want the fancy, feel the fancy, be the fancy

Our latest dressage lesson showed even more improvement in Isabel from her very bad day last week... but while mentally she was 100% game for tackling some dressage, physically she was still a bit stiff behind.

Not entirely sure what's going on there but she again warmed up out of it so... idk. She's had a few days off since then (it's just been raining raining raining here) so we'll see how she feels upon our next assessment.

Anyway, on to the lesson. I'm going to try to keep it a little shorter this go round, since as we've moved into a weekly schedule with trainer C, the low hanging fruit has been picked off already and now we're working on those persnickety issues that crop up every ride - and thus become a little repetitive.

not a bad halt! (if you disregard that she's actually mid-dive haha)

We started the trot work with ye olde spiral in and out exercise. Much celebrated by riders far and wide, but actually my first time giving it a proper try. Go figure. Plus other typical warm up stuff: trotting circles, changing directions, leg yielding from the quarter line. Etc etc.

Then onto practicing halts.

• Trot off the rail then halt after crossing the center line, then trot off again (trainer C doesn't like practicing halts on the actual center line bc then the horse anticipates). 
• Except our halts were a tad rough - mare wanted to dance and back up and swing her haunches around and shake her head. 
• So on the next few attempts I was to very clearly halt through walk, then walk out of halt before trotting - theoretically this will help take the edge off. 
• Also must wait out the halt if she's fussing. Must count three distinct seconds of immobility of feet (ignore the head stuff and it'll supposedly go away)

trot left! (and an accurate representation of my current positional woes)

Next was trotting for realsies. We did pretty much all of the trot work from first level except stretchy trot, including:

• 10m half circle to X, return to rail at corner. When I do my job these are cake. 
• Lengthenings across the diagonal <3
• Leg yields from center line. Going left to right? A shit show. Right to left? Actually not too terrible - but a little slow and I need to make it allll the way to the rail before we turn the corner.
• Meaning the zig zag thingy yielding off the wall in our harder direction to X, then back right to left to the wall is not designed super favorably for us. Le sigh. Must activate and ride with my right side!!!!
• 10m circle on long side, change of direction across E to B, another 10m circle. We've practiced this a couple times now (it shows up in one of those eventing tests) and is another place where we should be ok if I do my job. Oh and also, ffs Emma don't make the circles too small!

trot right!! (mid 10m circle) (and also showing hints of positional improvements... maybe)

Another point of focus was zeroing in on that other common string of movements: free walk, medium walk, working trot, working canter, boom boom boom - typically all happening around one short end of the arena.

• I MUST ride this with commitment. Be decisive. Let Isabel know we are WALKING now and will very soon be TROTTING. Etc etc.
• And in that same vein - bend my elbows and raise my hands. Imagine 'feeling fancy' about it. This was a consistent theme actually, especially with relation to encouraging a higher 'presentation' frame in the horse.
• Sit the trot in this sequence of movements - again with commitment. This is tough for me bc it can take a few steps for me to feel settled in the sitting rhythm, but I don't have a few steps to figure it out, I must keep actively riding. Make sure the mare knows what I'm planning etc.

dis our right lead canter depart. perhaps it wouldn't be hollow if i, ya know, didn't throw my upper body at the mare?!? #foodforthought

The real meat of the lesson was in canter, however. We cantered a LOT.

• Lengthening down the long side is FUN. Sure, totes. Have at it Izzy! But turning in immediately for that 15m circle should not feel like I'm on a dirt bike. Ooh, and we also shouldn't break haha. Needs more rider, I think. 
• Counter canter loops are doing well, I think. Must mind geometry tho - get allll the way to X please, and take care to not be nearly finished a pretty good loop just to break before the corner - a common trap for us.
• Actually we did an awful lot of counter canter, including some pieces that I believe are from second level. This is included in the (short!) video below, and was surprisingly easy for mareface. 
• Biggest issue in the canter right now is our tendency to get a little too low and curled. The general balance is improving in leaps and bounds tho, so I think this should be fairly fixable - esp with improved rider position. 

video here - and it's a relatively short 2min this time! 

General homework:

• Practice canter-walk and walk-canter transitions. We were directed to do a few canter-walk trans in this lesson, but the discipline isn't there yet. Sounds familiar, no?
• Seriously tho - I need to bend my elbows and lift my hands. Methinks this could possibly be the solution to quite a few of my current woes.
• I'm perhaps starting to get a feel for the whole "bend your elbows instead of rocking your torso" thing too, and can see how this will also help our sitting trot.
• Isabel can (and should) warm up a little lower or deeper but once we start getting into the "work" I need to think about riding her more up. 

leg yield!

• Dear Emma: Please stahp throwing your upper body forward into the canter transition. That is all. 
• Oh, and also please keep pushing down into your legs - think about feeling your big toe in the stirrup!
• And PS: maybe next time consider tucking that shirt in. Just a thought!

pets for good ponies

Now we just sit and hope that all of this rain is clearing out the last of the snow so that we can start practicing at home again soon!!