I recently participated in one of those webinars where a professional rider reviews video submissions. It was… obviously a little uncomfortable to put forward a video* of ourselves with so little context. But also super interesting too.
(**For the curious, I submitted the video from this flat ride, since submissions opened a couple weeks ago. It’s obvi not a perfect ride, but is reasonably representative, right?)
first time with pivo in this indoor went better than expected!
it had some trouble with this bright open door. tho ya know. doozy does too sometimes LOL
Having already learned a bit about his training methodology and philosophy, I wasn’t surprised that his overall impression of us was that I needed to put more emphasis on frame control, first and foremost. That’s kinda his order of operations: Frame control comes first, then foot control, then pace control.
look at us finding more and more nice moments!
That’s… obviously not how I’ve really found much success with Doozy, to be honest. Our whole recent little rehab induced renaissance has followed a slightly different order: foot control first, then pace control, then frame control.
trying my best to stay focused on the flatwork even when we start jumping
Realistically, tho, it’s all important, right? So Brett’s feedback was around emphasizing frame control with the intent of utilizing a soft round posture in the horse to induce and support relaxation. And to achieve this, he wanted me to be more firm and accountable in my expectations — he said I’m not really “pressing the issue” enough.
i think she’s cute <3
His point was that Doozy needs to let me into her top line as a trigger for her to relax mentally, to become more through as she yields to connection, gets rounder, and draws forward. So the “forward” feeling should still be there — the bit pressure shouldn’t be backward.
she was super quiet for this ride!
It honestly sounded a lot like a comment trainer C made in our last lesson — that “ if I don’t ask, and Doozy therefore doesn’t do it, Doozy ain’t exactly wrong.” And it also meshes nicely with what I wrote about last week, about how Doozy actually needs to be connected to feel soft and secure.
walkies lol
So ya know. It’s added to the list LOL, always more stuff to work on, right? As L. Williams often said, “Yesterday’s solution might be today’s problem.” Maybe I kinda needed to back off the intensity of too much contact and pressure earlier in the rehab bc I was getting too backwards and Doozy was too explosive… But ya know. The pendulum keeps swinging, and now we’re on the other side of that, ready for the next step. And so it goes.
and jump crewing our own self… these rails are feather-light and Ms Thing doesn’t mind getting close
So that’s the mindset I brought into this most recent pivo-recorded ride. It was overall intended to be a jump school (bc hopefully if the weather cooperates I might possibly actually be doing a little CT at Thornridge today!!) but obvi it’s still all the same stuff anyway, right?
legit every jump is decorated with hella ground lines and flowers and boxes etc but she don’t care!
And it felt like a good sorta first push toward “asking for more.” Not that it necessarily made a hugely obvious change in how we go, but the feeling was good — better, not worse. So that’s always nice haha!
still gonna just knock ‘em down all the same, whoops lol
I’d also hustled up to the ring before the ride to set up my jumps, since the outdoor is still too wet from recent rain.
ooh was surprisingly tidy over the swedish oxer even with the dark rails!
Course included a low vertical for warming up, at-height vertical on the diagonal, swedish oxer, a grid of roughly 21’ to 21’ in and outs (all verticals), plus ground poles at either end in line with center line. Everything with big ground lines and flowers and fill etc, set to be safely ridden both directions.
absolute princess thru the grid <3 <3
Doozy was super relaxed and flowed beautifully from the flatwork right into jumping. Tho obvi she knocked the very first jump down, so I had to hop off and reset it… Jumped it nicely the next time, but then knocked the next vertical too, womp haha. I did not reset that one…
the grid honestly helps her more than i do, apparently!
At least in our sample size of two jump schools since coming back into work, it seems like we keep wanting to get a little close to the jumps. The spots don’t necessarily feel wrong or terrible, just a little close sometimes.
easy out <3 <3
In the grand scheme of things, I think I prefer that to a horse who isn’t comfortable jumping from a closer distance… But it’s just something I’m keeping an eye on for now. In this ride, at least, we probably actually could have carried slightly more impulsion, tho honestly I was happy with the rhythm and pace.
and one last trip over the swedish the other way
And Doozy’s technique through the grid and over the oxer was basically everything I could have asked for! Which… ya know… is kinda the point of those particular exercises.
video of just the jumps
Another note that Brett shared in the webinar was that “exercises are for people, aids are for horses.” Meaning, the exercise (he specifically was referring to dressage exercises like riding certain figures, patterns, transitions etc) basically ‘put a line in the sand.’ To do the exercise, the rider must actually put the correct aids on. And the horse, for their part, gets better when the aids go on correctly.
video of the full ride, minus the walking, if you’re into that sort of thing
In a way, that kinda puts into better words something I’ve often struggled a bit with in the flatwork compared to the jumping. Doozy doesn’t need me to interpret the grid for her, she understands it and experiences it herself directly, for better or worse. The grid asks her for positioning and technique, and if she answers correctly it feels easy and smooth.
The flatwork, however, is often less intuitive to the horse. So I liked the way Brett talked about the exercises in dressage — that a rider focusing on a specific exercise is more likely to be more definite about their aids. Meanwhile the horse, obvi blissfully unaware of whatever pattern the rider is imagining, responds better to the more clear and definite aids, and therefore goes better.
good girl is ready for her peppermint pls!
As always, it really just boils down to good communication and feedback between horse and rider LOL. Everyone’s happier when things make sense, feel familiar, and expectations are clear. Doozy especially, just look at that sweet little face up there lol, eager for her peppermints bc she knows she was a good girl <3 <3
Doozy and I trekked out to the midweek Twilight Schooling Event at Loch Moy this week — a fantastic summer series they’ve offered for years but that I almost never make it to.
biscuit out in public!!!!!
Mostly bc… Well. The events run midweek usually from late afternoon to early evening. Which… Tbh is not the best traffic situation. Tho, turns out, getting a 6pm ride time actually worked almost perfectly from a traffic perspective, even if I was practically begging for sleep by the time we were driving home again…
looking like a sweet little snack <3
These events are quasi starter trials, in that you can do all three phases. But it’s suuuuuper low key. Minimal rules (as you can see, Doozy wore her boots for our dressage tests), no final placings, and no ribbons. And xc is run almost like a derby — jumps for all the levels are all flagged as one, you can jump literally whatever height you want. Actually, you can jump literally whatever anything you want.
was such a good girl and let me plop the pivo onto the fenceline right before our test
Want to jump a low option first then circle around to try the bigger one? Totes cool! Want to skip a jump? Or add in something that isn’t even flagged? All good! Literally the chillest lol. Literally just schooling.
Which… not gonna lie, made me feel slightly sheepish once I got there having only entered to ride two dressage tests with zero jumping rounds in either show jump or xc.
and pivo nailed the test, hell yes!!
But honestly, I think my instincts were right — it was a good plan, and it was a productive outing for us. Being in that type atmosphere, but being exclusively focused on dressage and doing multiple tests, with no worry or distraction about any later phases, really helped me stay intentional about my riding.
and then we were off!!! note: the xc warm up is right on the other side of the shrubs left side of frame, and show jumping is basically directly behind the camera. plenty of atmosphere!
Doozy has been such a star lately, it really feels like things are clicking for us. So I was curious to see what might still be accessible “out in the wild,” vs what would revert back to chaos.
i tried to level out the pictures where i could bc omg so many pictures snapped from the video!!!
And? Well, guys, I think our new focus on forward, first and foremost and forever, might actually be a winning ticket for Doozy!! Goooooo figure LOL.
alas tho the pivo was on a somewhat rakish angle and kept putting us in the bottom corner of the frame
I’ve been super intentional in our warm up rides at home lately to develop a recognizable, repeatable pattern that could be replicated wholesale in the warm up at a show. Riding forward, covering ground, fluid steps — and incrementally introducing a lively but inviting feel on the reins. Starting with just the inside rein at walk, but eventually working up to normal contact just trotting around. Still riding forward tho. Always.
it’s still worth a watch tho <3
It’s my impression that I get into the most trouble with Doozy when I have in my head this idea of a long loose free stretchy connection. It’s a nice idea, but in actual practice the result is essentially ‘disconnection.’ Which, with Doozy, is a one-way ticket to the chaotic doom loop of racing bracing and going inside out.
judge actually literally said ‘the quality is there’ omfg
Instead, if I can try to keep the contact alive and active — but with a forward feeling, always with the forward!! — Doozy feels a lot more secure and balanced and, in the right circumstances, even soft.
it’s just. ya know. buried under the tension haha
Obviously a show atmosphere made all this a lot more challenging, but overall I was happy with the warm up. It felt like I got what I asked for, it felt representative of how we’ve been going. Tho, obvi, Doozy was definitely wayyyyyyy more tense.
for real tho doozy showed some very nice moments in her second test!!!
The tension really REALLY flared when we got into the big arena for our turn. Doozy just got completely uptight and worried. Tho, being full of surprises, as she is, was still a docile little lamb while I hastily situated the pivo on the fenceline from her back on my way to circle the ring.
i’m mostly happy with how i rode the whole thing too — second test moreso than the first obvs
Our first test was basically just… Exactly par for the course for us. With added benefits of me going off course a couple times bc whoops I’m rusty too!
downward transitions #SlowToDevelop
She was tight and running and braced and just sorta all over the place and it’s so hard to ride her like that. As it was, tho, I tried to stay really present and really treat the test like a schooling round. For example, I did a few extra down transitions (including some steps into walk) between the first canter and trot diagonal, just trying to keep Doozy with me vs just whipping her through the movements.
“don’t mind if i do!” — doozy, the second she’s invited to free walk
It was overall not a good test, but perhaps productive in some ways? Idk. Perhaps even more productive was the roughly 7 minutes we spent just standing in the back corner of the large arena while another horse went, before coming back to do our second test.
our center line turns did NOT do justice to the practice we literally just did with trainer C, sigh
Doozy maybe wasn’t thrilled to be going again, but also was sorta just like, “This again? Ugh, ok fine!” And just like… did it.
halt was ok enough tho! perhaps a smidge late LOL
Now I’ll be the first to admit that I always tend to ride a second test better than the first. It’s like I have to make all the mistakes or forget all my intentions or whatever, get that all out of my system. And then come back and be like, “ok this is what I MEANT to do the first time!”
But it’s also just plain true that Doozy WAS more relaxed the second test.
judge offered some nice constructive feedback afterward
Not perfect, obvi. But more rideable. More “with me,” more connected. Like she understood a little bit better the rules of this weird little game.
click for full size
And the judge was super complimentary! Overall comment was “Big improvement from first test, keep using turns and transitions to help big horse balance big gaits.” And a harmony score of 6.5!!!!
this level of relaxation immediately before and after the test gives me hope that the horse will eventually understand that the test itself… honestly really is not a big deal
Compared to our first test, with a comment “Patient ride on tense/distracted horse. Keep working for more relaxation / length of frame and stride” with Harmony score 5.0…
lots of pets for the big girl!
Obviously in an ideal world, I shouldn’t need to do a first test badly in order to ride a second test well. Ideally I’d just… ya know… ride better from the very beginning haha. But I’m a realist and an amateur sooooo. Ya know. It’s all good.
smooshy biscuit <3
Bc I think we both learned a few things from this experience. It felt really productive. Felt like we got some proof that the work we’re doing at home is actually sustainable and accessible even in higher stress situations. Compared to, say, Waredaca last year when it felt like everything we’d been working on in lessons and at home basically just disappeared entirely in the warm up ring.
very pleased with this critter!
It also felt like doubling up the tests — but with a brief intermission between while another rider went — worked really well for Doozy.
She’s so funny — it’s not like she’s in an actual panic when we do our tests. Obvi she can just stand there while I fuss around with the pivo from her back before the test… and free walk like a slinky slithery panther in the test, and then be at ease immediately after… It’s not like she’s just trying to bolt away entirely, right? Rather, it’s like she’s just expecting… ~~something~~ to happen, but she’s not totally sure what.
Which gives me hope that she’ll eventually learn the pattern, figure out the rules, realize that it’s all just a game. A girl can dream, right? Just more reasons to keep on getting out on adventures!!
Doozy had what we hoped would be her final vet check last week to flex all the things, jog hard soft straight round etc etc etc, dot all the i’s, cross all the t’s, etc… And the vet was very pleased to declare Doozy completely cleared for full and unlimited work, including jompies omg!!
all screenshots and video today are actually courtesy of a real human riding buddy, not pivo!
Somewhat hilariously, it actually made it into the vet’s notes about how we needed to be really really certain the mare was ready bc she is an “all or nothing” sort of horse — there couldn’t be any qualifiers like, ‘well just take it easy!’ or ‘stick to trotting cross rails for a little while,’ ya know? Like, we needed either a green light or red, no in between.
“is that jomp… for me?????” — doozy, the *most* excited
Doozy is who she is, right? And… Well. Doozy is full of surprises.
The day came for our first proper jump school — the ring had been completely cleared, dragged and watered* (with *rain, but still) and I had permission to set up whatever I wanted. AND we had a friend to ride with, Doozy’s best bebe morgan friend.
eeeeee crossrail!!
And Doozy was, not to put too fine a point on it, literally perfect. Not like we didn’t make mistakes or whatever, bc we did lol. Obvi. It’s been four months, ya know?
eeeeeeeeeeeee crossrail the other way!!!!!
But ahhhh it was just so fun! Doozy was in such an amazing mood, the feeling was there, actually I probably could have pushed her more in front of the leg, she was so relaxed.
She was still forward and excited to the jumps, but not rude rushy or insecure — no going inside out or getting frantic or anything like that.
literally what more could i want???
Honestly, I thought setting up the full grid from Peter Wyde’s show jumping sessions at the Windurra Camp might be a little aggressive… And therefore opted to keep the heights low for both trips, and only two trips obvi bc I’m not trying to jump the horse’s legs off the very first chance I get, right?
heights were appropriately conservative given, ya know, everything haha, but lookie how engaged she was!!
But Doozy was so ho-hum about it! She stayed straight as an arrow, actually respected the placing poles (spaced 8.5’ from each element) and never batted an eye!
like she hasn’t missed a day
Obvi I can’t predict the future. It’s horses, anything can happen at any time, right? Like, that’s how we kinda got into this whole summer-interrupted situation in the first place.
so proud of her footwork her first time through!
But I’m already kinda wondering if I won’t look back on this rehab-mandated reset period as a bit of a blessing in disguise.
almost amazing that i actually ended up getting ahead of her by the end
Doozy feels and looks so good in her body right now. More important than that, tho, is the progress we’ve made together just in the last month in reproducing more consistently relaxed and pleasant rides.
lolz boxes #TooBoring after all that
That’s not to say that Doozy’s wild child days are behind her, winter IS coming, after all! It just seems like something is sorta clicking for her right now.
ooooh but this was exciting <3 <3 <3
She’s a happy sort of horse who likes doing activities and solving puzzles and answering questions — especially when she already knows the answer. But it’s been a bit of a trick trying to get her to modulate that over-achiever nature to keep her from getting anxious or ‘locked out.’
she was proud of herself too <3
And who knows, all the same old problems could (and probably WILL) reappear when we’re finally back into the big electric horse show atmospheres. It just feels like we have more tools right now.
last trip through the grid was less perfect than the first, but still honestly fucking fantastic <3
Regardless, it felt really good to shake some of the rust off and get airborne again. Basically all of our combined skills, strengths, weaknesses, etc, were right where we left them. We didn’t ’forget how to do it,’ nor did either of us magically like… tune up in the time off haha.
grateful for this mare who is so full of surprises
Maybe in an ideal world I should have gone back down the grid one last time to fix our pace after knocking a couple of the rails in the last trip. But… Meh haha. We can save that for another day.
On this day, it was enough to just be out enjoying ourselves, having a great time jumping around!
