dressage resolutions

I don't always do dedicated dressage lesson recap posts anymore for... Well. A couple reasons. Mostly bc there's never any media. And let's be real, riding media is the fuel powering this blog, right? Bc the other main reason is that... There's really not anything "new" to write. It's still just the same old nitty gritty work of being an adult amateur chipping away at low level dressage LOL...

But. Eh. Idk about y'all, but sometimes I find value in just writing out my memories and takeaways from a lesson to help reinforce and remember the salient bits. 

good mare doesn't miss a meal!! everyone else lookin at me, but not Dooz, she's busy!

So let's get into our most recent lesson, yes? I had originally told Trainer C I'd be riding in the trial dressage saddle for the lesson, but... as mentioned yesterday, the trial was a total flop and I abandoned that mission entirely. 

My sense is that I'm still just wayyyy too 'noisy' as a rider. Especially when you put me in a deep seated dressage saddle that facilitates wrapping my entire leg around the mare... and. Yea. That's a LOT of noise for poor sensitive Doozy, who quite possibly feels like I sit on her like a friggin earthquake. Ahem. 

isn't it so pretty tho?? just ignore the janky spare stirrups and filthy saddle pad LOL

But Lo! Trainer C was game to seize on this sensation and run with it, and focused her instruction on demanding a bit more from me in terms of stability. 

Specific postural highlights for me include: 

- Posting evenly and deliberately from both legs (draped loosely down, not clinging or curled). 

- Maintaining a steady rhythm from my core, with longer frontline from belly button to sternum. Almost feeling like I'm pushing my torso backward.

- Arms hanging down and stable, but NOT rigid. Longtime readers know my floaty arms and inconsistent hands have long been weak spots. And ya know. It's still true today! #progress LOL

can you tell i cleaned this mirror off specifically to be able to grab such a useful and illuminating photo??

The rhythm piece is really key, tho. I need to OWN the rhythm and speed. Doozy is like every other green thoroughbred in that she's weak behind, loses balance and speeds up, and gets strung out on the forehand. It's simply not possible for her to bend the way I'm asking if she's out of balance like that. 

I need to ride the mare squarely centered between all my aids. My posture should be like rebar - strong and supportive but NOT completely rigid. Hands, elbows, shoulders, torso, seat --- all of it has to be connected and saying the same thing. 

stalker cat <3

Unsurprisingly, every time it felt like Doozy was sorta unspooling or losing balance, if I could remember to pull all my pieces back together and SLOW DOWN, and hold my own self up... She could find her footing again. Gooooo figure LOL....

Anyway. We worked through fairly basic figures throughout the ride. Doozy is a horse who focuses best when doing specific things --- vs sorta endlessly trotting the same circle. So. Riding figures is our friend. 

the other stalker cat <3 <3
(yes there are two of them lol)

Trainer C had us doing progressive figures off the quarter line -- repeating each time with slight variations in the pattern. First time down, just go straight and hold the rhythm. Second time, add in 15m circle from the quarter line, then leg yield back to the wall after finishing the circle. Third time, just the leg yield. 

Rhythm and inside bend were our targets in this exercise -- particularly to the right (Doozy's trickier direction). Trainer C wanted me to be VERY clear about establishing the inside bend on the circle. Not by like, strong arming the mare into it. But through having the correct posture and by going slow enough that the mare could do it. Then hold that same exact positioning and rhythm into the leg yield. Rinse repeat. 

post-lesson mare -- she worked hard!

We also integrated posting on the off diagonal while tracking right as a way to help Doozy get her inside shoulder more lifted - tho Doozy found this very disconcerting. Sensitive critter. Reminded me a bit of the work we did with Dom tho on frequently changing my post as a way to reaffirm that we've got the right balance and softness. 

At canter, we focused on using half circles to maintain bend and speed. As in, do half a 20m across the short end, then hold straight until / unless the mare gets strong or loses bend, then 20m half circle again. 

yer a good egg, dooz

To her credit, Doozy worked very hard this lesson, and at no point got frazzled or overblown. She wants to be good, wants to understand. Yet another reminder that if I ever feel like she's kinda melting down or not trying hard enough or whatever, it's probably bc.... something is buggin her or she's uncomfortable in some way. Bc she is honestly a very game mare. 

So ya know. The onus is on me to just keep trying to ride her better and with greater stability / less noise. As Sharon says, "NO DRAMA, just clarity." Bc I truly believe that once she really understands the flatwork game, it'll get much easier to build strength in the right ways. 

Who knows lol... Maybe 2025 will be the year where I finally make more progress in my flatwork haha, we'll see!