaffe! When Karen arrived for the lesson I told her what happened so we schooled it a time or two more formally with the trainer walking alongside with the whip and me asking for the steps from my up-springing seat and our "collection" exercise. It is so fun when your horse offers you such a gift!

Delphi and I "approaching collection" at the trot:

Lagniappe. Reiner Klimke's and Ahlerich's gold medal winning ride at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Burbank:

Changes

Of course the best flying changes occur when there is no videographer, but here are a few of the changes we've managed to catch while the camera was rolling: