Now that I have the trot better, I've been working on trying to get Nikita more through at the canter and to push into the bridle. Nikita has so much power (at least 3x that of Nic) that actually getting her to push correctly into the bridle is a difficult task. When she leans on the bit, the necessary reaction on the part of the rider is to push her more forward, but the resulting increase in energy has to be directed up, and not forward. It's in the act of causing the energy to produce more loft in the gait that causes the mare to push into the bridle, thereby causing her to become more light in the bridle.
Although this concept is easy to understand, actually doing it is another matter which requires herculean effort. It honestly takes a lot of good timing and quick reflexes to accomplish this, at least for me. It's not a result of using muscle per sey; I suppose the easiest way to explain it is that the rider has to use muscle not on the horse to produce a result, but instead muscle is required for the rider to maintain balance and to quickly give aids to the horse. I get closer every day to being more effective, but it takes a lot of energy to get there.
I've noticed an interesting difference between Nic and Nikita. When Nic is "given the rein", meaning that momentary release of the fingers to encourage softness, Nicole actually becomes more soft and relaxes into the contact, becoming more of a ball, which is the ultimate aim of dressage training - compacted energy. Nikita, on the other hand, uses that release as a way to avoid working - she flattens out and comes against the bridle. I find I have to hold her energy in my seat more and encourage her to go forward to ensure she doesn't flatten.
Until I realized this difference (which was only very recently), it caused a lot of issues with me and Nikita, namely, I'd release the reins similar as I do with Nic, thinking I was performing the correct action, and Nikita would flatten and use the opportunity to play. I'd lose the work I'd already done and have to start over again, only to have the cycle repeat itself.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
December 11, 2009
I know I'm going to shoot myself for saying this, as committing opinions to paper means they will be instantly rendered obsolete, but I think I've resolved a lot of the problems I'd been having trying to ride Nikita in the trot I need to make her through and to make the gait correct. It had been hit or miss, sometimes with a struggle at the beginning of the ride, but I dare say it's pretty solid now. Of course, now that I've committed this opinion to paper, I'm sure I'm going to have a terrible ride tomorrow. I'm told that we can try shoulder-ins and half-passes soon. I've done both on her, but wanted to wait until I could really make her through at the trot. Anyone can ride a half-pass, but it's doing it in the correct kind of trot and through that really matters.
The tempis are getting there. It's not that I can't do them, obviously I can, it's that I'm trying to do them through and with power so that the front end is freer and they're not flat.
One thing that's come to light is that I ride with my right elbow too far forward; this causes me to constantly lose my right rein, which causes the horse to lose her throughness. Correcting it feels weird though; it feels like my right rein and hand is way too tight, but I can tell by the horse's reaction that what I'm doing is correct. Oddly enough, I realized this issue when riding Nic.
The tempis are getting there. It's not that I can't do them, obviously I can, it's that I'm trying to do them through and with power so that the front end is freer and they're not flat.
One thing that's come to light is that I ride with my right elbow too far forward; this causes me to constantly lose my right rein, which causes the horse to lose her throughness. Correcting it feels weird though; it feels like my right rein and hand is way too tight, but I can tell by the horse's reaction that what I'm doing is correct. Oddly enough, I realized this issue when riding Nic.
Monday, December 7, 2009
December 7, 2009
I can't believe how dry my hands are. And how many people are in the indoor arena now. I hate winter. I hate winter. I hate winter. Except having 2 FEI horses means people automatically get out of my way. Not that you would know they're FEI level because all they want to do is spook...errr...play. So really, I guess people get out of our way because we look like a freak show that could get the innocent bystander killed.
Ok, we all know that's hyperbole.
Nikita got a weeks vacation to rest mentally, and is back full force and VERY forward. She's great to ride when she's feeling very forward, and also great to ride when she needs more leg, but as we all know I'm a sucker for a very forward horse.
And I do believe my leg position issue has been resolved once and for all. Thanks to 2 weeks without stirrups. I think I grew another 2 inches and now have thighs of steel.
Nicole's still puttering around working on the lead changes. She's up to her old tricks of being stiff on the left at the trot, but that's mostly because I keep dropping my right rein and not making sure she fills the outside rein.
One change about myself that I've noticed is that I'm taking charge more often in our rides and thinking "how can I fix this issue" instead of just getting frustrated. For example, Nicole is harder on the left rein. Now I think, ok, what am I missing, what are the basics that are missing that's preventing her from being through and chewing the bit. Most of the time I can solve the problem. She was horrible in left-lead canter yesterday until I made her do exercises to be more through on that rein; today she did it perfectly the first time.
Ok, we all know that's hyperbole.
Nikita got a weeks vacation to rest mentally, and is back full force and VERY forward. She's great to ride when she's feeling very forward, and also great to ride when she needs more leg, but as we all know I'm a sucker for a very forward horse.
And I do believe my leg position issue has been resolved once and for all. Thanks to 2 weeks without stirrups. I think I grew another 2 inches and now have thighs of steel.
Nicole's still puttering around working on the lead changes. She's up to her old tricks of being stiff on the left at the trot, but that's mostly because I keep dropping my right rein and not making sure she fills the outside rein.
One change about myself that I've noticed is that I'm taking charge more often in our rides and thinking "how can I fix this issue" instead of just getting frustrated. For example, Nicole is harder on the left rein. Now I think, ok, what am I missing, what are the basics that are missing that's preventing her from being through and chewing the bit. Most of the time I can solve the problem. She was horrible in left-lead canter yesterday until I made her do exercises to be more through on that rein; today she did it perfectly the first time.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
November 29, 2009
Still working on those lead changes with Nic, but they are solid now. We're trying to be less wild in the changes, but a mare has to show some excitement, right? She's getting there. I'm hoping I can show her 3rd & 4th level in the spring. Wouldn't that be nice.
I tried canter pirouettes with her today, but shhh....don't tell my trainer. It's a secret between you and me. We aren't supposed to do them until she's quiet in the lead changes. Nic can do haunches in on a volte, but as with any new exercise, she's sure it's going to kill her.
I made a mistake with her earlier this week. I'm trying to bring her trot to the next level by asking her to have more upward impulsion instead of just forward impulsion. I think I asked for her to do it for too long because she's not quite in the bridle enough anymore for me, although that could have just been how she was today and not necessarily an issue I have to address.
I know it's early, but I'm completely over winter already. Who wants to sweat outside in the cold? I'd saved up money to go to Florida, but I didn't get myself ready in time and missed out on reserving a stall. And that thing I go to every so often called a job made it difficult logistically. Kind of. I had enough leave to actually go down Jan & Feb, but again I don't have a stall. Think I got it all worked out for next year, and believe me if I can do it, I will. Those 5 years I spent in CA killed any ability I had to get through winter happily.
So Nikita and I are going through this phase where I'm getting better at making her do her job and she's not happy about it. I went through the same thing with Nic, so this is my 2nd round. Nikita's been kicking the sideboards of the indoor in protest.
I tried canter pirouettes with her today, but shhh....don't tell my trainer. It's a secret between you and me. We aren't supposed to do them until she's quiet in the lead changes. Nic can do haunches in on a volte, but as with any new exercise, she's sure it's going to kill her.
I made a mistake with her earlier this week. I'm trying to bring her trot to the next level by asking her to have more upward impulsion instead of just forward impulsion. I think I asked for her to do it for too long because she's not quite in the bridle enough anymore for me, although that could have just been how she was today and not necessarily an issue I have to address.
I know it's early, but I'm completely over winter already. Who wants to sweat outside in the cold? I'd saved up money to go to Florida, but I didn't get myself ready in time and missed out on reserving a stall. And that thing I go to every so often called a job made it difficult logistically. Kind of. I had enough leave to actually go down Jan & Feb, but again I don't have a stall. Think I got it all worked out for next year, and believe me if I can do it, I will. Those 5 years I spent in CA killed any ability I had to get through winter happily.
So Nikita and I are going through this phase where I'm getting better at making her do her job and she's not happy about it. I went through the same thing with Nic, so this is my 2nd round. Nikita's been kicking the sideboards of the indoor in protest.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
October 22, 2009
Nicole has started doing something similar to tempis. They aren't tempis because we aren't counting anything out, just doing lead changes down the long side as she feels through and capable of doing them correctly. But tempis are just a step away from that. Oddly enough, her left-to-right lead changes are better than the right-to-left lead changes.
Her trot work is getting more consistent. She isn't afraid of the bit anymore, although her favorite evasion is still to suck up like this little rubber ball and not go forward. Those moments are becoming fewer as she realizes that going forward isn't the scary event she makes it out to be and is more comfortable pushing into the bridle. Now to start getting a more uphill and floating trot...not as easy as it sounds to convince a horse that she should move her energy up and not just out and forward.
My trot work with Nikita is getting better. I've had to learn that blasting around at full power doesn't equate to a relaxed dancing trot. All things being equal, blasting around at full power is easier and more relaxing to ME, but drives the poor mare up the wall, and is counter-producive to the tenets of dressage to which we all aspire. So, I've had a lesson in learning to do nothing and to become more comfortable with a more dancing trot. :-/ I guess mediums and extended trots will be my favorite exercises.
Nikita and I are working on canter pirouettes and collecting the canter well enough to do those expressively. And I feel like killing myself. We do great to the left, but I can't bring that same level of competence to the right side. I'm having trouble keeping her through properly to the right AND keeping a forward canter. The issue is that I'm not using my left leg enough to get her properly forward. It just about kills me when the horse isn't through and I'm dealing with this board underneath me that won't bend because I haven't made her forward enough, and I'm momentarily lacking the skill to keep it all together.
I've learned that I have this comfort zone - I'm most comfortable when I don't have to work to get the horse forward, but instead focus all my attention on bringing the horse back. I'm also pretty comfortable with a horse that is tense and jumping out of its skin; a relaxed horse leaves me feeling lost and confused. That's nice, but it doesn't really work to my advantage. I've learned with Nikita - who isn't nervous like Nicole - that I'm not that good at getting a horse to go forward from my leg. I've never had to learn - Nicole has always been extremely forward thinking and my job has always been to bring her back and hold the energy. These days I live in this paradox that I'm just beginning to resolve; it just about kills me to have to work to get a horse forward, yet sitting and doing nothing (i.e., to stop asking for more when the horse is going well) produces a restless confusion. Making Nikita crazy has been a lesson; when the mare is going well, I'm having to learn to let her relax and not ask for more more more all the time. The relaxed dancing trot is the aim. I'm also having to learn to ask for more forward from my leg and to insist on it when my request goes unheard. This has helped with Nicole, because another lesson I've learned is that forward does not equal "forward with power into the bridle". In other words, as Nicole has been asked to go forward into the bridle, using the legs to keep her forward and through has been necessary, and at times she has ignored the request in favor of getting out of the work.
Her trot work is getting more consistent. She isn't afraid of the bit anymore, although her favorite evasion is still to suck up like this little rubber ball and not go forward. Those moments are becoming fewer as she realizes that going forward isn't the scary event she makes it out to be and is more comfortable pushing into the bridle. Now to start getting a more uphill and floating trot...not as easy as it sounds to convince a horse that she should move her energy up and not just out and forward.
My trot work with Nikita is getting better. I've had to learn that blasting around at full power doesn't equate to a relaxed dancing trot. All things being equal, blasting around at full power is easier and more relaxing to ME, but drives the poor mare up the wall, and is counter-producive to the tenets of dressage to which we all aspire. So, I've had a lesson in learning to do nothing and to become more comfortable with a more dancing trot. :-/ I guess mediums and extended trots will be my favorite exercises.
Nikita and I are working on canter pirouettes and collecting the canter well enough to do those expressively. And I feel like killing myself. We do great to the left, but I can't bring that same level of competence to the right side. I'm having trouble keeping her through properly to the right AND keeping a forward canter. The issue is that I'm not using my left leg enough to get her properly forward. It just about kills me when the horse isn't through and I'm dealing with this board underneath me that won't bend because I haven't made her forward enough, and I'm momentarily lacking the skill to keep it all together.
I've learned that I have this comfort zone - I'm most comfortable when I don't have to work to get the horse forward, but instead focus all my attention on bringing the horse back. I'm also pretty comfortable with a horse that is tense and jumping out of its skin; a relaxed horse leaves me feeling lost and confused. That's nice, but it doesn't really work to my advantage. I've learned with Nikita - who isn't nervous like Nicole - that I'm not that good at getting a horse to go forward from my leg. I've never had to learn - Nicole has always been extremely forward thinking and my job has always been to bring her back and hold the energy. These days I live in this paradox that I'm just beginning to resolve; it just about kills me to have to work to get a horse forward, yet sitting and doing nothing (i.e., to stop asking for more when the horse is going well) produces a restless confusion. Making Nikita crazy has been a lesson; when the mare is going well, I'm having to learn to let her relax and not ask for more more more all the time. The relaxed dancing trot is the aim. I'm also having to learn to ask for more forward from my leg and to insist on it when my request goes unheard. This has helped with Nicole, because another lesson I've learned is that forward does not equal "forward with power into the bridle". In other words, as Nicole has been asked to go forward into the bridle, using the legs to keep her forward and through has been necessary, and at times she has ignored the request in favor of getting out of the work.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
September 29, 2009
Nicole's lead changes are starting to become more consistent. They are totally consistent from right to left, sometimes a little short, but never late. We've started left to right lead changes, and sometimes they're clean and sometimes not. She's figured out that right to left changes won't kill her, but now she needs to figure out left to right will leave her living as well.
The thing about Nicole (and I guess every horse at her stage) is that because her training and therefore her level of sophistication is evolving, her needs evolve, which means the game plan with her is always changing. For months she has been freaky-light in the mouth, now suddenly she is totally the opposite and it takes a lot more hand to get her through and pushing into the bridle correctly (by "a lot more hand" I mean the same amount of hand it takes for Nikita, which technically speaking isn't a lot, but much more than I can usually use with Nicole). I think she had to figure out, again, that pushing into the bridle and being through isn't going to kill her. I'd been feeling for months that particular sensation that tells me the horse isn't through at the trot, but figured her "through" just felt different than Nikita's, since if I used more hand, Nicole got upset.
I finally feel like my legs are becoming more correct. I'm starting to feel more contact between the horse and my calves, which means my legs aren't flapping around in that irritating manner anymore, and the horses are starting to push better into the bridle under me. I put spurs on for the first time in a couple months with Nikita (I've been denied spurs for the past couple months with the purpose to learn more effective leg position). Nikita was hot-hot-hot, which I like in a horse. My leg position is now getting good enough to put the spurs back on, and I'm consistent enough in my 4, 3, and 2 tempis to start on the ones again, but I haven't been able to start them without the spurs. They went fine, we just did sets of 2 one-time changes, then cantered until the canter is good enough again, then another set of 2 one-time changes for the most part. We did 4 one-time changes in a row, but I didn't want to push it - sets of 2 one-time changes is good enough for me right now.
The thing about Nicole (and I guess every horse at her stage) is that because her training and therefore her level of sophistication is evolving, her needs evolve, which means the game plan with her is always changing. For months she has been freaky-light in the mouth, now suddenly she is totally the opposite and it takes a lot more hand to get her through and pushing into the bridle correctly (by "a lot more hand" I mean the same amount of hand it takes for Nikita, which technically speaking isn't a lot, but much more than I can usually use with Nicole). I think she had to figure out, again, that pushing into the bridle and being through isn't going to kill her. I'd been feeling for months that particular sensation that tells me the horse isn't through at the trot, but figured her "through" just felt different than Nikita's, since if I used more hand, Nicole got upset.
I finally feel like my legs are becoming more correct. I'm starting to feel more contact between the horse and my calves, which means my legs aren't flapping around in that irritating manner anymore, and the horses are starting to push better into the bridle under me. I put spurs on for the first time in a couple months with Nikita (I've been denied spurs for the past couple months with the purpose to learn more effective leg position). Nikita was hot-hot-hot, which I like in a horse. My leg position is now getting good enough to put the spurs back on, and I'm consistent enough in my 4, 3, and 2 tempis to start on the ones again, but I haven't been able to start them without the spurs. They went fine, we just did sets of 2 one-time changes, then cantered until the canter is good enough again, then another set of 2 one-time changes for the most part. We did 4 one-time changes in a row, but I didn't want to push it - sets of 2 one-time changes is good enough for me right now.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
September 27, 2009
Video of tempis on Nikita. 4, 3, & 2 tempis.
Passage, collected trot, medium trot transitions on Nikita.
I don't like the passage in this video because I don't think she's underneath herself enough, but it's a start.
Current trot video on Nicole.
Passage, collected trot, medium trot transitions on Nikita.
I don't like the passage in this video because I don't think she's underneath herself enough, but it's a start.
Current trot video on Nicole.
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