friday foto finish: more dressage

Happy Friday, folks! Things are quieting down a little bit around here after what felt like a sudden onslaught of activities all at once haha. Funny how the calendar works sometimes…

first trot of the lesson!

I actually wasn’t even originally planning on going to the Thornridge show, and certainly didn’t initially think jumping a round would be in the cards… But other plans moved around, and then Doozy was immediately such a princess about jumping again that, ya know, why not, let’s do it!

little ms sensible <3

But we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming now, which, in this case, means another dressage lesson with trainer C! Natch, accompanied by my new favorite toy, the pivo! 

Which I set up in the corner this time since it occasionally lost us in the corners when it was set at C in our last lesson. Unfortunately I chose the corner by the in-gate, so we missed a chunk of work at the end when the next horse joined the ring. Nbd but next time I’ll try the opposite corner.

warming up with leg yields!

Anyway, obvi I love using these lessons to prepare for events and all that, but it’s also equally nice to show up and be able to tell trainer C to “have your way with us!”

change directions, rinse, repeat!

Which, in this case, meant trainer C wanted us to play around with first level stuff, eventually putting together the pieces of 1-2. Exciting!! 

In her view, when Doozy is relaxed and engaged in the work, she basically already has all the requirements for the level, and is maybe similar to how Isabel was in that the harder and more demanding the tests get, the more interested Doozy becomes.

learning to find power in balance

Tho, realistically, that’s also probably a function of that Brett Parbery quote I shared last week, about how “exercises are for people, aids are for horses.” Meaning, perhaps, that as the tests get more demanding **for me,** then subsequently **I** do a better job of being clear crisp and correct in my aids to Doozy, who then naturally goes better and better.

started playing with lengthening the trot, v exciting for dooz!

Obvi it’s useful to understand the mechanics of why a good ride is good lol, bc understanding that makes it reproducible, right? But… more fundamentally, it’s also just plain fun to have good rides where everything feels connected and flowing. 

leg yielding from center line

And Doozy seems like a total junkie for that feeling too — she loves being a good girl, loves getting the answers right. And it seems like the more good rides we stack on top of each other, the happier and more relaxed and more confident she gets in the work. 

lots of canter this lesson!

So anyway the whole video is included below with all the main exercises we did and obvi all trainer C’s coaching through each movement. Probably mostly just interesting to me, but there’s some generally universal stuff in there for anybody looking for nuggets of wisdom. 

my 15m canter circle geometry was shockingly pitiful lol

We warmed up right away with leg yields from the quarter line, and trainer C wanted me to be clear and consistent from the word ‘go’ about correct inside bend. Which, at times for Doozy, can almost look a little like shoulder fore, with her nose a bit to the inside of her chest center. 

princess was so good i kept being wayyy too early for our canter-trot transitions over X

Lots of alternating between circles and leg yields, always looking to solidify and confirm the correct bend through the movements (ie, using the pattern to get Emma to deliver more consistent aids to the horse). And, this was **finally** the day when trainer C had us start pushing the trot out more on our diagonal changes of direction!! 

we repeated both directions of the canter work but alas, pivo got distracted when a handsome gray pony joined the ring

We hadn’t really gone there yet with Doozy bc it’s been such a journey to get her to balance and contain herself in a working trot, vs sorta unspooling out the front end… But something tells me Doozy’s gonna eventually love her lengthening and extensions LOL.

actual visual representation of pivo being truly torn

Anyway, the canter pattern in the 1-2 test was pretty good for us too. It’s a fair amount of canter, with long sides and 15m circles, and cantering across the diagonal to trot at X, then immediately pick the canter back up again in the next corner on the new lead. 

in the end, tho, it stuck with us <3

All of that wanted me to be a LOT more clear and prepared in my seat and aids. The 15m circles, for example, went best when I really concentrated on pushing into my seat bones, while also feeling both legs long, pushing the balls of my feet in each stirrup. 

The canter transitions… Honestly that was maybe the most interesting feeling. For so long, Doozy’s aid to canter was almost the *absence* of an aid. Like, you just stopped holding her and off she went! Now that she’s actually like, steady and on the aids and relaxing in the work, I actually have to be a little more proactive in preparing her for the transition.

basically the full lesson, trimmed of walk (and pivo) breaks

We never quite nailed the feeling in this lesson, my up transitions were always late and a bit shuffle-y. But now that I understand the pattern better, I think it’ll be a good one for us to practice to help me refine my own positioning. So long as I keep riding forward into it, tho, Doozy seems happy to go — compared to that little phase we went thru last year when I got too backwards and she was kicking out into her transitions. 

sweet doozy, best of biscuits

So yea, a good lesson for a lot of reasons. Super gratifying and honestly legitimately exciting to have trainer C tell us she thought we should be doing more first level stuff too. 

I’d like to find more opportunities to get out to just do dressage tests at shows, mostly bc the repetition seems to helpful for Doozy, and not having impending jumping phases helps me focus and be more intentional… But we’ll see what the calendar holds. 

Fall is my favorite season for riding and activities, and I’m so relieved and grateful to have Doozy coming back into action for it!

Trying on First 3 for Size @ MDA

The Maryland Dressage Association hosted another lowkey schooling show at Charlie's home barn this past weekend, and obviously Charlie and I decided to enter! 

We don't have the greatest track record at these events (which I expounded upon at great length while recapping our June show)... but they're super cost effective chances to get in front of a judge in the hopes of constructive feedback. 

lol barely entered and already kickin' up a {dust} storm!

Plus, I've been musing whether Charlie's a "First Level Horse" since the fall of 2018, but only actually rode him in his first (and only) proper first level test in summer 2019. During which, the judge not-altogether-gently ripped my fucking heart out. 

So. Ahem. That gave me some serious cold feet about it all, lol... ugh... 

maybe blurry + out of focus is a good look for us?? don't worry, there are some nice HQ pro pics too ;) 

But ya know. We press on. My philosophy on doing things with horses is that.... Literally nobody will ever care more than I do about what I do with my horse. And that goes both ways -- nobody is sitting there disappointed or whatever if I don't reach out and take a shot at my dreams. And... Nobody will ever care more than I will** if we do poorly, make mistakes, or 'fail.' 

How I feel about what we do is legitimately ALL that matters. Therefore, if there's a thing that I want to do? We do it! And if I don't really want to do any given thing? We don't. And ya know. It really is that simple haha. 

(**Quick reminder to anybody who needs to hear it: judgement or snarky comments are NOT the same as actually caring. Turns out, we are actually the only ones who obsess over our mistakes. So.... Don't, lol. Or at least, don't let past mistakes become obstacles to future fun.)

not a bad effort at stretchy trot, buddy!! also omg, look at my right leg behaving itself sorta!!

So this summer, knowing that it's been somewhat of a 'season of discontent' vis-a-vis actual riding lessons, I've been using our roughly monthly competition outings as yardsticks to check in on progress. 

And, particularly, these MDA shows have been the perfect 'proof of concept' for me to finally try on all of First Level for size. We rode tests 1 and 2 back in June, to reasonably ok effect, and then took a stab at test 3 this past weekend. 

not typically a moment in trot that i grab for pictures, but idk, i kinda like this one! dust makes it feel ethereal lol
pc Amy Flemming Waters

This past weekend was also an important landmark in my mind bc.... Well, uh, not to put too fine a point on it, but I've *completely* changed how I ride the horse since our last lesson with Molly K. And, ahem, that left *two* practice sessions between that lesson and this show to actually adjust and adapt to the new style with Charlie. 

But, haha.... This probably won't surprise any of you who have likewise experienced one of those major positional 'Aha!' moments in riding, but.... Turns out, Charlie adapted right fucking quick to the new style, and is quite the happy little camper now! Gooooo figure, lol.

just canter the horse and ride a circle, amirite? judge's comment for this circle: "reins long."
pc Amy Flemming Waters

Basically, the big takeaway from Molly was finally feeling how to get my leg OFF the horse. Trainers have told me for YEARS to do this thing, but.... Ya know. For some reason, I couldn't actually do it with how my legs hang (plus, obvi our bodies lie to us constantly, and my right leg has always had a mind of its own). 

But now I have an actual physical feeling to work with: like I'm riding with my toes pointed directly into Charlie's armpits. Like I'm riding as extremely pigeon toed as possible. It feels that way, tho in reality my toes are only just barely sticking straight ahead vs winging outward. 

Especially when I'm trying to focus on 18 things at once, like my shitty upper body and hand/arm positions. Or, uh, not making my horse rein-lame in the 10m circles. Details details, ya know? 

love that charlie wore his ears up in canter!! that's actually... not super common!
pc Amy Flemming Waters

The feeling is great tho, esp for turning. When I turn Charlie, the outside leg rotates toe more toward horse's armpit, bringing my outside thigh into contact to catch that shoulder. Meanwhile my inside leg is this supportive pillar holding the horse upright in his turn. It feels good, and Charlie seems to like it. 

Keeping my legs off also makes Charlie happy bc he finally has freedom to actually go forward. And when I *do* use a leg, whether it's asking for more activity, or a leg yield, he is more responsive than I'm used to, like, "Ooh, incoming message received!" 

The leg yields in particular are just... There now. Well. Ok, that's a lie. The leg yield left is "there" now, bc that's our stronger direction (since, ya know, the left side of my body is a myth and I've trained the horse using almost exclusively my right side), so the leg yield right is plain harder for us both. But -- bc my legs are off, when I put them on, Charlie just... tunes in and tries. Yessss!

might actually be having an ok time in front of the judge, for once!

Another feeling from the Molly lesson has "worn off" more quickly -- the feeling from that rubber tube looped from my fingers going behind my back. When I can remember it, tho, and access that feeling, combined with the new leg position, Charlie can finally pull me down into the saddle, deeper into my position -- vs pulling my upper body forward and seat out of the saddle. 

I can also feel these moments of position where like, "Ooh, yes, this is how I will actually sit the trot." Since.... sitting the trot is not really currently a thing I can do, let's be honest. 

d'aww buddy <3 he has such a lovely canter, one day we'll get scores to match! 

So this test was all about putting these pieces together. Trying it out and finding the limits, so to speak. I honestly was worried that it would be way above our paygrade, and contemplated dropping to test 1 or 2... But, our two solo practice sessions between lesson and show went really well, so we carried on. 

And once in the ring, I really focused on helping Charlie relax. He was tense AF during the June shows, bc he honestly doesn't really like dressage very much. We've spent so much time booting and chasing him forward, and then asking him to bring that big body of his into more precise smaller movements. It stresses him out, ya know? Esp considering, whoops, I've been steering him wrong all along. 

sweet pony <3
pc Amy Flemming Waters

So idk if this test 3 just flows well for him (which, I think it does) or if this new style of riding helps him feel more comfortable and trusting of the pattern, but he actually felt really good the whole way around! 

The test opens with a trot lengthening (which I did conservatively to preserve relaxation), then goes into a neat leg yield pattern. Leg yield rail to center line, then 10m circle, change direction and repeat. It's a simple pattern that Charlie picked up quickly. Only sadness is it starts with the right leg yield and left 10m circle -- Charlie's two weakest movements. 

True story, that left 10m circle (or it's half circle cousin we've seen in other tests) is the #1 place you'll see Charlie take uneven steps, since it's a difficult configuration for his own physical limitations. And it's always one of the first things in these tests, and therefore part of a judge's first impression of the horse. So... If the first thing a judge sees are irregular steps, they'll be on the lookout the rest of the ride. Which is what happened in that 2019 disaster. 

On this day, tho?? Charlie got a SIX (6!!!!) on that movement, with a comment saying "stiff in bend"! Way to go, buddy -- we'll take it! 

goofy candid shots will always be my favorite lol
pc Amy Flemming Waters

We then got our only 7 (aside from Charlie's gait scores omg) in the leg yield left, then the test carries on with the stretchy trot then walk and free walk. 

After that, you move into canter. I really like the canter patterns in this test, tho we didn't score particularly well since I biffed the one loop serpentine geometry (whoops) and don't ride Charlie very round in canter. 

Basically, tho, you pick up canter, go immediately into one loop of counter canter, then a 15m circle in the end of the arena, followed by a lengthening down the other long side. Change rein across the diagonal with simple change thru trot L to R (obvi Charlie aced this, tho the judge didn't like his frame), and repeat the whole thing in the other direction. 

The test finishes with a trot lengthening on the diagonal, then immediately turn up CL to halt, salute. This was *my* weakest movement, since we got strung out after the canter and I didn't fully prep for the turn and let myself get pulled out of the new position rather than holding strong. That will take time and practice tho, I'm just happy to know we can fix it. 

video is completely annotated with directives, scores + commentary

The scores are predictably low overall, with a whole slew of 5.5s sprinkled throughout. Esp the 5.5's on coefficient movements really hurt the score. But realistically, we were only 0.5pts away from 60%, and the comments are all very detailed and on-point. (And we should have gotten a -2.0pt error since I free-walked to the wrong letter, so, eh, we'll take it!) (And also, IMHO our canter-trot transition was quite nice and could have done better than 6.0 too....)

Especially watching the video with the comments captioned right there while it's happening is helpful to connect what I felt in that moment to what the judge sees. 

A lot of it tbh won't be something I immediately address. Esp re: getting Charlie more round + on the bit. Rather, my focus will continue to be my position and how I ride the horse, with the expectation that Charlie's connection to the bridle will naturally improve as a result.  

but here's the test itself for all y'all non video watchers
my inner mathematician would like to observe that 59.86% is baaaasically 60% haha, literally 0.5pts off....

Bc.... The reality is.... Charlie is my jumping horse, and he takes damn good care of me in that regard, even when I make pretty epic mistakes. Without careful oversight by a coach invested in our progress and goals, I'm wholly resistant to risking making him backward in the bridle, or making my bad hands too influential in the wrong ways. 

I'm not willing to risk sacrificing how Charlie takes care of me over fences for what would likely be only marginal gains in the dressage ring. And we already know from experience that it's not too hard to imagine Charlie getting backed off and behind the leg and bridle while jumping. So.... Yea. Thanks, but no thanks LOL. 

ribbons based on Danish method. <60% = 3rd place.

Obvi everyone prioritizes different things, so ymmv. For me, I'm finally feeling good about the path Charlie and I are on with our flatwork. It's not perfect or classically beautiful (lol), but it feels like progress that even Charlie himself can recognize. 

At the end of the day, I want the horse to know when he's a good boy. I want the work to be self-evident to him. Jumping is already like that -- I don't have to explain to the horse whether he had a good jump or not, he can figure that out for himself lol. But dressage... has always been trickier. I've always kinda felt like I'm picking on him. 

Here's hoping this new style and approach will really help in that regard, and give Charlie more space and freedom to actually enjoy playing with movements! This test, at least, felt like a good effort in that direction! 

after xc, we dressage

The day after our semi-triumphant xc school we headed back to OF for - you guessed it (or at least you should have if you read this post's title!) - some dressage. Specifically, a schooling show. This was the same series entered before the blizzard earlier this year. And, for that matter, the same series we entered multiple times last year but never actually got to ride in.

trotting this way

We finally did it this weekend tho! Despite 30mph winds (gusts around 40mph, just a tad intense), we made do. Or. Ya know. Tried. It's kinda been a known thing with at least Isabel, but probably most horses, that trying to fancy prance right after running xc can be a bit of a mixed bag. Esp in crappy weather conditions.

trotting that way

Wind is so tricky too bc all the horses are extra touchy. Something about sensory deprivation I think - they can't hear as well and kinda freak out about it. I literally thought I might die trying to feed that morning. It was slightly crazy. Isabel was mostly fine tho. Just walking that fine line between being seriously over reactive but simultaneously tired and verging on breaking.

i love her ears tho

Our warm up was really not great. Idk. I probably needed more time I guess. It didn't help that the show had been running about 15 min late all day, but then suddenly got ahead of schedule in time for my rides - the last of the day when everyone was eager to go home and I was kinda not willing to go early. Oh well.

just a-free-walkin...

Isabel was just ... Reactive I guess. Trying, but mostly kinda faking it. Our first test training b (source of all the video stills you see) was a bit of a train wreck, with us zooming all over the place and the mare refusing to actually fill up the bridle.

training b

Our 15m trot circles were too small actually, judge disliked our downwards from canter to trot, and our stretchy trot appeared briefly for about four separate strides in the second half of the circle. All of these things are technically fixable, tho the stretchy trot might be the toughest. We can usually manage some decent stretch while schooling (and did so while warming up) - but it isn't exactly "on demand." It's slow to develop. And also, erm, highlights just how false Izzy can be in the contact when I let the reins go and she stays stuck BTV lol.

Anyways, scoring seemed a bit generous - but I'm pretty much in agreement with all the notes.

lots going on in this pic haha

A quick walk break and we got more of the same in test two - prelim a - which I rode in rising trot again bc schooling show haha. It was fine tho.

This test maybe went a little better, tho I still can't decide whether it was an improvement on the last time we rode this test or not. Isabel was still quite reactive - visible in the video especially in her abrupt downwards haha, and the judge pointed out after the fact that I was letting her have too much authority in choosing our tempo.

hold it together!

Transitions seemed more or less accurate (even if many upwards were hollow... le sigh), corners were about half and half on whether we got into them in a balanced fashion (ahem, fishtailing into the corner totally doesn't count Izzy!).

First trot lengthening we very nearly broke to canter. Second felt better but we got dinged for getting too flat by the end. That part kinda bummed me out bc I was probably preparing too early for our transition into working trot and the corner so we could make it down the center line for our final halt. But we got an 8 on that turn so... maybe it paid off? Idk, probably I should be able to get an 8 on our lengthening and still be able to pull an 8 on the center line turn, not one or the other. Life goals people!

halt, salute, collapse in exhaustion

Leg yield left felt phenomenal - like we really had the 'bend right to move left' thing going down. It's hard to see in the video tho, and actually looks like it was leading with the shoulders more than it felt. We pulled a 7 tho, so I'm gonna say it was definitely good for us.

Leg yield right was still deservedly a 5. That whole outside rein connection thing... Still needs work! Canter work started out ok - I felt (and maybe kinda can see) a distinct-ish transition from medium to working canter... but then we kinda just kept building again through the canter loops and diagonal change of reins.

good mare :)

I think part of the problem with my loops is that I literally have only ever schooled them in a large court - and usually to the center line. So doing shallow quarter line loops in a small court is just an entirely different piece of geometry and I keep sorta getting behind the movement and trying to play catch up. It's not very pretty lol.

prelim A

Anyway tho, I'm still pretty happy with the score. Again - I think it was judged a touch more generously than the last time we rode it. Meaning I wouldn't exactly expect to pull these scores at a rated show when we ride like this. But when we are riding at our best? Maybe. I think probably maybe yes, we could.

And obviously when I say 'rated show' I mean rated first level dressage haha, NOT a recognized event. We are obviously not running prelim haha - doing the dressage does not equal doing the jumping phases! But first level - I think we pretty much got it. Sorta. This ride didn't feel like our best, and the judge said we were 'knocking on the door'- which I think suggests she meant we have more work to do. But ya know. We're gonna keep working on it so it's all good haha.

video here

I only did video of the prelim test bc I was short on time (sorry!) and the training test is more boring anyay. As usual, it has our scores noted directly in the video. Enjoy!

isabel trying to pull off her "big brother's" BoT sheet haha

So that's probably our last little dressage show for a little while, as we shift gears to preparing for our first three phase event of the season next week!!! Exciting!!

chippin' away

I have all this media from a recent dressage lesson, but really not an awful lot to say about it. It was a good lesson in that I learned strategies for riding through some of Isabel's resistances. She wasn't exactly bad, tho. Kinda just not giving it up so easily.

No real big 'aha' moments, or breakthroughs. Just the same solid steady march forward. Every single step might not look like progress, but the general trend and trajectory is ever upwards.

so many pretty things in this pic!

Particularly, Isabel wasn't feeling very supple in this ride - especially through our problematic leg yields right. There are undoubtedly still issues with how I ride this particular movement that block the mare... but trainer C wanted to lay down the law and make our expectations of the mare very clear.

"no i no wanna!" - isabel

Whenever Isabel resists or braces or fights the leg yield, we immediately turn in for a small circle. It wasn't intended to be rough or punishment, per se. Rather, the point was for me to use the circle to re-establish Isabel's bend around my leg. Let the circle be the bad guy, not me. But bend she must - and we circled quite a bit.

"no i no circle either" - isabel

A couple times we'd only make it one or two steps into the attempted leg yield before needing to go right back to a circle. But it was ultimately an effective tactic and resulted in some of our best ever leg yields in that direction.

"okay, geez, fiiiiiiiine" - isabel

I like thinking about riding in this way - using different figures or movements or whatever to get the desired effect, rather than just kicking harder or giving stronger aids. Sure, sometimes the answer is ye big ol' thump with the legs.... But I often resort to overly strong aids when maybe turning for a small circle would work better.

blurry but adorable

I'd like to grow to become a more tactful rider - to have a greater arsenal of tricks for getting the horse where I want her. Especially because my mind always seems to go a little blank when I'm schooling on my own. I'll forget the things I wanted to practice, or the little mantras my coaches have tried to instill in me.

less blurry.... and less adorable lol

Lately tho, when schooling alone (now that the weather and ground are cooperative and we have returned to our regular riding schedule!!!) I'm a little surprised by my reactions when things go badly. Maybe the mare isn't bending or going into both reins equally or whatever. I quickly grow frustrated and just get louder or stronger with my aids to make that mare do what I say.

But the lessons are never like that. Sure - the horse might be resistant in lessons, but it never gets ugly. It never feels like I need to resort to brute strength. My trainers have all these neat tricks for working through the resistance in a productive and diplomatic fashion such that both Isabel and I come out feeling empowered and successful.

could never accuse this horse of not trying

I've been so focused on specific techniques or movements that maybe I've been missing this more vague aspect of all these many lessons we take. Essentially, trainer C is constantly troubleshooting and problem solving while we go. Assessing Isabel's every step and directing me to ride Isabel into a better place.

But then when we run into the same problems when I'm alone, I can't always figure out how to fix it - how to transport us from blah resistance up into Isabel's next level gear.

pushing into the walk like a good girl

Not sure what the answer is here, other than being more aware and mindful. Paying closer attention to how my trainers handle problems in our lessons. I mean, sure, I'm already listening pretty closely - but maybe I've been listening for the wrong things. Or, not 'wrong' - but just different.

I've been listening for details like how to hold my hands or establish the contact or use my leg or ride a specific movement. Whatever. Small, reactive things, rather than the whole bigger proactive picture for managing the entire ride.

Anyway, it's all food for thought, really. And not super related to the lesson. About the lesson specifically - as I said, there's lots of media. Including this footage Brita snapped as Isabel and I worked through 1-2 at the end of our ride.

video here

She caught us as we were already onto the free-walk change of rein, so you only get the partial test. But I'm glad to have it on file. There's quite a few mistakes in there, and we were generally much too fast and rushed through the test. But it struck me as quite simple to ride - esp those leg yields, it feels like we have literal years and years to ride them. Perhaps that's natural coming off riding the Prelim-A test in a short court tho lol.

So yea. It was a lesson and we did things, and it left me with lots to think about regarding how we approach our schooling rides. I would like to go farther with this horse in dressage. All things being equal, she could probably get me my bronze. I just have an awful lot of learning to do before we can get there!

Birchall clinic recap: validation (and half steps!!!)

Yesterday you saw the outtakes and random candids from our lesson with dressage rider Stephen Birchall. Today is a rundown of what we covered and what I am taking away from the clinic.

Ohh how I wish for more video - I'm totally regretting not bringing my helmet camera to set up on a ledge, as that proved perfect for Sunday's fix-a-test (post tomorrow). Oh well. Next time I'll be better prepared!

regal mare <3

In any case, it was the most intense 30min in the saddle in recent memory. In a good way. Stephen quickly got an accurate read on Isabel and took us down a challenging but appropriate path. Essentially, he validated the work we've been doing with trainer C - particularly liking how our contact has developed from riding back to front.

He liked that I didn't get noisy or fussy when Isabel bounced around a little bit (matching trainer C - who says "it doesn't matter, keep riding her where you want her to be"), and that our typical frame has Isabel's nose poked slightly ahead of the vertical. C says this is harder for Isabel than ducking behind the bit (obvi I concur), and Stephen added that it's critical to "ride the horse's conformation" (something he repeated to multiple riders).

isabel's confo can sometimes make for a unique ride  <3

Stephen was also pleased with my efforts to improve my seat and leg position. Little did he know: he was my inspiration. Recall when I audited back in November, it struck me how he began each ride with his leg explicitly OFF the horse. He said "Leg is Sacred" and that his leg says absolutely nothing to the horse unless he MEANS it.

I've been chewing on that idea ever since, and lately have been practicing the leg lifts in the saddle that Catherine Haddad discusses in this video (someone in blogland originally posted that but now I can't remember who!).

Specifically, I start each ride lifting my entire leg, hip to heel, from the saddle. Focusing on feeling my seat connect with Isabel's back - while still pushing my big toe into the stirrup iron.

Stephen liked this a lot, and took it further by adding that the heels must always be down. He said he constantly rides off his core, seat and stirrup irons - and *not* by pinching with thigh, knee or calf. The leg should be able to come off. This feeling really helps me - esp now that I'm learning to keep my seat in the saddle (rather than popping out) while pushing into the stirrup.

lighting made for neat silhouette effects

Ok. Omg. So much blabbing and we haven't even gotten to the good stuff. Kinda sorry.. kinda. Anyway, after introducing myself and the mare ("we're both new to first level dressage, but Isabel takes to the work very well and has been an excellent horse to learn with"), we opted to let Stephen choose our direction for the day rather than schooling any specific tests or movements.

So what did he choose? Half steps (omg). Starting, of course, with sitting trot (without me even needing to tell him we are a train wreck in that department haha).

Obvi, tho, first we started with some basic trotting in both directions, complete with changes of direction to assess our contact etc. Directions of note included:

• Shorten reins one at a time (a la Austen's recent post on the topic)
• Don't let inside hand get too low - stay aware, esp with holding the whip
• Soften elbows, esp outside - must allow that softness in the outside rein to get flexion to inside
• Shoulder fore on a circle
• Counter flexion (think travers, or was it renvers?)
• Then back and forth between inside bend, going straight (on a circle), and counter flexion

#werkin

Then we started sitting trot, just a couple strides at a time. 

• OMG I was a hot mess - having stopped practicing as much, since we wouldn't be sitting in the upcoming show.. womp
• Don't let the connection go just bc I'm sitting the trot
• Sit a few strides, post a few strides, sit, post, rinse, repeat
• Don't look down!! 

mare fit right in with all the fancy dressage horses

As might be expected, the sitting grew a little easier with repetition (and with C's many directives zooming rapid fire through my mind). But before I had a chance to think about it, Stephen shifted directly into working towards half steps (omg). All while ridden sitting: 

• He wanted NO LEG, half halts with core and reins, and simultaneous tap with whip 
• I was to take my time, no rushing. Think "halt" but.. ya know.. don't halt
• Carry whip in outside hand (haunches fishtailed in too much with whip in inside hand)
• Must be careful not to clench inside hand when moving outside hand to tap with whip
• Tap with whip tells her to quicken her hind end and push up into bridle - NOT go faster
• Must be patient and kind with aids to help Isabel understand what I'm asking
• Encourage her to stay ACTIVE while bringing the movement more onto the spot with the reins
• Rein aids need to mean a quickening of the step
• Then allow forward again. Then back to half steps. Then forward. Rinse repeat.
• This is the beginning of piaffe - becoming more and more 'on the spot'

not half steps... still cute tho!

Omg. Guys. This was incredible. It was HARD, yes, and Isabel grew a little frustrated at one point - but let it go and kept working, kept trying. She was SO ROUND. I finally know what you all are talking about when you say the horse "gives you a place to sit." Stephen said 'when you have the hind legs, you have a place to sit.'

Anyways, next:

• Depart into canter from that small trot. No running tho! 
• Transitions were difficult and sticky (definitely harder for mareface!) - so I needed to truly commit to the canter.
• If Izzy tried running, we were to bring back to collection then bump with outside leg (as a correction, not as a signal to depart again). 
• Half halt immediately upon cantering.
• Canter needs more inside bend (shocker - esp since we did all this work to the left, our notoriously harder direction)

Then back to trot:

• Working trot on a circle, then into medium trot, then back to working trot
• Back and forth, back and forth (a theme, and our homework)
• The resulting working trot was THE working trot we want

isabel is so game

Our homework is to play with the forwards and back like this, play with the trot. Push for more. Stephen asks, what's the risk? What's the harm? What the hell, just go for it!

Personally, I'm a little less sure haha. Honestly, the biggest reason I'm bummed about the lack of video is bc the way Stephen directed us through the movements - his voice, his timing, his choice of words - was SUPER effective for me and helped me ride Isabel to the best of my abilities. Without which we wouldn't have gotten as good results. 

So I'm not entirely sure I trust myself to try on my own (unless I can somehow procure a recording of Stephen's voice? LOL) bc I can definitely see how battle might ensue if I somehow end up riding the mare unfairly. We'll see. I'll probably try a more watered-down version.

But generally - the canter and half steps work was incredible. I really felt like I "had a place to sit" in both gaits. 

stephen demonstrating a stretch through the back and legs

It was interesting tho - later in the day Stephen, after discussing how to best manage a different horse, referred back to Isabel, saying: "She's stoic, she's not going to pitch a fit or explode if she's uncomfortable. You'll only ever know it after the fact by discovering she is back sore." 

UM YES, DING DING DING. That is exactly Isabel, and our exact struggle over the years with her. She doesn't tell me much under the saddle, but carries it all through her back. Stephen's advice was to "manage her care accordingly." We're trying dude, I promise. 

Tho I'm also very pleased to report that while Isabel was fatigued for our fix-a-test the next day and not super eager to take weight onto her hind end, she was *not* ouchy to the touch. The muscles and strength, folks, they're developing!

Phew. Lots of little nitty gritty details, and maybe hard to envision without supportive video/media evidence. You'll just have to take my word for it tho: Isabel was super game and worked her butt off (quite literally). I think the reason this mare has so much dressage potential (aside from just being a cute mover) is her ability to handle pressure. Ask her to do a thing, and damn if she doesn't try.

All in all, it was a really positive experience. Stephen's teaching style worked for me, and his philosophies meshed with my regular training program. Riding with him was worth the expense of a 30min lesson (and 3hr round trip), and I will absolutely try to do so again when he's in town.