An interesting and unexpected side effect of moving barns after being in one place for so long.... is that I've suddenly come back into contact in a variety of circles with all sorts of folks from my horsey past.
doozy was a doll hangin out grazing next to the ring while our trailer mate had their lesson
We all know the horse world is small anyway, but when you live in a city fondly referred to as "Smalltimore" .... well, connections and relationships always have a way of resurfacing.
then it was our turn!
From this cyclical and interwoven society, we found ourselves participating again in a jump clinic with Dom Schramm, with whom we last rode in 2016. A million years and multiple horses ago.... And so it goes, right?
holy moley guys, she actually trotted trot poles
And guys. It was just what the doctor ordered! And there is media, woot woot!
well lol. she also cantered the trot poles too
My (re)introduction was basically.... We're pretty green and raw around the edges. She's a good bold game mare who had a lovely go at starter a month prior, but has a tendency to revert to speed and tension. Meanwhile, I've been out of riding form (and consistent coaching) for years.
halt straight! but like, let the literal fence explain the task to doozy, nbd
I outlined the work we've been doing on simple gymnastic footwork exercises, all while prioritizing relaxation and ease. And reaffirmed that, I haven't had eyes on me. Pls be relentless.
got a lot of feedback on my position. yessssssss!
And ya know. Dom delivered lol. It's funny watching the video (below) bc you can sorta hear him getting increasingly tough with me. Notably, not tough with Doozy. Just me. And my bad bad habits haha.
that feeling when you tell a clinician how you've approached the work, and they take your word for it and build from there
He started us over some trot poles that were already set up, but put together a parallel set of poles on the back side close to the arena fencing to be the "tunnel" in which we halt straight. The fencing in this case was intended to be the stronger aid, no yanking the mare down or floating her teeth. Just a nice straight gentle return to politeness before making the turn.
notably, Dom said this distance was shorter than 9'. Doozy still got the message tho!
After establishing this "transition" practice (which you'll hear him reference in the video), he adjusted the trot poles into a similar configuration to what you all have already seen me describe. Placing poles on takeoff and landing of a big medium X.
omgoodness, not us jumping single fences out in the wild?!
And guys. I am not a professional. I don't think I'm perfect at this whole 'horse training' thing. I know I need help. But it also felt really validating to have this clinician be like, "Oh ok so that's what you're working on? Let's start there and build!"
whew actually we did a lot of this!
We spent enough time on the footwork exercises to establish some ground rules. Namely, to allow Dom to start isolating and diagnosing my position flaws. Of which, natch, there are many.
occasionally requiring human as guide post to keep me from turning too early
Chief, in his estimation, include:
- My habit to lean/tip to the inside (particularly when tracking right, but honestly I believe it's a universal issue for me);
- My apparent inability to sit up tall with shoulders back;
- My bad hands. Obvi LOL.... He wants them lower, quieter, and following.
oooook so there was a blooper. or two. lol.
True story, after a blooper moment when we moved on to single fences and then, OMG, a related distance, which naturally I totally biffed (above).... I explained to Dom my funny little joke about "clutching my pearls".... And, well. Similar to Martin Douzant before him, Dom was basically like, uh, yea but don't fucking do that.
we i blooper'ed this oxer too so Dom simplified it a bit for us me
And basically zeroed in immediately on my 'excitability' about the fences. Which, let's be real, is a nice word for "wow you kinda lost your shit there tho."
turns out, when ya let the mare jump, she jompies!!
His actual words, "You can't lose your composure just bc a couple bad jumps." Which ya know. Will be the most essential ingredient for proving to Doozy that I am a reliable partner in all this. That I will be consistent, that the game doesn't change just bc things got exciting.
sorry not sorry for showing pics of every effort even if it feels redundant
The course work was simple, but appropriate. Just nice singles off turns. Tho, notably, Dom wanted me to make more square turns in approach (you can actually see him standing in our way as a landmark in the video a few times), vs "feathering in" the bending approach.
cantering out of a related distance like maybe emma does know how to count after all
My intent with the more oblique approaches was to minimize the length of our "straight on" line to the jump.... Which, I guess is kinda like avoiding the necessity to train that. Possibly why we still can't do straight lines in general lol, whoops...
pictured: not panicking lol
Really, tho, it was the real-time feedback for me that made the lesson, more so than the exercises themselves.
finishing strong with a little course work
Dom's instruction on my hands was to keep them low. Which, was in direct opposition to the lesson I wrote about a few weeks ago, wherein that person wanted me to raise my hands as Doozy raised her head. I'm not sure there is actually a right or wrong, here, except that I honestly feel like "low" works better for Doozy, and "high" tends to increase her chaos. Ymmv.
wheeee!!! doin the thing!!!
The feedback on my upper body position was also extremely helpful. Like, I know I'm tipping and slouching and tensing up. But I also know I can ride better than that.
A little bird said these clinics could become routinely scheduled. But y'all know I've been disappointed before haha. For real, tho, even if this proves to be a one-off, I'm excited about where Doozy is with her jumping.
The jumps are basically the least of her problems, let's be real. Once I can figure out how to ride her better, and once she understands a little more about how to adjust her own self and trust her own eye.... Honestly, she's a powerhouse.
This is so cool! What a validating and also envelope-pushing lesson. I am positive I would get this kind of feedback after not having a riding lesson in years at this point...
thanks yea it was honestly reassuring to immediately get so much focus on the areas i already know are problems. like sometimes you go to a clinic, and hear things like, 'eh yea but i wouldn't worry about that yet!' --- but i DO worry LOL, and i want to work on it *now*!
saaaaaame. i wasn't entirely sure what to expect bc it's been a long time since i've ridden with him and things change and all that, but i've seen him coaching at shows and was pretty sure we'd get the kind of technical insights i'm so eager for lol
It is soooo hard to stay back when you're on a somewhat erratic green bean and the take off spot is unpredictable. Not that I've struggled with that same thing at all LOL. Seriously though, you guys are looking great!!
thanks yea it's like i subconsciously think that by tipping forward or leaning over, i'm somehow being 'softer' lol... so weird the habits we get into!
If I had a nickel for every time Jane told me to lower my hands I could pay for my lessons! I’ve also had people talk about raising hands. I don’t like it and have never had a good outcome for it. Johanna says to keep your hands where they need yo be and let the horse find you. I have seen raising the hands to fix a horse who curls behind the bit. I’ve had more success with letting go of my death grip and using my legs to push the nose out.
yea honestly i think i'm with ya on that. i kinda always come back to the idea that, 'the horse hasn't read the text books, and there isn't only just one correct answer that works for all horses.' esp given that i spend so much time riding alone, i much prefer to use a style that demonstrably seems to work better for the horse, ya know?
Ugh. Hands. Some days I would like to just remove mine! I know you're "supposed to" follow them up if they raise their head to keep your straight line from bit to elbow. But I've often found that when they come up like that they soften faster if YOU soften your hand (Not necessarily lower, just softer) and close your leg. Invites them back down I think. I dunno. They're all so different. Anyway, this looks like a wonderful lesson! I really like that he started out how you normally do and just built up from there. It's definitely validating! Doozy looks so good, you guys really have come a long way even if it doesn't feel that way.
This is so cool! What a validating and also envelope-pushing lesson. I am positive I would get this kind of feedback after not having a riding lesson in years at this point...
ReplyDeletethanks yea it was honestly reassuring to immediately get so much focus on the areas i already know are problems. like sometimes you go to a clinic, and hear things like, 'eh yea but i wouldn't worry about that yet!' --- but i DO worry LOL, and i want to work on it *now*!
DeleteI just love Dom's style of teaching. Hopefully there are indeed more opportunities 🤞
ReplyDeletesaaaaaame. i wasn't entirely sure what to expect bc it's been a long time since i've ridden with him and things change and all that, but i've seen him coaching at shows and was pretty sure we'd get the kind of technical insights i'm so eager for lol
DeleteIt is soooo hard to stay back when you're on a somewhat erratic green bean and the take off spot is unpredictable. Not that I've struggled with that same thing at all LOL. Seriously though, you guys are looking great!!
ReplyDeletethanks yea it's like i subconsciously think that by tipping forward or leaning over, i'm somehow being 'softer' lol... so weird the habits we get into!
DeleteIf I had a nickel for every time Jane told me to lower my hands I could pay for my lessons! I’ve also had people talk about raising hands. I don’t like it and have never had a good outcome for it. Johanna says to keep your hands where they need yo be and let the horse find you. I have seen raising the hands to fix a horse who curls behind the bit. I’ve had more success with letting go of my death grip and using my legs to push the nose out.
ReplyDeleteyea honestly i think i'm with ya on that. i kinda always come back to the idea that, 'the horse hasn't read the text books, and there isn't only just one correct answer that works for all horses.' esp given that i spend so much time riding alone, i much prefer to use a style that demonstrably seems to work better for the horse, ya know?
DeleteUgh. Hands. Some days I would like to just remove mine! I know you're "supposed to" follow them up if they raise their head to keep your straight line from bit to elbow. But I've often found that when they come up like that they soften faster if YOU soften your hand (Not necessarily lower, just softer) and close your leg. Invites them back down I think. I dunno. They're all so different.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this looks like a wonderful lesson! I really like that he started out how you normally do and just built up from there. It's definitely validating!
Doozy looks so good, you guys really have come a long way even if it doesn't feel that way.