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.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, June 21, 2010
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.
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.
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