thinking verrrrry hard: a lesson

Last week's lesson with Dan was more mentally strenuous than anything else. And frankly it's probably been a long time coming, as I know I've previously read a ton of posts on this topic and figured I'd eventually have to learn the lesson first hand too.... 

And what lesson might that be? Connecting to the outside rein, and LETTING GO of the inside rein. Even more specifically: installing a half halt on my apparently-still-quite-green 13yr old mare. (tho in her defense, Dan said there's maybe only 4 horses in the US that are truly not green haha) 

Ya know, nbd. Just one of the most basic tenets of correct flat work. 

"nope nothing to see here"

No media either... Sigh. These lessons used to draw so many spectators when my farm's other trainers rode too - all their students hung around to watch (and take video). But lately it's just me riding and apparently I don't draw the same interest haha... boo, I want video!!!!

But eh, video from this ride would have been pretty boring anyway. Let me set the scene:

• Emma twists and turns in the saddle trying to make her seat and legs and outside rein do things when really she'd much rather just pull the inside rein.
• Isabel can't possibly understand what fresh hell this is, and why her whole baseline for communication has been flipped
• Meanwhile the trainer repeats endlessly: "Let GO of the inside rein"

So yea. Probably not the most visually impressive ride. But wow, it really made me think. The effort and concentration required to NOT pull on my inside rein made it abundantly clear how dependent I've become on that rein - it's my crutch, essentially.

But I think connecting Isabel reliably to my outside rein will be the catalyst we need to channel her natural talent into truly beautiful flat work. 

"wait - i'm sensing something.... something nefarious"

To back up a couple steps - I again want to reference Austen's brief ride on this horse bc it helped me better understand where we actually are. The horse IS green to the aids. She's NOT going to give me the correct answer immediately every time. And, furthermore, she might get evasive or frustrated when I ask for things she doesn't fully understand. 

These are simple (maybe even obvious) statements - but they're reassuring for me to write/read. I'm so quick to back off if Izzy doesn't get it right or gets mad bc my lack of dressage experience makes me distrust myself. Maybe I'm asking wrong. Or I'm messing her up. Or something. 

But no. Those little ugly moments are just the learning process, and I just need to stay patient and keep asking and striving to make things clear for the mare. She's honest, she tries, and she'll eventually get it. 

"you're pulling your inside rein again, aren't you?"

Ok. So. On to the actual exercises. Nothing really new or groundbreaking here, but I'm recounting it anyway for my own reference. 

We circled at the walk doing modified turns on the forehand at various points on the circle. Going as slow as needed to collect the walk and feel like I could influence each of Isabel's legs with my seat. Using just my inside seat and leg and steady outside rein to push Isabel's haunches out. Then continue forward straight ahead. 

If it wasn't working, we were probably going too fast (Izzy's favorite evasion is speed). I had to slow it down to the point that Isabel could understand (even if it meant coming down to halt) - but she had to be forward through the turn on the forehand, hind legs couldn't go backwards. 

And no inside rein. Let go of inside rein. 

Next we started moving forward into trot coming out of a successful turn. It was imperative that we stayed straight coming out of the turn tho - no fishtailing or allowing Isabel's hind end to swing immediately back to the inside. I'll have to keep an eye on this in schooling...

Then we continued the exercise entirely at trot. The trot had to be SLOW, and there had to be a distinct shift of her hind end OUT. Dan said I had to be very clear about when I wanted to push her hind end out, and when I wanted her to be straight. He also told me to sit the trot when doing the turn so that I could use my seat more effectively. 

And let go of the inside rein. Always. Ugh. 

pictured: pulling. #stopit

Kinda more of the same at canter. We didn't do those turns at canter, but he wanted me setting up the depart coming out of a turn at trot. This produced quite lovely departs too!!! (shocking exactly nobody, I know haha). (but no inside rein during transition!!!)

And while cantering he wanted me to ride off my seat - not just following the motion but actually driving her hind legs forward underneath her. This was a struggle for me since getting my seat to do ANYTHING while cantering has been... tricky. But I tried. And we got a few nice moments. 

Tho Isabel was quite fussy about the persistent contact on the outside rein and radio silence on the inside (let go of inside rein!!). It wasn't really pretty but there were glimmers where the pieces came together. 

Essentially, the whole point of this entire lesson is to install a half halt and connect Isabel to the outside rein such that I can push her into it from my inside leg to get her round (not currently a thing we do!). Meanwhile I also must be careful not to twist my body in the saddle. 

While flatting, this exercise was easier going to the right vs. tracking left, presumably bc we don't really have a left bend at present (didn't tracking left used to be our easier direction?!?). And I expected the wheels to fall off the bus when we started jumping too haha. We started by warming up circling over the blue fence (started as an X) for a while. Trotted once then proceeded to canter it, tracking left. Leaving my inside rein alone was HARD. 

most boring course diagram ever?? mebbe haha

Then we turned around to approach the blue tracking right, and bend up to the gray (my lattice fence!). Dan wanted me to keep my seat closer to the saddle and use the rail to help get the turn, rather than my inside rein (let GO!!). I needed both legs ON too, including thigh and knee. Inside leg to push Isabel into the outside hand, and outside leg to help steer. 

He also wanted to see some of the same head flinging fussing Isabel demonstrated on the flat - he referred to it as a litmus test on whether I was secretly holding my inside rein or not. #busted.  

When we turned it around to start over the lattice and bend left to the blue I expected it to really go badly, seeing as tracking left was harder on the flat (and tracking right over fences had already led to nearly running into the standards a couple times). But surprisingly this direction was easier for jumping. Huh. 

It was crazy - I was concentrating SO HARD on not pulling that inside rein that I could not even count strides (and I ALWAYS count strides). We apparently got 8 our first time coming off the left lead, and then followed up immediately with 6. 

So the distances often weren't perfect, tho oddly even the iffier spots actually rode fine bc surprise surprise, when riding from inside leg to outside hand the quality of our canter was vastly improved despite Isabel's protests. And our last time through I managed to actually think clearly enough (while letting go of my inside rein) to count and fit in the desired 7 to quit on. 

pictured: more pulling on that inside rein!

Phew. Who woulda thunk I could write so much about letting go of my inside rein?!? Sheesh...

Ultimately this was a flat work exercise (even over fences) for improving the quality of the connection and balance, which then ultimately improves the quality of our canter. Which itself appears to be the holy grail of riding at this point in my education haha. So yea, we'll be working on it. 

Have you had to totally retrain yourself about a bad habit like this?