one for the books

As is customary, any summary of a baller lesson with dressage trainer C must start with the standard "it's been ages since we've seen her and we've missed her!" qualifier.

Idk why but we're really only managing to get out to see her maybe about once a month. And last month's lesson was unfortunately not much to write home about as I was uncharacteristically neither physically nor mentally in the game for it. 

pictured: GAME FACE. and also. legs for goddamn days.

So for this month, I fully intended to make the most of our time with C. Starting by sending her the video of our Fair Hill dressage test ahead of time. That test is useful bc it's a fairly accurate representation of our current way of going, plus it highlights two major but distinct perspectives: 

1) From a training perspective, it was Charlie's best test yet. And trainer C fully agreed - she was thrilled to see his steadiness, his easy canter departs (despite the misfired lead), a reasonable halt, and that he wasn't leaning heavily on my hands at all (relative, of course, to where we started).

2) From the judge's perspective, there were issues and it was our worst yet scored test. Trainer C felt like the scoring didn't quite match her observations watching the video - but also had great insights into identifying what the judge saw and how to improve the picture (while keeping the horse's training as our #1 priority).

god but i love this arena

At this point in Charlie's training, it's more beneficial to simply let C have her way with us. To allow her observations of us dictate the direction of our ride, rather than setting out to work specifically on xyz. And this lesson absolutely did not disappoint in that regard.

Actually - often I feel a little silly paying the steep ship-in lesson prices for this farm to careen around the fancy footing on my untrained racehorse. The barn is full of very nice warmbloods and serious dressage riders... and, well, you all know where Charlie started haha. IMO, tho, C's instruction is worth it.

And for the first time, we had a dressage lesson that actually felt like dressage. Basic, training level dressage, sure. But the real stuff, the good stuff. I wasn't embarrassed or self-conscious at all when ppl would stop by to chat with C or watch a little bit of the ride. And C herself was even excited to watch Charlie easily execute each move she asked of us.

So it's official: Charlie is firmly transitioned into the realm of being a "riding horse." The basics are installed. The fundamental aids are confirmed. Boom. Phase 1 of restarting the ottb is complete!!

we love looking out the windows here too haha

Anyway, moving on from the high level overview to the nitty gritties of the ride, since I know some of you out there like hearing what C has the green bean work on:

During warm up:

• Per usual, she has us stay just off the wall for basically the whole ride. The purpose being to gain control of Charlie's shoulders and establish the outside aids.
• We started off by practicing a few trot-walk-trot transitions on the long side. Aim for a letter and do it in the vicinity, then trot off again. We later practiced the same, but across the diagonal, walking around X, then trotting off again.
• Lots of leg yields right to left - at first going very slow and long at a shallow angle, then also practicing quicker, steeper leg yields. Charlie fucking nailed these, good boy.
• She had us doing leg yields from quarter line to wall, but also wall to quarter line (or beyond) to really establish that yielding feeling. This was less about "correctness" and more about gaining control of the horse's body and straightness. 

charlie always pretty much loves this arena

Building into 'movements':

• At trot, we practiced single loops to X and back, then practiced 3 loop serpentines.
• C's insight re: the Fair Hill judge's perception of my rigid and bracing arms: be careful that my hands don't come so far away from the horse's neck (esp that R hand). This is part of what gives the appearance that I'm wrestling the horse through the turns with my hands. Keep hands closer to wither. 
• We actually stepped into canter pretty early on too - in our first warm up sequence. 
• C had us do a simple trip around the arena, turning early at the short ends to really push Charlie out into the corners, then practiced canter across diagonal, trot at X.

and i totally get why. this is without a doubt my absolute favorite indoor arena of all time. austen's indoor is pretty baller too (and bigger), but it's often been quite crowded by assholes drama queens divas nasty bitches other riders during many of my rides there

Overarching Findings:

• It was very important that Charlie didn't over-bend to the left while moving his shoulders right. This habit presents in both directions, too. Mostly: don't let the horse create false bend to the inside while his shoulders actually move outward. Block the shoulder while continuing to move his ribcage out.
• Our biggest breakthrough: Trainer C identified that the judge may have seen me as braced and rigid against the horse bc of my tipped-forward pelvis. Ding ding ding!
• So a big part of the lesson became adjusting this critical juncture in my position. Basically I need to lift the front of my pelvis (imagine the entire pelvis apparatus creates the shape of a bowl filled with water - mine spills water out the front). 
• Another way of thinking about it : lifting my belt buckle. 
• The biggest thing tho: all of the tightness I'm carrying in the small of my back needs to disappear and instead be replaced by engagement of my core muscles. So: whatever I'm holding in my back, I should hold in my belly instead. With the idea of "flattening" my back.

happy horse grazing after getting back home again

Putting the position to work (and feeling the burn):

• We worked on my pelvis position a lot at trot and it was pretty incredible the difference I could feel when I "got" it -- that thing ppl say about lengthening your thigh and pushing your knee down? Yea that's a natural side effect of being able to lift the front of my pelvis. 
• Also a natural side effect? Opening the hip angle. It's all part of the same mechanic - but for me, the key is right in the middle of my belly. 
• This made the biggest difference at canter. Trainer C had me spiral a 20m circle in at trot - slowly slowly, then back out again, and then canter. And REALLY go for this feeling of lifting the front of my pelvis and sitting on the back of my seat bones. She says I need to sit like this to help Charlie get his shoulders up (which, ahem, if you've been following along, is *exactly* what trainer P has been saying to me for weeks now about jumping lol). 
• It's hard to really describe in words why this particular lesson was different - obvi we've all heard a lot of this before and I've kinda known about this method for sitting correctly for a long time. I've just, ya know, never actually been able to do it before. Knowing vs doing. such a tricky bitch! 
• But! We did it. And it made a huge difference. Trainer C had us practice the spiral at trot then canter thing again on both leads before calling it a day. She even stood at the open end of our 20m circle to keep us honest about bend and steering. Brave soul lol.
• It worked tho. It was honestly some of the best work this horse has ever done. And he never quit! Never pinned his ears, never got sassy, never once said no. Just.... kept working. Yesssssssss. <3 Charlie. 

using our little mound of doom as a chair lol

It may sound stupid guys but lessons like this make me so fucking excited for Charlie. I mean, like, we actually did stuff that was sorta kinda actual dressage. He was 100% behaving like a riding horse, not a race horse.

Sure, he's green and inconsistent or whatever. But. I'm SO PROUD of him. And so pleased with his emotional development in addition to his schooling. So long as I can be consistent in showing him where I want him to be - where he has to go to be a 'good boy,' it really feels like he'll just keep on doing it. Can't ask for better than that!

For those of you who have brought along green horses - or maybe even just started a new partnership with an unfamiliar horse - what key landmarks have you looked for to identify the shift from one phase of their training to the next? How do you define the shift from 'green broke' horse or 'started' horse to something that's more established in its training?