Mondeuse goes to school!

Big nooz in Dooz land! We had our first lesson, finally ha. It was actually a very long time coming working with this particular instructor at our farm. I tried to get her to give me and Charlie jump lessons way back ago, but she always seemed a bit reluctant, maybe bc we've primarily been peers and riding buddies, plus she typically teaches small kiddos. 

lol apparently Doozy made it to the 5* after all!

But, from my perspective, she's extremely accomplished, is pretty familiar with me as a rider (meaning, my goals, opinions, styles, shortcomings, etc), and I trust her judgement. I really just need reliable eyes on the ground, someone who can be practical and realistic in giving well-timed corrections / observations, and help prioritize training plans. 

So, finally, after months (and months) of persistence, not to mention a whole new horse, she (let's call her KW, bc wow, so many Trainer Ks in the history of this blog....) finally agreed to fit us in for a 30min private lesson this weekend. 

guys our tailgate spot did not suck

And it was perfect. 

This was actually the first time KW has seen me ride Doozy, tho she's been around for some of the mare's more.... chaotic moments hand walking around the dressage ring. So it was good to get her fresh take.

Piggy March & Brookfield Cavalier Cruise at the Sunken Road

It was also useful bc... It was one of Doozy's more reactive days. Do y'all remember Doozy's first and second rides, how she was sorta in two very different emotional places for those two rides? One was a bit stressy, and the other was pretty relaxed. 

What I'm finding is that the horse has a broad spectrum of "moods," and that she's pretty consistent within that mood on any given day. Meaning, if she's stressed in the barn, she's going to be stressed in the ride. Ditto if she starts relaxed, she generally stays there. 

beautiful Fair Hill

Importantly, however, even when the horse is tense, hot and reactive, she still colors inside the lines. Which, naturally, she did very nicely for this lesson, even tho she was way less relaxed than she had been for the ride I wrote about yesterday.

these birds are 100% my favorite

So I basically put Doozy through her paces, walk trot canter in both directions. And KW asked questions, made observations, provided real-time feedback, and then summarized key takeaways and focal points for moving forward. 

Mia Farley & Phelps

There are three main items on our Homework To-Do List:

- Hands. I already knew this, and was thrilled when KW lasered in on the dumb / weird things I'm doing with my hands (specifically the left one). She encouraged me to utilize a wider hand set to help get more control over the weirdness, and help Doozy stay centered in my contact. 

- Legs ON. We've all heard a million times before: legs OFF a dull horse, ON a hot horse. I've spent actual YEARS learning to get my legs off Charlie lol. So, obvi, now I'm going to have to learn to customize my style for each horse haha. 

- Body Control. Doozy was a bit erratic in her trot, and KW hit a steady drum beat of reminding me to slow my post in trot, and use more of my position and body to start communicating rhythm to the horse.

William Fox Pitt & Graffenacht

So let's talk specific details, yes? YES. 

When it comes to the structure of a ride, KW was on board with my approach of high frequency / low intensity trot sessions. As in, don't just push up to trot and then stay there forever. Do little bits at a time, small repeats. Always looking for moments of softness and relaxation / steadiness in tempo to take a walk break. 

In this way, we get more transitions, help Doozy learn in the 'releases' from pressure how we want her to be, and start building what will eventually become our 'half halt.' Similarly, I still need to keep looking for moments to release the contact in both trot and walk. Doozy is a bit exploitive right now (lol), but that's ok, we'll keep giving her chances and she'll learn. 

Erin Kanara & Campground

Particularly in the walk, I should think about spending more time on longer reins while introducing more of the rest of my body as cues: legs, thighs, etc. I want to be able to introduce thighs particularly as a way to regulate forward pace. As a part of this, I should practice picking up and releasing the contact more often than we do transitions up to trot, so she doesn't associate shortening the reins with spurting forward. 

For canter, KW advised not getting bogged down with 'getting the correct lead.' Doozy was actually spot on perfect for both leads in this lesson, mostly bc she was so tense that I didn't really have to do anything beyond "allow" for her to break into canter. Which kinda further proves that the lead issues are more "me" than the "horse." 

Red & Reddier for dinner

KW's point is that, until the horse understands how to move off each of my legs independently, the leads are gonna be more or less 'luck' anyway. She said it's more important that we canter, generally, and that the leads will come. 

So this gets us back to being more intentional with riding with my leg ON. Instead of trying to use the tiniest most subtle aids right off the bat, I actually wanna start with ensuring Doozy accepts the legs on --- so that she doesn't end up too reactive later. KW suggested using circles and figures as opportunities to increase leg pressure and start helping the horse move off each leg, including adding thigh pressure and control from my abs / seat. 

omg Doozy is growing in a micro - snip on her muzzle with her winter fuzz!

Generally, in terms of the 'training pyramid,' we are going to be in 'rhythm and relaxation' for.... a while lol. And that while we're working on these fundamentals, it's up to me to really improve my body control and position. 

KW's impression is that Doozy is basically an athletic and capable horse who, even when tense and reactive, still just goes about and does what I ask. She 'colors inside the lines,' so it's my job to keep clarifying and redrawing those lines to continue refining our work. 

Which, I'm not gonna lie, was a bit like music to my ears. It's been a long time since I've really felt like I'm developing as a rider. Part of my hopes and goals with this new green horse is to just keep pushing my own boundaries, keep learning and challenging myself to grow my skills. 

So. First lesson is in the books with Mondeuse. I don't know what the schedule / cadence will be going forward, or when we'll make our first off-property lesson adventure. We'll just figure it out as we go, there's no immediate agenda other than --- get going! Feels exciting, y'all!