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.