In Which Nic Wears My Fur Hat: December 11, 2010

For a horse that's a lunatic under saddle, I can sure put anything on her head without her blinking. Now, to get Nikita to sit more in pirouettes...

The Laziest Dressage Rider Ever Part IV: October 25, 2010

I have a sore on the inside of my knee. Why?

Because I didn't move that extra piece of the stirrup leather that had scrunched up between my knee and the saddle. You know that extra piece of which I speak. Not during tempis. Not during collected-medium-collected transitions. Not even during canter pirouettes. I was just too lazy to move it. And now I have a sore.

Procrastination has paid off again. Oh yes, procrastination has paid off again.

October 13, 2010

Things I focus on every day with Nikita:

Sitting more in the pirouettes and not travelling

Straightness in and out of pirouettes

Elasticity in the transition from medium trot to collected trot or passage

Straightness and rhythm in the half passes

Most of the trot tour in the I-1 test, making sure she stays elastic and powerful

Staying straight in the 4, 3, and 2 tempis

I have a tendancy in the trot to want to make it too short, almost too much like passage. I just realized watching the video of half passes below that doing such causes the trot to totally lose power.

October 11, 2010

Video of half passes from the Grand Prix test.

October 5, 2010

Fucking one tempis.

New Trot Video 10-2-2010

Nikita and I seem to have overcome the first hurdle in our trot work. It's getting stronger every day, and every day she starts to use her haunches more and more to create a very powerful FEI-level trot.

We've started on the half passes in the Grand Prix. The angle isn't as hard as I'd imagined, and we've had general success in keeping our tempo regular throughout the half pass. This stuff isn't easy for the horse, though, and I don't like asking for it more than I really have to. We had started a little passage work, but I noticed the quality of our collected trot diminished, so I've stopped working on it. The passage and piaffe are there, and will still be there when the time seems better to work on them.

September 30, 2010

Note to self: Stick to your knitting. If you can produce a good product, you're almost there. Alexander didn't become Alexander the Great because he had a good PR guy.

High-level dressage is 90% about the product. It's tempting to take the easy way and attempt to prove yourself through positive PR about yourself or through negative PR about other trainers. This is false bravado and the effect is momentary. The concrete ability to train is most of the battle and ensures longevity. The rest is just smoke and mirrors.

Horses on Vacation: September 4, 2010

Nikita has been on vacation the past 3 days off this week thanks to the heat. Sometimes she feels great and is very fresh, and then she suddenly feels tired and perhaps a little burnt out. What we're doing is hard on a horse, I suppose, so those feelings are normal and expected. So, she's had her mini-vacation, and yesterday seemed all the better for it.

Yesterday we picked up our work on 1 tempis again, which we hadn't done in a while. I've been sleeping through 2 tempis for a while, and decided yesterday that I'm for a new challenge. So, we came, we saw, and we conquored those 1 tempis, and I hope we can do more soon. I'm not confident in them yet, and yesterday Nikita seemed a little fried after, so we're sticking to doing 2 consecutive 1 tempis until I sleep through that exercise. Then we'll start adding more 1 tempis as I become more confident.

I noticed in my last video that my canter pirouettes weren't really in one place, so we've focused on making them smaller. In Harry Boldt's book, Das Dressur Pferd, he states that if the pirouettes are too large, it's because the horse hasn't been set up correctly by the rider. Thus, I've made sure Nikita is very straight and very collected before I attempt a pirouette. And they've been smaller since. I've achieved straightness by looking at whatever letter I'm heading towards, and then looking at the horse once the pirouette has started. Yay for Harry Boldt!

Nicole, on the other hand, in on vaction because she lost a shoe, and super-farrier Mike isn't coming out until Tuesday. No loss, since Nicole does better with periods of downtime anyway.

Canter Pirouettes and Canter Half Pass

Canter pirouette sequence from the Grand Prix:



Canter half pass from Prix St. George and Intermediare I:

The Dark Times: August 28, 2010

Dressage is this delicate balance between doing too much or too little. Too much leg, and you risk overwhelming the horse. Too little leg, and you're asking for trouble. In my case, too little work on the canter means I have to retrace steps to fix what's been lagging.

As is par for the course, because I've focused on improving my trot with Nikita, the canter work has gone downhill faster than a fat man in a sled. Ok, that's hyperbole, but I've spent the past 2 days correcting a certain lack-of-throughness in our canter pirouettes, which up until now were one of our best movements. This is entirely my fault, as I assumed the pirouettes would stay just as perfect as they were. This just tells me that you can't focus on only the bad, rather, you have to make sure the good stuff stays good. There's a lot of plates in the air there, folks. At the same time, we're still able to get through the pirouette-change-pirouette movement in the Grand Prix, although it's not as smooth as it was before.

Now, I can remember a time when I could barely canter this horse, and it's memories like that which console me in these dark times. Yet it's still frustrating when just as one aspect of training is on track, another goes awry. One can only hope the overall level of the training rises anyway.

The Laziest Dressage Rider Ever, Part III: August 9, 2010

Finally, this trot with Nikita is getting to a point where all I have to do is manage the trot, rather than having to create it. Being the laziest dressage rider ever, I much prefer management over actual labor. Yesterday she was very light in the bridle, pushing correctly into the bit, and malleable (which is my litmus test). If I can't get her into a shoulder-in or half pass very easily, then the trot just isn't what I want. We worked on the Prix St. George trot tour, and it was probably the best we've done yet. She's now much more uphill.

Here's some video of our trot:

Extended and Extended to Collected Trot:


Collected Trot:

The thing I've learned about FEI dressage is that you have to ride the horse on the edge of control to get the most out their gaits. This is actually a very comfortable place for me, since Nicole, with her explosive personality, is usually on the edge of control, so when Nikita goes to the same place, I'm ok. Both horses are relaxed, but also ready to explode because of the amount of energy coming out of them.

Nicole is much more in the bridle now than she's ever been. For the past 7 months, she's been living mostly outside, and it agrees with her. She's more relaxed and loose in her body, and not quite as tense. She's able to stay more collected for longer periods, and willingly pushes her energy into the bridle. This has allowed me to build up her strength to improve her self-carriage.

People, It's Hot: August 5, 2010

Bottom line people: it's freakin' hot. So hot that neither horse seems to remember they have 4 feet, and 2 of those feet are meant to actually be under themselves. So hot that "work" seems to be this dirty 4 letter word that neither horse wishes to utter. So hot that even the carrots are rotting.

We're still chugging along, albeit slowly since the air is too thick to allow for much. Nicole had a classic 2 year old fit the other day, and Nikita seems to think putting 100lbs of weight in the reins will actually get her out of having to push from behind. Here's the thing I've learned about horses: Sometimes they will, and sometimes they won't, but either way, the work has to get done.

Nikita and I have started on canter zigzag, which is sort of a joke right now since I don't have the timing down yet. The switch-the-bend-ask-for-the-change-go-on-to-the-next-half-pass part of the zigzag isn't coming yet, although today was the first day we actually tried this exercise.

Our canter work is light years ahead of our trot work, and we're still working on the trot tour from Prix St. George. The issue with the trot is I tend to block with my right elbow going to the right. I also think Nikita is still building muscle to keep pushing into the trot, but the big issue is my right elbow. Everyone has their Achilles heel, that thing they have to work on as a rider, and mine is my right rein. I'm trying to work on using my shoulder more to bend her inside when she comes against the bit, but old habits die hard. Blocking with my elbow is causing not major but definitely causes issues to the right, especially when the heat and humidity makes both of us languid and cranky.

July 31, 2010

Alright, I have a confession to make: Right on the heels of Nicole's Popeye of Death, I made a big blunder and gave Nikita too many electrolytes. Now, this week has been the worst in a while, with losing my electricity for several days thanks to a little bitty thunderstorm that apparently blew away the electric company, since they took forever to respond. To add insult to injury, I got really, really sick during said blackout, so, I've been somewhat distracted.

Back to my confession. I gave Nikita too many electrolytes, as evidenced by her inability to pee and her newly featured leg oedema. Have you ever seen a mare who can't pee? They lift their skirts, make a valiant attempt, and get the same face I'm certain an old man with an enlarged prostate exhibits. Luckily, I witnessed this sight only 2 days into the new electrolyte regime, and she's fine, although it's taken the better part of a week to clear the oedema. The old man face was gone the next day. It won't be missed. Nothing like putting your Grand Prix horse into renal failure to cement your career, right?

We've started putting together pieces of the various FEI tests, since I think going round and round gives a false sense of security. The tests are there for a reason, and built to test skill. So, why not put them to good use, and actually see what this horse and I are made of?

Today we focused on the trot tour in the Prix St. George test. I did better than I thought - I seriously thought I was going to poop out half way through, but we made it through passably, and the medium and extended trots were easier to get and collect than I thought. Nikita likes to fall on her forehand as we go into the 8m volte out of the shoulder in, so I've spent time making sure she remains uphill and under herself in the volte. It's easy to lose the energy "out the backdoor," as we say, and I suppose vigilance is the better part of valor when it comes to recycling the energy in the horse. It's encouraging that at this time we can respectably put together parts of the Prix St. George test, since I plan to really work on the test this winter for next year's competition season, and it's the trot work that has me concerned. I do more difficult canter work every day than appears in the Prix St. George test, and I'm stronger with the canter tour anyway. It seems we're a few months ahead of schedule.

Benched and Crabby About It: July 23, 2010

Nikita has come up with some sort of hoof problem related to an old shoeing job. The last farrier put a clip on too tight, and now that her foot has grown, the clip has put too much pressure on the hoof, and the hoof has started to split dangerously.

This is one of those things that happens because I know nothing of farrier work, and couldn't tell if a clip was on too tight or generally if there's a clip on at all. I almost never blame anything on the farrier, but this time, baby, it's definitely the farrier, and now I've been waiting 2 days for Farrier Extraordinare Mike to fix it, and given the heat, everyone, horse included, is cranky. So, the mare and I have been benched until at least tomorrow (when it's supposed to be 105*). Hopefully losing part of her foot hasn't lamed her.

Of course, Nikita being Nikita, she hasn't lost her sense of humor, and had a great time playing practical jokes on the farrier. At one point, she managed to get her foot wedged nice and tight on one of his hoof stands just to test his patience and ingenuity in freeing her foot. I suppose a mare has to get her jollies somehow.

This actually hasn't been that big of a hassle since I've been at the SRS clinic the past 3 days and have had other horses to ride. More on that at a different time, since I'm still processing everything I saw and learned. However, since Nikita is still my prime horse, I'd like to be able to keep riding her, you know?

Nicole, Nikita, and the Popeye of Death: July 19, 2010

Nicole seems to have resolved her popeye of death. Lots of saline, cold compresses, a fly mask, and yes, even a little human topical steroid cream (unorthodox, I know) seem to have done the trick, and the swelling is much reduced. She no longer looks as if she's ready to go on vacation with those huge bags under her eyes.

Nic has started some in-hand work for piaffe, and right now we're in the half-step phase. The popeye of death has stymied any riding efforts for the past few days, so we've been concentrating on these half-steps. It's interesting work, although I believe it's going to take a while before anything video-worthy occurs.

The half passes with Nikita are going much better, although she got today off because she seemed a little fried from the collection. In the half pass, I think "forward, forward, forward" while asking for the half pass with my hips, and the 2 efforts combined have produced some sort of collection. I guess it's a lot to ask (although it feels like crap to me) because Nikita doesn't display feelings of being fried unless she actually feels them. In other words, she doesn't express anxiety or pressure unless she's actually feeling those emotions, unlike Nicole who displays anxiety when the wind blows from the North, South, East or West. I imagine we're in another muscle-building phase with the half passes, much like we are with the collected-medium-collected trot transitions.

Up next: Learning how the Spanish Riding School trains piaffe/passage in hand at a clinic with Christian Bachinger, a rider from the SRS. Doing a clinic is odd for me, since I rarely blow money on anything horse-related except board and the absolutely necessary, but since I'm starting Nic on piaffe/passage, I want to see how the SRS method compares to the way I was taught to teach the movement in hand.

July 16, 2010

Well, today was certainly exciting. I was woken up at 5am by an earthquake only to be entertained by Nicole's most current "Nicolescapade." Currently, Nic is doing her Popeye impression, as some irritant has caused her eyelids to become completely swollen. What number escapade is this for 2010? Number 1234? All in a day's work for a mare.

It's pretty bad, but not painful, and looks worse in the photo than I think it is. But it's sure unsightly.

The half passes with Nikita are getting better, but they're still far from consistent. I'd like to see more collection, but given a week ago we could barely get through the half pass, I'm happy to take what we've got currently. The secret, I'm finding, is to make sure she really responds to my leg for the sideways motion, and to always think about forward. I have to stop trying to use my hands for anything - it accomplishes nothing using the hands except interfering with the horse.

Half-Pass Hell: July 13, 2010

Since our canter work is in great shape, Nikita and I have been working more on our trot, which is my weak area. Specifically, we've been concentrating on half-passes, since those are super weak. Our canter half-passes are bordering amazing, since we have little trouble performing them at a grand prix angle, and they're powerfully collected and straight, but we just lack that feel in the trot half pass. It's getting better because a few months ago the half-passes were a disaster; currently, they're hit or miss.

Nikita is the kind of horse that you have to set up perfectly in order to get a good movement; she has to be super through at the poll and pushing from behind, and you have to be on the ball and, honestly, micro-manage her every stride. She's not the kind of horse, I'm realizing, that really offers unless you really ask. If you add into the mix the fact that she's super powerful, you get a horse that's really hard to collect, and I mean truly collect, sometimes. Nikita isn't a schoolmaster, and is confident enough in her own sense of self that she waits until you ask correctly before doing the movement. Nicole, who is no where near as educated as Nikita, requires simply pointing her in the right direction and asking for the bend, and away she goes into the half-pass with little set up required. She wants your approval, and I think she was born knowing how to move sideways. I'm not able to set up Nikita yet for the trot half pass so that she's collected in the movement consistently. We've been working on being more elastic, and the half passes are showing that we're not quite elastic enough yet. Good information to know.

For whatever reason, I'm the kind of rider that if a movement isn't damn near perfect, it's physically uncomfortable for me. It just doesn't feel right. I think this is pretty odd, but a lucky twist of fate since I have an inner litmus test telling me if a movement is good or not, or at least where I need to improve. Right now, these half-passes are so uncultured that they're actually torturous to me. Add into the mix the humidity and heat of the past few days, and you've got a real inferno.

July 10, 2010

The heat has finally broken for a day, and it's a relief. Nikita has gotten the past 3 days off because of the heat and because she's seemed a little fried from the elasticity work we've been doing. Pooping in the aisle (something she's never done in the past 2 years I've known her) was the first clue. Trying to nail me with a hind leg was my 2nd. You gotta love the mares, and by now I can read 'em like a book. I know the work I've been doing is correct and I've been clear in what I want, but we've been doing a lot of collected work, and she's in that muscle-building phase, so she's probably sore.

She's also coming down from a "wardrobe malfunction" - the noseband on her double snapped mid-pirouette. She was perfect to the left, then freaked to the right, which is her difficult side. I thought I'd held the reins too much and created too much contact, but there the noseband was, swinging insolently. Even after I changed the noseband, she was still very hot to the right, and after performing the right pirouette correctly, the training was ended for the day. The next day, she was still very hot, which is when her mini-vacation began.

Here's some video to the left. She tries to turn by herself, or to do more than 1 rotation, which is why I've stopped her a couple times.



Nicole has been worked in the early AM, but even so, it's been hot and the air heavy. On Thursday, she was cooked after 15 minutes because the air quality was so bad. I've been working on the usual stuff, but focusing on making her really push to the bridle and swing her back while we do the usual stuff. More important than anything else, she has to focus on using her back. She wants to suck back, which is the worst thing she can do. It takes a lot of forward, forward, forward and reminding her to stay through to get her release that tension.

July 4, 2010

The past few days with Nikita have been about making her more elastic. I can tell that she needs some strengthening to become more truly elastic - right now, I'm having a hard time keeping her relaxed in collected-medium-collected transitions after just a couple transitions. After just a few transitions, she becomes either heavy in the bridle or tries to come above the bit, telling me that she's tired. We've been spending about 20 minutes every day on these transitions.

I've started to approach tempis different. I used to get wound up, worried about mistakes (laziness coming out, as I didn't want to have to do them twice). It was mostly a confidence thing, worried that I'd have to do the tempis again and again until I got them right. The other day an odd thing happened. I found I just didn't care if I messed them up, that I knew how to correct it, and could handle having to repeat the exercise. And of course, since I stopped caring about screwing up, I haven't screwed up, and have done them correctly the every time, up to 2 tempis. I've been working on making them more collected and expressive since.

I've had to play with different curb bit set-ups with Nicole. She isn't pushing to the bit enough, and simultaneously isn't through enough. When I make the curb chain tighter, she doesn't go forward enough, and when I make the curb chain looser, it's harder to get her through, which with Nicole is really, really important since she's so spooky, i.e., it's a safety thing. I'm playing with the placement of the bit now, but still haven't found that sweet spot.

June 29, 2010

Nikita's trot is coming along amazingly. We've been working on collected-medium-collected transitions, and in the mediums she's becoming so uphill that her front legs are almost horizontal to the ground. She's lost a lot of the heaviness in the reins that she was exhibiting. It's hard to believe how much power she has. We still need work in the medium to collected transitions. She has a tendency to become strung out in the medium if I let her, and it's hard to bring her back when she's that heavy. I'm trying to do the transitions more with my seat, and given the amount of power the mare has, I'm still trying to sort out how to collect her back with only my seat. I've found dressage is much harder when you use your hands, so using my seat is the only way I'm going to go.

My canter pirouettes are becoming solid to the left, but now I have to focus on the right. Nikita doesn't like to be soft on the right rein which makes it difficult to get the bend in the right pirouette. Nikita's right leg is weaker than the left, and if she had it her way she'd go around with her haunches swung inside. Pretty much left leg to right rein has become my life, since this ensures she remains through from behind, but this is more complicated in the pirouettes since there's a lot going on in that movement.

June 24, 2010

Neither horse has gotten much face time with the double bridle for 2 days because of the 90+ temperatures we've been having. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you're unemployed), I've had to work the past 2 days, which means I can't ride early in the morning or late at night, when it's cool enough to actually do something. So the horses have sat, happy and impotent, in front of their fans.

I've been asking Nikita for increasing collection and carriage, and now her neck muscles are HUGE. She always had big neck muscles, but they're Schwarzenegger big now. Sounds like good training is starting to show. She's started to develop an even better show trot, more floaty like she doesn't touch the ground, using her new neck muscles to keep herself uphill (read: not putting 300lbs into the double, expecting me to keep her afloat).

This isn't to say we don't have our fair share of tantrums. Nikita likes to play in the half-passes now. I swear it's a different evasion every day with her. She'd rather avoid staying collected if possible, so she's punctuated nice, collected half-passes with sudden inverting and spinning exercises. Technically, this is my error for not keeping her through and pushing. But I'm only human, and she's only a horse. After a particularly heinous tantrum, she learned one of the unwritten Golden Rules of Dressage, which I don't use often enough: if you misbehave, you will have to just work harder. Several canter pirouettes ensued, both to illustrate my point and to let her blow off steam. Half-passes aren't our strongest movements right now, so I can imagine it's frustrating to her, too.

June 21, 2010

Why is it that the simplest problems are also the most complex? Nikita and I have been working on canter departs. Yes, canter departs. You’d think riding at the level we’re at, canter departs would be not on our list of items to improve, but Nikita likes popping her hind end in during the left-lead departs, and it’s not something I can weather anymore. The obvious solution is to take off in shoulder-in, which is easier than it sounds, because it’s not before the depart that she twists, and it’s not after, it occurs simultaneous with lift-off.

On a related note, I’m discovering the importance of the pelvis in riding. I’ve realized the essence of quiet riding is in the pelvis, which I’m using more and more to direct the horse. It’s a nice feeling, since, being the laziest dressage rider in the universe, all I have to do to accomplish a movement is move my hips slightly. I find to increase collection, all I have to do is tuck my pelvis under more. I can get used to this sort of riding, since I barely have to break much of a sweat.

What does this have to do with the canter depart struggle? To keep the horse straight in the canter depart/shoulder in pretzel, I’m realizing the pelvis bone plays an important part.

Nikita, Pirouettes, and the Good Humor Horse: May 17, 2010

I've started working on full pirouettes with Nikita. We can do them in one place, turning on 2-3 meters or so, although sometimes I get a little stuck in the middle. I'm trying to figure out the right combination of turning and slow motion needed. I'm learning that the more collected I have her before the pirouette, the easier it is to keep her on her haunches.

Everyday I get the feeling Nikita is merely humoring me. I'm waiting for her to get bored with my endeavors and drop the good-girl act.

More Canter 1/2 Pirouettes

Morven Park CDCTA Dressage Show: May 2, 2010

Today an exciting thing happened both for me and for a friend. A friend and fellow student asked me to be her "eyes on the ground" at a show because our trainer could not be there. This friend is a more recent devotee of my trainer, and isn't as familiar with our system as I am. So I was happy to oblige, and share what I know. But here's the hitch: my friend was competing in the Grand Prix.

I'm quite certain this friend has forgotten more about training than I'll ever know. She made her Grand Prix horse, a horse that she's owned since the mare was around 6 months old. So she's really made this mare into the Grand Prix horse she is today, from backing the horse to putting on the 1 tempis. I was flattered she wanted my help, but who am I compared to her?

This rider sought my trainers help because she wanted to get her USDF Gold Medal this year, and had only once scored over 60%. This weekend she was trying for her 2nd Gold Medal score. No pressure or anything.

I helped as best I could, being more familiar with our trainer's system, and coached her though her warm up, very concerned I was going to mess her up. Happily enough, my friend not only scored over 60% on the first day, but won her class over a much more experienced rider (who used to be a student of my trainer, but has since eschewed his system)! The second day, my friend competed Grand Prix again, this time for her Gold Medal score. She scored over 60%, and is now a USDF Gold Medalist.

She said she did well because of my trainer's system and my help at the show, which is a nice compliment for me, who is far from a Grand Prix rider. I'm sure it's rare someone at my level gets an opportunity like this, to have a Grand Prix rider have that kind of confidence in my abilities, to help someone win at Grand Prix with a score over 60%, and to help them get a USDF medal. I helped her, despite my concern about my knowledge, because it is such a rare opportunity, and a testiment, I suppose, to my abilities. I'm glad I was able to help her, and not totally screw her up.

April 30, 2010

I'm having a hard time coming to terms with the difference between a forward trot and an impulsive trot. The impulsive trot needed for the FEI levels is more lofty than the trot used in the lower levels, and I don't know about anybody else, but the loft in the trot makes it feel like the horse is stuck in honey and not pushing well enough. Even the piaffe feels honey-fied.

Over the years, I became used to Nicole's trot, which was mostly forward because of nervousness. Nikita's trot is forward enough, but is more "up in the air", that is, the energy is directed upwards as well as forwards. I'd always figured this sort of trot would feel super-impulsive, like driving a truck with no shock absorbers. The fact that the trot doesn't feel like that is confusing. Sometimes I think I work too hard trying to make the trot more powerful than necessary.

I've started working on most of the elements for the Prix St. George test. Today we worked on the shoulder-in/8 meter circle/half pass combination. I can see why they put that element in the test; it's a good litmus to see just how on the aids the horse is. It seems simple enough, but, like a Picasso, is deceptive in its simplicity.

I don't know if I'll compete this year. The only reason I'd compete is for my silver medal scores. Right now, competing for the sake of competing isn't that interesting to me. I'd rather focus on learning to ride at the Grand Prix level before worrying about competing. Besides learning the skills to train horses to Grand Prix, my big concern is about the money needed to support a career at that level, namely, to buy good horses and campaign them. That's a few years off for me, but is still one of my chief concerns.

Video of Canter Half-Pirouettes

Yesterday I almost cried during 3 tempis. My back hurt long before I got on the horse, and Nikita made me work for every tempi. With Nikita, you have to be on the ball, because she tests you every stride. If I go off my game for a moment, she finds a way to stop working. So, I had to use my back more than normal to keep her collected, yet pushing enough to do the changes. Holding the collection with my back was difficult, and required more strength than I cared to exert. Usually I have problems either in the 4 tempis or 2 tempis. But Nikita takes her yahoos where she can get them, and yesterday it was in the 3 tempis.

Video of Canter Half-Pirouettes, a work in progress.



It's hard to find things to write about. In our daily training, the only thing I focus on is making the horse through at the poll from behind and to chew the bit. It's really as simple as that. I don't do exercises to make the horse more collected, I don't use ground poles or any props. Just make the horse through at the poll and chew the bit. Any time the horse is stuck, or the movement isn't right, can be attributed to the horse not being through and chewing. Any time the horse is stuck in the canter pirouettes, the issue is corrected by asking for more forward from behind, which is the alpha and omega of being through at the poll and chewing the bit. There's really not more to our training than that.

April 8, 2010

Started canter pirouettes on Nikita. She feels different than Nicole or Desi.

Getting around a half pirouette is easy. Getting around in 3 steps and without losing rhythm is not so easy.

In Which Nikita Smells Something Funny: March 28, 2010

March 15, 2010

I realized today I both drop my right rein too much and let my reins get too long when doing 2 tempis. Dropping the right rein is a bad habit I have to work on anyway - it's always too loose, and I tend to lose the feeling of riding with one hand to the left. I think this is why it feels like I can't get good 2 time changes unless I "fling" Nikita to the left when changing from right to left (i.e., emphasize through motion that I want her to switch from right to left) - she gets disconnected because my reins are too long and I'm losing the connection on the outside rein.

My collected walk is getting better.

2 & 3 Tempis on Nikita: March 10, 2010

I'm completely tired of barn dogs. Where there's horses there's dogs, and in theory I like dogs, but more and more barn dogs are starting to not do it for me anymore. This sentiment has been brewing for a while, and is unfortunate as I've always considered myself a dog person. The reason? Horse people have little dogs, and those little dogs like to chase cars, dart in front of my vehicle, and generally lose themselves in their joie de vie and out of my line of site. Who wants to ever have the chance of hitting an animal? I certainly don't, but I walk that thin line every day with barn dogs, and the irritation that I could accidentally hit a dog one day is starting to fester.

March 8, 2010

Nicole started in-hand work for piaffe yesterday. We're just focusing on walking into the bridle, which is the first step. She was good and chewed the bit at the appropriate times, but confused about what was being asked of her.

March 6, 2010

I finally have the feeling I want from Nikita in the tempis. And I have it consistently through the whole ride.

You can't see the difference - they always looked fine from the outside - but I certainly feel the difference. She is consistently through at her poll and chewing the bit, and there's no room for monkey business between the changes. My legs and hands are connected enough that when she gets strong or loses her throughness, I just have to ask her for a little more behind, and I get the throughness back. I can sense better, too, when I'm asking for too much or not enough.

February 24, 2010

I'm beginning to form "iron legs." What this metallurgic metaphor means is I'm starting to develop enough technique in my legs such that the horse listens - really listens - to them regardless of whether I'm wearing spurs or not. The result is an increase in my control over Nikita and an improvement in our way of going. We can now produce several FEI-quality shoulder-ins at the trot down a single longside as proof of our harmony.

Like the first time I corrected a child and she actually listened, I'm dumbfounded by the fact that a 1500lb animal actually does what I tell her to do. I urge her forward to tell her to GET THOSE HINDLEGS UNDERNEATH YOU NOW, and she responds by increasing her engagement. This is the point of dressage, to create a malleable temperament, to render submission and sophistication in an otherwise wild animal. And apparently, that's an achievable goal.

Yet, I constantly feel like my control is an illusion, that one day Nikita will just stop listening and stand immovable, like the teenager who realizes she has a will of her own. If I were her, that's what I'd do. Regardless of the quality of the movement we produce, I still feel like I've gotten away with something, pulled a fast one on the mare, and that it's only a matter of time before Nikita realizes that her compliance isn't necessary.

Nicole, the Trojan War, and Humanism: February 10, 2010

Nicole has spent the past 2 weeks (during which time no one could ride, because during the interim between snow storms, the temps were below 30*) playing in 3 or so feet of snow, breaking electric fences (that one was partially my fault), and doing that particular thing she does so well: acquiring boyfriends. Ah yes, she will not allow another mare near her, but she will let her male courtesans admire her Helen-esque presence with abandon.

Her sorry addiction to this attention is self-evident: I separated her from her current favorite courtier for a grand total of 15 minutes to feed her (yes FEED her), and she responded by calling ceaselessly and throwing herself against her stall door. There was some piaffing involved, during which time I made sure to point out to my trainer that yes, indeed, piaffe is in the mare's vocabulary.

Nicole's introduction to her current herd has started a Trojan War of the equine kind. Much like Paris, Nicole has stolen the object of another mare's affection, stirring up an epic mayhem only a mare can commence. One sees factions occurring among this equid crowd; all's fair in love and war, and Nicole employed the "divide and conquer" approach, and divided the males right over to her encampment (the allure of romance helped). The delicate balance that existed in this herd was blown to Sirenum scopuli when Nicole channeled Aphrodite to beguile and charm all the masculine attention towards her queenly self.

Nicolbria would actually fit into ancient society quite well, where the mightiest is at the top of the food chain. It's an idea of the Humanism Age that all men are created equal. Nicole adopts the Ancients' theory of equality, which is to say that anyone who ain't Greek ain't fit to be around Greeks. The Ancient Egyptians had a similar outlook: if you aren't Egyptian, human rights aren't happening. In accordance with Bronze Age idealism, if you aren't Nicole, you better be a male and quite besotted, because otherwise, forget you have any right to be in her presence. And I mean, you had better be on the other side of the field unless you want a whole lotta siren whoop ass to be your punishment!

I'm actually surprised she's acting this cold to other mares; it's not really like her to be this independent. Nicole was a "follow the crowd" horse, and I'm interested to see if she integrates better into her new herd. Perhaps this is a sign that her mentality has evolved as a result of her extensive dressage education?

Nicole, Ms. Alpha Mare, and the Cut Boyfriend: February 4, 2010

Nicole has a new boyfriend. Which she stole from another mare. Who happens to be an alpha mare. And now she and Ms. Alpha Mare are actually peeing all over each other, in some sort of equine cat fight. And this stud-muffin boyfriend is a gelding. Yes, you know what that means.

Yep, that's my FEI-level horse.

January 30, 2010

I really think staying up North for the winter is a total waste of time. I haven't been riding in 2 days - it's been below 30*, which is my threshold. Below 30*, I think you're asking for an injury. We've had some days in the high 50s and I noticed I rode better and was definitely less cranky. Maybe this makes me a whimp, but I see it as a matter of efficiency to prefer warmer weather for riding. I learned a long time ago that bearing adversity and training no matter what is a load of crap.

Nicole, Nikita, and the 5 Stages of Grief (err...Throughness): January 23, 2010

Finally, it's starting to feel like I'm getting consistent throughness in the lead changes with Nikita. I've been after this feeling for months, and it's been elusive since the mare ain't givin' it up until I ask the right way. Oh sure, they've looked fine from the ground in the past, but the feeling hasn't been right to me. Maybe other people don't care about this stuff, but the feeling is what's most important to me. I've spent the past month or so just working on throughness and collection at the canter, imprinting the correct feeling into my muscle memory, first on the circle, then down the longside, then in movements.

It seems this effort is paying off, as evidenced in Nikita's pinned ears. Someone's not happy I'm gaining the upperhand. I still laugh at the memory of Nicole pinning her ears the first time I started to keep her through at the canter, and the marrish quality of the moment. There's a sort of Kübler-Ross model involved, I've found, when a rider starts to find the way to get more submission out of their mount (which is what dressage is about in the first place, right?)

First comes bargaining (Oh, ok, I'll give you some but that's all you're getting), then the pinned ears expressing the anger at actually having to work (WHAT?! You're asking for MORE?!), then comes that confused, depressed look (How the hell did she sort this one out?), then comes denial (This has to be an accident, let's spook to test it out) then finally, acceptance (Crap, spooking didn't work. Oh, all right, fine, sigh.) and the forward ears which show she's happy to be working.

Horses don't like control (who does?), and a big question in my mind lately has been, "how do you know what each horse needs to improve?" Nikita has different needs than Nicole, and it's not just because of the disparity in their training - each is a different animal, with different personalities. They play different under saddle, have different evasions, so clearly all horses aren't alike, and you can't ride or train each one the same way. So how do you know what to do to bring out the best in each horse and make them the best they can be?

On another note, Nicole can now start in hand work for piaffe & passage. I think that's pretty cool.

Nicole, Dirt, and the Lack of Dignity: January 15, 2010

Omg. Nicole fell during turnout today. You'd think my mare, with her education, would have a modicum of dignity, but no. She reared, while still attached to her leadline, scrambled away when released, and promptly slid in the mud, landing on her fat mare belly. See, Nicole doesn't just get turned out. She makes it an event, and makes sure EVERYONE notices her in all her nutbar glory.

To make matters worse, she got a hoof stuck in the fence momentarily, but Nic doesn't panic at stuff like that, and managed to dislodge herself with enough agility to go galloping across the 1/4 acre she had to run around in, snorting away. Apparently, this was my invitation to indulge in games of the equine kind. We spent the next 1/2 hr playing tag and finding treats to eat.

January 8, 2010

I've been working on getting Nikita more connected in the canter. She had always felt like I wasn't getting her through enough at the canter, and that my hands weren't connected to my legs. I figured it out at trot a while ago, but getting that same sort of connectivity at the canter has always eluded me. I think I'm finally starting to get it together.

My trot is also solid enough, meaning I'm consistently keeping her pushing enough into the bridle to keep her hind end working, to start shoulder-in and half passes at the trot. For me this is exciting because it means I'm finally starting to become more consistent.

December 31, 2009/January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!

I got a New Year's kiss from Sophie, the little orange cat. I would try to get one from Nic, but it's below 32* and raining (i.e., too icy for me!!) Tonite is also a blue moon as well as a lunar eclipse. Too bad it's raining!!