Yesterday - Half Pass

Had a great ride on Gracie yesterday!  That half-pass and even haunches in that we absolutely could not do Sunday finally happened.  If I use a strong (strong) indirect rein on the left suddenly the bend appear, the haunches move left,  and we finally have a rhythmic, solid, left half-pass. Yay!    She even has some steps that really are moving up and over and begining to feel a little floaty.  Of course right after two or three of those either Gracie or I immediately fall over.  

I think my biggest issue was that I was trying too hard to shift my weight inside and as a result I was leaning forward and completely losing my outside seat bone.  I do better if I try to sit up straighter and keep weight on that seatbone, no collapsing to the inside.  

Wow!

We still had it when I rode today, but tomorrow I am off to Glenwood for two days...  hope it doesn't disappear!

I really have been riding

...just not writing.  

Lindsay K rode Gracie Wednesday.  I rope Pico that evening - just a few minutes in the arena working on canter transitions mostly.  Thursday no one rode - cold and windy.  Friday I rode Gracie and Lindsay rode Demi.

Saturday I rode Pico and Lindsay rode Demi - around the loop and a little time in the arena. 

Sunday Pico and I had a lesson at Platinum.  He did a great job, especially all by himself for the first time!  We jumped the barrels and the stone wall, and his very first oxer.  Everything was in the 2 foot to 2'3 range and we worked on cantering as much as possible.  Totally cool, although I really need the canter depart and the ability to keep cantering. :^)  Also worked on two related jumps in a straight line - Pico is seriously wiggly at a canter.  We need to work harder on the canter in a straight line concept.

Rode Gracie after I got back from Platinum.  Awesome right canter half pass.  I am having huge trouble with left anything.  We ended up working on haunches in to the left at a walk, then trot.  Ick!  She will go sideways in the canter half-pass, but her haunches trail and I can't move them over without losing bend completely (counter bent).  That needs to be our next lesson with Frances.

Half-Pass

Rode Pico around the loop this morning -- windy, but not terrible.  That came later...

Lesson on Gracie:  Side-pass with bend to get her really stepping over.  Then interesting exercise, first at walk - half-pass with shoulders leading, then haunches leading, then shoulders, then haunches.  I can make those changes with my own shoulders if I am really sitting in the saddle on both seat bones.  Her shoulders have to adjust around the haunches.  Same thing at trot, then at canter.  Wow! Great exercise!

Moved on to canter squares.  Left - get my left spur out of her side, ask with outside leg and with the reins, think about sitting tall and over my inside knee and back at same time.  No indirect rein of opposition!  To right is MUCH easier.  Worked on walk squares to figure out balance and how to ask.  Tap tap tap with outside leg and watch my hands -- both hands to the inside so I lead her around.

Beat the Wind

Got up early this morning to ride before the wind kicked in!  Pico was a gem -- 15 minutes in the arena working on leg yield and canter departs, then headed out around the loop. 

Hid from the wind at Platinum

The cold wind howled Friday, Saturday, and is still blowing, albeit more softly, today.  Had a jumping lesson this morning at Platinum.  We used the outdoor arena even in the wind.  I actually moved away from a couple of standards because I was afraid they were going to blow over on us.  Pico and I graduated to verticals though and cantered more jumps.  He is lovely -- never looks at anything (only Rochelle).  I managed to jump for him at least 50% of the time - icky!

Went back over this afternoon with Gracie to ride in the indoor.  It really is nice to have the mirrors.  Right half-pass was pretty good.  Left wasn't too bad.  Piaffe got better as the afternon progressed.  Medium trot was awesome.  Only issue was cantering in shoulder-in.  She does not like that!

Both horses ridden!  Lately that alone is miraculous.

Today on Gracie

Ran through our whole repertoire today.  Started by shortening her mane - not enough and used scissors, but it's a beginning.  Then I put the double on her again.  She really seems to prefer that to the snaffle and to the pelham.  Weird, but that's Gracie.  

Warmed up with walk squares, then change of bend through the trot.  Went on to piaffe - the first two were pretty good, then she became a little resistant.  Worked through that to get good solid half steps.  From there to a little medium trot.  She thinks there might be a monster in the trampoline and that helps the medium.  Most of it was just a lengthening, but we had one or two diagonals where her shoulders came up while the trot stayed round and balanced.  

Next, shoulder in at trot.  Followed by canter.....   

Right canter with shoulder-in caused a hissy fit.  (More like a leg-yield on the rail).  She really prefers to canter with her haunches in on that side, so asking her to put them out was interpreted like asking her to throw herself around, swap leads, and drop to trot. Worked through that though, then asked for a tiny lengthening at the canter -- yeesh.  Swap leads some more, kick out hind leg, etc.   Hot and sweaty by now.  Didn't really solve the shoulder-in question before I asked for right half-pass.  That was much easier.  I still have trouble sitting to the right a little (and that might be the problem with the shoulder-in), but she can go over and I do have enough left rein to slow the haunches down while the shoulders come over.  

Since this was so much fun to the right I thought I'd try to the left.  Shoulder-in is much easier t the left as in the half-pass.  I like to sit on the left, so that probably helps.  We don't have as much bend as we do the other direction and my outside rein is pretty iffy, but she goes over without a fuss.

Back to the barn because that was enough!

(Side note:  Blogspot's spell check underlines words like piaffe and pelham.  Nothing horsie in the dictionary I guess! Of course it also underlines Blogspot.)

Wednesday on Pico

Put in a good solid effort in the arena - Pico's right canter depart is getting very nice, left is still ugly.  Leg yield at trot is getting better both sides.  Still wants to fall on his shoulder, but it giving me some outside rein to correct that.  Shoulder-in is much better to the left.  

Walked around the loop afterward with Beverly.  He was pleasant, willing to walk beside her mare.  He feels like a nice beginning to be broke horse.  I can see training level off in the distance now and the trail rides this summer will be lovely.

Lesson - Canter Half-Pass

First - Rode Pico yesterday in the arena.  Worked on bend, leg-yield, shoulder-in, canter depart.  He is getting better every day.  Today I turned him out for awhile intending to ride, but the tennis scrimamge took longer than I expected, so he didn't get ridden.

Lesson on Gracie with Frances:  We worked most of the time on the right canter half-pass.  Key is to sit up really tall.  I can't seem to concentrate on my left seat-bone and stay tall and sit to the right all at the same time.  If I think more about stretching my right side and keeping both knees bent I end up in the correct place.  Gracie started out a little unhappy, but got better fairly quickly.  

We did a little work to the left, but concentrated on shoulder-in at the canter.  That alone is difficult.  I have a hard time maintaining left bend and still using my right rein. 

Exercise there was canter with shoulder-in, 10 meter circle, maintain shoulder-in down rail, 10 M circle, etc.  We had very nice 10m circles to the right, not so much to the left.  That's probably the exercise I need to work on at home before next week.   Going to the left I really have to think tall, stretch the inside of my body, and keep both knees bent.  Also don't let my hands get stuck - they need to do something twice a stride.

Worked a little on down transitions - think 3 strides of canter in place, then walk.  Works like a charm and keeps her engaged so she doesn't through her haunches to the right.

Tomorrow the sun will shine, the wind will go away, and I will ride both horses!

Jumping at Platinum

Jumped Pico at Platinum yesterday with Morgen (on Demi) and Lindsay (on Gracie) - all three horses ridden in one short hour!  Pico started out a little wired for sound, but he jumps everything. He has the canter away concept down.  We tried a couple of jumps from a canter.  He was okay over the first two, but forgot to jump the third. Oops.  Crashing through didn't change the next jump at all though.  Went over the tiny blue box and a slightly larger vertical.

Rode Gracie around the loop today bcz it's cold and windy and I had grading to do.

Yesterday was a Good ride day!

Rode Gracie the Wonder Pony.  We did trot half-pass, piaffe (lousy), Canter lengthenings on a circle.  It was all fun.  Tami's horses galloped past at one point and Gracie's tempo didn't change.  We cooled off on the loop and stopped in to chat with Beverly.  That was interesting also -- checked out the inside of the neighbor's barn.  It's a very small arena, but it is an arena.

Rode Pico a few hours later - his work ethic had taken a break.  Yeesh.

Catch up

I really did ride more than it looks like I did.  Missed Sunday and Monday though.

Last week Friday and Saturday, both Pico and Gracie.  Gracie and I worked on collection/extension at the canter.  She has swapped sides on me - right now the left lead is going well.  She engages her left hind and really pushes into the extension.  Right lead not so much.   We worked on leg yields around a circle at a trot to help with that.  She really didn't want to canter with her haunches out.

Part of this is where I sit of course.  I have to continuously think about stretching my left side up, turning my belly button to the inside (not just my shoulders), and keeping my left knee bent and functional. Getting better, but it sure doesn't come automatically.

Yesterday was snowy so I went up and rode Esteban.  We did all trot work -- shoulder in to half pass.  Belly button thing is important and then I need to learn to look where I am going.  I get all twisted up looking back over my shoulder.  Did some piaffe work - it was very good to try it on another horse.  Goal is relaxed and regular.  No tension, not really any suspension.  Gracie has quite a lot of sit, which is nice to know, but too much tension still.  

Of course some Spanish walk and some extended trot.  Always fun.  I need to work on the Spanish walk with both Gracie and Pico.  Extensions with Gacie - on Esteban I can really feel the lengthen, but he doesn't really come up in front for me.   I can get his good trot now and then, but usually end up in a nice relaxed first level frame.

Lisa

Only Pico yesterday

Rode Pico yesterday -- tried to convince him her could go around in a circle with his haunches out.  Very challenging, but fortunately he stops when confused/frustrated.  Canter departs are getting better every day.  

Ended with about half the loop - bratty, but not bad.

Lesson

Worked on the fan exercise again today.  My right hip has trouble coming forward.  Shows up because Gracie can have lovely shoulder-in and lovely half-pass, but can't go in a circle haunches out. H'mmm.  She was feeling stiff today, but so was I.  We need to get back in the 5 day a week riding habit.