I just want to quickly recap what's been going on with Nicole the past few weeks. For my part, I've had some issues at work, which is why I haven't been updating as much, and with the holidays, etc. Since the Walter Zettl clinic, I've focused on making Nic more connected over her topline, and connecting her hind quarters to the bridle with minimal fussing with her mouth. The basic requirement I've been asking of her is to reach to the bit, regardless of whether we're doing "long and low" or working in a higher frame.
I’ve started to apply the same theory to Nicole’s training as current parenting philosophy dictates: Give choices, but make those choices such that the child makes the right decision. As far as Nicole goes, my rule has been when she loses concentration, tries spooking, or becomes stiff (and it’s not from fatigue), her work gets harder and I either drive her forward or turn her onto a circle as the situation dictates. After about the first 20 minutes, she focuses fairly consistently and is looser.
Originally, and for the first 3-4 days after the clinic, I drove her forward until she started to seek the bit. This proved effective, and after the first 3-4 days (which were very long rides) she began to seek the bit on her own, and now understands what is required of her. I have to admit that not all of the idea to drive her forward came from the clinic; part of the idea was echoed by Alois Podhajsky in his book My Horses, My Teachers. Of course she isn't perfect all the time (especially when she’s on an Adequan low) but overall she is more willing and more supple than she was before the clinic.
The consequence of driving her forward until she sought the bit was that she, for a few days, was unbalanced and a rushing a bit. The circles, while suppling her, also helped rebalance her and slow her down. After a few days she found her own balance, and unless she is tense, rushing isn't much of an issue anymore. This has allowed her to develop more swung and to start swinging her back. The best part is that I don't feel like I have to hold her anymore, and I can just ask her to flex over her topline as needed. In other words, I don't have to micromanage, but instead can just make recommendations as needed.
These exercises have also started to translate into a consistently better canter, where she is giving over her topline and pushing into the bridle at the canter. I've started alternating between stretchy canter and cantering in a higher (i.e., Training/First level) frame. She's starting to understand stretchy canter, and can do it well at times. I'm finding that I have a harder time letting the reins go and not micromanaging the entire time we canter. She tends to be stiffer going to the right - she doesn't like to connect to her left rein right now. I'm trying to correct that now in the trot - her canter isn't stable enough to try to correct it too much in the canter (leads to too much rein activity on my part since she's more unbalanced than she is in trot).
