Hmmmm...ok...counter canter. So, she's doing it, and it's not great, but nothing starts out great. We started initially with introducing counter canter using the 1-4 one loop serpentine. It took Nic about a day to process that, and the next day she did them perfectly (when I didn't mess us up) so 3 or so days later we started on the actual counter canter, going from centerline to the wall, and making about a 20m circle. I think she gets it, I just think is hard right now. Sometimes she makes it the whole 20m, and sometimes she changes behind. Yesterday she couldn't compute left counter canter at all (did perfect lead changes instead), but today we got the counter canter.
She gets tomorrow off, which is good. Since moving Nic to a full time training program, I've found that she needs 2 days off to keep from imploding. Which is fine. Because I need them too.
My legs hurt from keeping her between them, and from using them to bend her in half-passes and shoulder-ins, and also from bending her through her barrel when she loses her throughness. I can't believe how tired my legs are. And there's a lot of muscle down there already. I can't imagine what a weaker person must feel like.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
August 24, 2008
Nicole is doing better in the double - no more resistance at the trot, and minimal resistance at the canter. She is less supple to the left right now - you wouldn't necessarily see it from the outside, but I can feel it. If she has any other resistance in the canter, it's because of something I'm doing, probably putting too much pressure on the curb. I've got the hang of only engaging the curb as needed at the trot, but at the canter I'm still working on keeping my "curb fingers" loose until I need to actually use the 2nd bit.
We started on counter canter and canter half-passes this week. Nicole, of course, already knows canter half-passes, which sounds like a funny thing to say, but half-pass is sort of her thing, and it just took asking for the movement for her to actually perform it. Her haunches trail a little bit, but I'm ok with that for now because we just introduced it.
This isn't the first time Nicole has done counter canter, but it's the first time she's done it in over a year, and certainly the first time she has completed the exercise in balance, rhythmically, and without a huge amount of tension. We re-introduced it using the one-loop serpentine that occurs in USDF First Level, Test 4. To the left, it's really simple, to the right, I have to remember how to distribute my weight. The feeling isn't too dissimilar from a half-pass, and as soon as I figured that out, things got a lot easier to the right.
We started on counter canter and canter half-passes this week. Nicole, of course, already knows canter half-passes, which sounds like a funny thing to say, but half-pass is sort of her thing, and it just took asking for the movement for her to actually perform it. Her haunches trail a little bit, but I'm ok with that for now because we just introduced it.
This isn't the first time Nicole has done counter canter, but it's the first time she's done it in over a year, and certainly the first time she has completed the exercise in balance, rhythmically, and without a huge amount of tension. We re-introduced it using the one-loop serpentine that occurs in USDF First Level, Test 4. To the left, it's really simple, to the right, I have to remember how to distribute my weight. The feeling isn't too dissimilar from a half-pass, and as soon as I figured that out, things got a lot easier to the right.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
August 20, 2008
New recent video.
Been doing better with the trot, have most of my seat back. Navigating the double has been interesting. I'm figuring out the amount of pressure necessary for each rein, although that's a journey I'm pretty sure will never end. I feel like a total nerd/delicate doily with the light way I have to hold my hands so I don't put too much pressure on the curb bit. I don't know about other horses, but the two I ride in the double are very different. Nicole requires almost no curb pressure, so I'm holding the curb rein pretty much with my fingers open. The biggest revelation lately has been figuring out how to have a following hand, so that when Nicole leans on the curb, I don't put her in a position where I don't accidentally slam her in the face with the curb.
Been doing better with the trot, have most of my seat back. Navigating the double has been interesting. I'm figuring out the amount of pressure necessary for each rein, although that's a journey I'm pretty sure will never end. I feel like a total nerd/delicate doily with the light way I have to hold my hands so I don't put too much pressure on the curb bit. I don't know about other horses, but the two I ride in the double are very different. Nicole requires almost no curb pressure, so I'm holding the curb rein pretty much with my fingers open. The biggest revelation lately has been figuring out how to have a following hand, so that when Nicole leans on the curb, I don't put her in a position where I don't accidentally slam her in the face with the curb.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
August 7, 2008
I have somehow lost my seat at the trot. Everything feels disconnected. I don't know what the hell happened. It's also a million degrees with 100% humidity here, and I have Lymes Disease courtesy of a generous deer tick, so that may have something to do with it.
Nicole feels a lot better in the double, and her movement is completely different, she has more airtime. I have to use my hands a lot softer, that's taking some getting used to since she goes a lot different in the snaffle.
But this whole losing-my-seat thing in the trot is bullshit. Oh, and she can basically maintain a medium trot now.
Nicole feels a lot better in the double, and her movement is completely different, she has more airtime. I have to use my hands a lot softer, that's taking some getting used to since she goes a lot different in the snaffle.
But this whole losing-my-seat thing in the trot is bullshit. Oh, and she can basically maintain a medium trot now.
Monday, August 4, 2008
August 4, 2008
Nicole was introduced to the double bridle yesterday because she is now through on both sides in all 3 gaits. She was less than thrilled about it, but her throughness is even more improved now, and the quality of her gaits has improved. I will have to video soon, but not this month. Like I said, she was less than thrilled with her new bridle, and kept flipping her head.
In the snaffle, I had to use more hand than I like and than I have to use with other horses because of her initial training, and tendency to become heavy. In the double, I find that I have to use a LOT less hand, which I like, but is taking some time to get used to. For once she wasn't interested in spooking in the corners because she was so distracted by the bridle. It will be interesting to see how she progresses with it.
I also realized that the spooking decreases when I properly put my leg on her, and I mean really put it on her, which I wasn't doing before. I was making her forward, but not putting my leg on her. How can that be? I realized because she's so short (15.3 hands), I don't have my legs on her like I do on taller horses. Putting my leg on her now is an exercise in origami, since I have to fold myself to make my legs fit. I'm 5'10". However, when I do properly fold myself and keep my leg on her, she has much less opportunity to spook, because the spooking (i.e. lack of throughness) originated with her swinging her haunches. Lose the haunches, lose the throughness. Basically, I moved my leg about 2 inches back, and 1 inch up, and it's been a whole new world since then.
In the snaffle, I had to use more hand than I like and than I have to use with other horses because of her initial training, and tendency to become heavy. In the double, I find that I have to use a LOT less hand, which I like, but is taking some time to get used to. For once she wasn't interested in spooking in the corners because she was so distracted by the bridle. It will be interesting to see how she progresses with it.
I also realized that the spooking decreases when I properly put my leg on her, and I mean really put it on her, which I wasn't doing before. I was making her forward, but not putting my leg on her. How can that be? I realized because she's so short (15.3 hands), I don't have my legs on her like I do on taller horses. Putting my leg on her now is an exercise in origami, since I have to fold myself to make my legs fit. I'm 5'10". However, when I do properly fold myself and keep my leg on her, she has much less opportunity to spook, because the spooking (i.e. lack of throughness) originated with her swinging her haunches. Lose the haunches, lose the throughness. Basically, I moved my leg about 2 inches back, and 1 inch up, and it's been a whole new world since then.
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