things we do now: a dressage lesson

Phew, ok, still playing catch-up here since the lessons are coming in hard and fast these days! Isabel and I are starting to feel like a real partnership again, just in time for the first snow flurries of the season (spotted yesterday morning, ugh). I would LOVE for us to get completely up to speed again before the weather-enforced seasonal slow down tho.

mare looks ready. and those white boots kinda sorta almost make up for the still-muddy hooves

Anyways, we took advantage of my week off between xmas and new year's to sneak in a ride with dressage trainer C at TM. I've missed these lessons so desperately since breaking my leg, plus as previously mentioned, Isabel and I were floundering in getting back into work. I was beginning to distrust myself and my sense of feel and timing, and was also frustrated with what felt like regressions in Isabel. So. Lessons to the rescue!

left bend: getting better!!

And C didn't disappoint. We covered a LOT of ground in this lesson, tackling common issues (like left bend) and actually had a couple breakthroughs (like left bend haha). Plus we schooled pretty much all the movements through Training 3. So I'm posting my takeaways in bullet list format for easier digestion. Enjoy!

• Left bend: I had approached the issue by letting GO of the left rein, but C wanted me to hold onto it to create that bend. And I couldn't help with the right rein - that rein was completely insignificant unless Isabel was soft to the left, and then it's just wiggle wiggle with the right. Same thing both directions.
• I should feel like Isabel's shoulders are on a smaller circle.
• Even when tracking right, I should feel like I could bend or turn left for a circle at any time.

her hind socks *almost* match the white brushing boots up front. almost lol.

• For walk trot transitions, don't change anything with my hands. Just sit chilly and ask and wait. Also don't drill these transitions, Isabel isn't strong enough yet. But if they're not very good, practice again toward the end of a ride. 
• I have to be super careful not to let my legs (particularly the left) curl up to keep powering the mare forward. Have to let them hang down and use only judiciously. Think "bounce" a little with the legs to encourage lift in her back.

• Leg yields. Boom. We haz these now. It's official - I have to stop claiming otherwise. (That doesn't mean they're legit show-ring-worthy, but they are THERE). Going left is easier than going right (which strikes me as odd), and while schooling apply one light tap with whip when I first ask with my leg. 

we track right too!

• Leg yield into canter depart. Start on smaller circle, leg yield out and at apex depart for canter.
• At canter, soften my elbows such that my arms are moving with the mare from my shoulder, rather than moving my entire upper body.
• Trainer C doesn't mind that Isabel is hollow into depart - it's just a strength thing. Isabel is still sitting and pushing, the roundness will come in time.

and stretch! (you too, emma - down with that leg and up with that torso!)

• For stretchy trot, my methods for achieving this aren't super polished (they produce some diving in Isabel), but they make the stretch happen and the mare understands. 
• Trainer C thinks it's ok to keep practicing and schooling this way for now - it's more important to get the stretch. We can fix the dive later bc it's not malicious, it's just the mare trying to do what I ask.

• We schooled all the movements from training 3, including stretchy trot and loops (some of which is in the video). 
• We also worked on a snow man figure eight (small loop left, big loop right) and serpentines. These are definitely exercises I'll keep working on at home.
• Oooh, and lengthened trot. Holy cow. Isabel is incredible but how in the F am I ever going to be able to sit that?!? I can barely post it!! (unfortunately neither this nor any of our canter work made it onto video, boo).

cute mare is attentive even while walking

One final interesting concept: Trainer C thinks we should have two of the same exact horse. She says by the time we as riders are really truly fully warmed up and ready to ride the horse as correctly as that horse needs, the horse is usually done for the day. 

If we had an exact clone, we could then get on that one and be ready to go immediately (since getting on a different horse requires its own warm up period). I thought that was interesting food for thought, especially in terms of how I mentally understand both my and the horse's separate warm up phases. 

So. Anyway. It was a great lesson that left me feeling much more reassured about how we've retained all the hard work from this summer. Now that Dan is south for the winter, I plan to transition the budget allocated for his lessons to riding more often with Trainer C. Exciting stuff!! 

video here

This video is kinda long (about 10 min), and captures approximately the first quarter/third of the lesson. I love listening to how C teaches tho - it seriously feels like I'm a puppet and she's riding vicariously through me lol.