Upping the Game

Since this last weekend, I am still riding the excitement of nailing the Training Level course at Waredaca. It gave me the confidence boost I needed to know we can do it and that stepping out of my comfort zone is starting to pay off...and its starting to feel a little more comfortable and not so out of the safe-box. 

Rocking the B element of a bending line

I chose to give Tillie both Monday and Tuesday off as a reward...and myself for that matter. I dreaded what I would get yesterday when I finally hopped back on her. At least it was dressage day with my favorite dressage trainer, C, and was hoping Tillie would showcase some of her less than stellar behavior we can sometimes get at shows so C could walk me through how to handle it.

Tillie usually shows up for C lessons all business and ready to work...which is GREAT but I would like the help on how to ride her when she starts testing me or is hyped up.

Like when she sees her friends and wants to gallop out to them

Sure enough, as soon as I got on her, I could tell we had some defensiveness happening...my last lesson with C went quite well but we established the need to re-treat Tillie for ulcers. After putting her on a 5-day test with Ulcer Guard tubes...she was a different, much softer horse. 

I of course ran out on Sunday morning so the ducking behind the contact was back. That is not an answer I have missed miss Tillie.

A good moment towards the end of our lesson

When Tillie gets like this its a little bit like she tests me...or as C puts it: "Im not touching you...." in the most annoying, goading voice ever. Its hard for me not to get frustrated, but C reassured me and coached me into being patient. Rather than using the quicker half halts we normally need, use longer and slower ones to promote her elongating and going into the contact. 

This ride was a lot more about getting her more honest in the bridle and more consistent even if it meant letting her get a bit lower in the poll to allow her to lift her whither, THEN let her come up...the trick being to let her do it so it was her carrying herself over me helping her. 

Like this wonderful moment in the canter

Another thing that C had me doing much more this lesson was dropping my hands realllllly low almost thinking of them as side reins. The hard part for me is keeping them there and still...I am not sure what it is, but my inside hand especially, "jiggle wiggles." C will correct me and tell me not to, but its not an intentional movement...She suggested thinking of keeping my elbows touching my shirt a bit more. 

Either way, its an issue that frustrates me...anything bodily or physically related is tough. Its like rubbing your stomach and patting your head while riding a horse. I know what I need to do, but getting my body to respond properly is a whole different animal. 

My position has come a long way since fall last year too...but its a never ending battle

 C basically told me we need to up the difficulty level for Tillie. Its time to start expecting more. Let her do more of the work and be very black and white with her where I expect her to be.

Think of her like an accordion; you should be able to elongate her neck and body and then package it back together again at any given time.

^^The above is what we are striving for more and more so that when I let my reins go a bit longer, Tillie should be following it and seeking it more. This requires getting her to unlock at the base of her neck which has always been a challenge...Tillie likes to stay in one place in her box. Getting her to trust herself or balance outside of that can be a bit hard to convince her.

Just re-ordered these again...

 Tillie does try hard though and when she figures out the rules, she does dig in and gets to work. While I never felt like our trot work felt phenomenal yesterday in our lesson...Our canter work shockingly felt hugely improved. It was a pleasant surprise considering and I expected it to be terrible with her inconsistency in the trot.

But we had some really nice moments of her giving me her back. A few times she broke into the trot in a honest mistake, but C was happy with that and said it was a matter of her learning to trust she can carry it.

Like when we first had to get her to trust lengthening her stride in the trot

So I know we will get there...it wasnt the most confidence instilling ride, but I left knowing what we need to work on and that the ulcer meds are definitely needed. So first thing am they are ordered and hopefully here by the end of the week.

Dressage Skillz

Yesterday I had another lesson with C. We didnt tackle any new movements, but we did push the boundaries on ones we have been working on. I have more media I am working on uploading, so will hopefully be able to add all of it, but for now only have a handful of videos.

I was a bit nervous at first because it was my first real ride back since the fall. It was also the first day Tillie did not get bute, so I was eager to see how she felt (her leg looks totally fine!). You can hear me when the lesson starts asking C how she looks to reassure she looked as good as it felt.

Some bullet points that stick out to me from the start of lesson:

• Bigger trot needs to happen more...I tend to want to ride her trot a bit too slow
• Leg yields need to be straight and off the outside rein half halt, not the inside rein
• Dont let the reins bounce, be sure to hold them, have more weight/shorten the reins. Use the right side to soften her but then be quiet.
• Dont nag her with any aids
• Dont let her fall in or push into the right side when tracking right
• The whip, put thumb on top and point it at her ears
• BEND my elbows...shorter reins, longer arms

Next we talked a bit about the walk and leg aids...mostly keeping the leg relaxed and if you squeeze too much it changes the way my seat moves (not for the better):

Sitting trot portion and leg yielding:

• Tighter stomach in sitting trot, chin up
• My arms look weird lol Ill have to play with this
• Be quicker in my aids in the lag yields to get away from the wall faster
• Ride straight after the leg yield
• Dont be afraid to make it ugly...have a conversation to be able to correct it

I am still figuring out how to use my upper leg and thigh more without contorting my body in these movements. Especially when we leg yield off the left leg to the right, she needs more right leg to keep her straighter...but boy is it hard for me. 

Im sure it will come with time, and will make shoulder in and shoulder fore easier too. 

We rode through 1st level test 3 but it was taken on a different phone, so Ill be sure to share it once I get it!

oldie but goodie and some more updates

This post is going to recap a recent dressage lesson I had late last week before our event. Lets say it was B.F. - Before the fall.

Before I dive into that lesson, I have an update on this coming weekend's plan to go to loch moy and have dom ride Tillie. Unfortunately, the event couldnt allow it because they have a wait list so need to offer that persons entry to that fairly long list first. I am a bit disappointed, but also ok with it and glad to be having a rest...Tillie on the other hand needs to stay in work. The mare is ready to go lol. I do still have plans to go up to Dom and he will ride her at his place...so not all is lost.

screenshot from our ride

So back to my dressage lesson recap...its been a really long time since I have been able to capture footage of us in a dressage lesson. I was really excited when I managed to convince a student of mine to come and get some footage. Its been a few months since I have been able to see us or watch what we are doing...and C lessons are sooooo full of knowledge I love filming them because you end up catching way more things she said during the lesson I just didnt hear when riding.

It was kind of nice to have not seen what we look like in so long (outside of show footage)...it was definitely easy to see what has improved and what needs improvement.

Here is early trot work:

What I am seeing improvement: Me not as crooked! Yay! And Tillie being more accurate...she isnt always consistent but I do see her movement in the trot improving. We have been working more on our leg yields being straighter and its a lot tougher then it sounds, but its getting easier. I tend to want to make them too pretty, so as you can hear C say...I need to be better about having the discussion with her to be clear in what I want so we get the bigger effort and step.

Now here is where things got frustrating and hard: shoulder- in

Mostly it was an issue of me using wayyyy too much inside rein and Tillie not understanding this new movement. Weve been working on baby shoulder ins...but C wanted to up the game and get an actual true one with the correct angle. She always reassures me this is really tough because its the first movement you have to be doing different things at the same time on both sides of the horse.

So of course I had her get on and try so that way Tillie could have someone on that knows how to ask properly...C had a bit of a struggle at first but eventually got some nice ones! So she had me get back on and broke it down in the walk:

Tracking left is super hard for me and for Tillie...she is weaker right hind and I am crooked this way so tend to hang on her. But once we changed and did it tracking right I had a light bulb moment of the timing of the aids. Im sad we didnt capture more on video after this because then we started getting them really nicely both directions.

I was super frustrated, but it was a lesson that was needed! I realize after this lesson and the weekend, the more frustrated I get, the more determined I am to overcome.

When you have that ride you really needed to have

As you all know, Tillie and I are competing a ton this year and doing alllll the events. After the last 2 years of being sidelined, I made it my goal this year to do all the things (obviously gauging Tillie and how she is doing). With all the events we have been doing, I have entered in a new world of learning...

The difference in test riding versus schooling and also the effect shows have on your horse.

Got our ribbon from Plantation HT!! 

Test riding you basically have to get it done and right in that moment. There is no oh wait, lets circle and get a better trot before I ask for canter...there is only ok well this is the trot I have and we have to canter now. It also means sometimes helping your horse out when you normally wouldnt at home in a training ride to quite literally squeak by on a movement.

How not to squeak in a movement

I had a dressage lesson with C yesterday...thank god!! and was telling her how I feel like our flat work has regressed lately and I am a bit frustrated by it. Our canter work is improving, but it seems like our walk and trot work has slipped back to some of her antics and generally just not feeling as consistent there.

C laughed and said not to worry!! What I was feeling is basically a result from all the showing and that "get it done" riding that happens there can sometimes mean training may take a few hits. Basically we are trying to teach our horse to do more self carriage and schooling at home doing all different levels, even harder, but we get in the dressage ring and we may have to help our horse out more or do some things we otherwise wouldnt do at home.

Makes sense...and my next questions was, well should I back off the shows then?

Going all the places

C said no...based on what she was seeing in our lesson it was nothing to stress or worry about. She actually felt the more we show, the more it will help us A) work through show day stresses and B) Get better at improvising in test riding for more correct and accurate riding - basically start trying to ride more correctly at shows and stop helping the damn horse.

Which she laughed and said Tillie is telling you she doesnt need it! I am still riding her like a green horse when she no longer is.

Yea mom, I got this!

So we started out warming up just showing her some of the inconsistencies I was feeling...surprise surprise (NOT) they are due to me over riding her and riding her like a baby when she doesnt need all that. Leg asks for the bend, my hands need to be suppling and that is IT - no more using my reins as much for bend. I need to keep my hands lower and closer together. No more high/wide hands which also makes her look way more downhill.

C then said she wants us to try to break through the cycle of me helping her soooo much and we did that by doing transitions within the gaits in the walk and trot. C was super excited with how large her trot extensions got and said they were definitely the best shes seen in her shoulder to date!

Not current, but yay lengthenings! 

We also did the same in canter, really focusing on my seat and finding a happy medium (I either lean too far back or perch and sit too forward on my pelvis). C had me think about my knees coming on and off and using my seat more over my hands to control the tempo.

We also established a stronger outside rein half halt to help back Tillie off when she starts to bogg down and get too low/heavy but then following her when she does soften. KEY: Bend the elbows!

What happens when im too straight in my arms...stiff!!!

C then said she wanted us practicing more sitting trot and that would be the key to helping Tillie get more up hill since it would force me to work on my seat and opening my hip angle properly. So that we did and her canter transitions from sitting trot were on point (when I go with her that is and not get left behind!).

Again in canter, she wants me to think still in my hands and keep them low and together with BENT elbows.

By the end of the lesson it was soooo much better...and exactly the ride I needed to feel like our dressage is getting back on track.

Tillie gets what Tillie wants

The story of my life...and now officially broke due to buying a dressage saddle Tillie prefers. BUT at the end of the day, it was needed and honestly fits ME the best too.

Literally eating away at alllll my money

Apparently finding a saddle that fits us both is a bit like trying to find a unicorn. The major issue being she's fairly wide for a thoroughbred but also short backed and bum high. As for me, many saddles have exacerbated my crooked issues and finding one that didnt in addition to fitting Tillie has been less than fun.

So i am now locking up my credit cards and resolving to pay down all my crazy debt. Anyone know of someone needing a website!? Lol but seriously...I dont regret buying it

Look at that face...of course she can have whatever she wants

We ultimately did purchase the Custom Saddlery VLX. I got extremely lucky and was able to snag the leathers, girth and crazy nice stirrups that the top adjusts and twists to wither 45 or 90 degree angles. P.S. its also brown. What are the chances of that?! Ill be sure to show photos in my next post but for now going to condition and clean it up a bit.

Tillie after getting traced

It was probably the most expensive saddle fitting I have ever had, but he also looked at my Stubben Roxanne jump saddle and agreed it wasnt perfect, but if we both were going well in it there is nothing alarming about it to have to sell to get anything new. That was a relief to hear. He did recommend using the prolite pad for both saddles and said prolites are great pads and the next best thing to a thinline, the only reason he doesnt carry them is the material being a bit slippery. Luckily we havent had too much of a problem with that happening.

Tillie was a perfect lady for the fitter and when it was all said and done, I got to hop on and try it out. It was exactly as awesome as I remembered riding in it the first two times. I felt really even and Tillie felt nice in it.

Mare glare

I only trotted her around a few times since I had been talking with C for a while about her riding Tillie to hopefully give me some insights from her perspective to help keep us moving in the right direction. 

Tillie's mind was pretty instantly blown as C started putting her through the paces and was talking me through what she was doing. C laughed at Tillie because she got herself emotionally worked up and was super sweaty despite not working all that hard. Luckily Tillie internalized most of it and really was thinking very hard and trying...sometimes trying many different ways to evade but eventually would give the correct answer. 

Happy Tillie

Here is what C says we need to focus on:

• Start ridding her on both sides of her body and get straighter
• Be more through on the outside aids 
• Bend her more off the thigh...basically use my thighs more to get what I want
• Keep the movability in her neck...work on this in canter especially as she likes to lock
• Do not let her get low on downward transitions

Tillie posing for the pretty dressage horses here

C didnt stay on too long and said she wanted me to get back on her and ride her now that she had and talk me through how to achieve what she did. 

Tillie cooperated and tried very hard...it just felt really different to me! It was a bit of a game changing ride and something I will need to adjust to. I know with this stuff there will always be more or new and I went through a similar feeling just a few months ago. 

Jumping bean by day, dressage diva by night

As I said in a recent blog post, I am making an effort to be sure I get over to lesson with C more often because the difference is evident and carries over into our jumping. The more we dressage with her, the more soft and relaxed Tillie becomes. 

I was excited this time because I asked C to try her Custom Saddlery VLX again to see if it would feel just as awesome as it did a few months ago...and it didnt disappoint. 

Tillie really goes phenomenal in it. Her back swings more in all three gaits and our lengthenings were by far the best they have ever been - who knew a dressage diva lived in there! C agreed this was the most consistent in the contact and confirmed shes ever seen Tillie - yay!! 

The saddle also fits ME well, which has seemed to be a bit of a struggle. Tillie has large but flat shoulders and a very short rib cage and I have a short leg and large booty. Lol BUT I think at this point its going to finding an affordable exact match that will be the challenge. 

Here is the compilation:

I loved that right away when I got on Tillie was ready to work. She wasnt a looky at things even at the far side of the ring and when I picked her up there was much less rooting and fuss in the walk.

C had us right away ask to push the trot and get Tillie out of her comfort zone and then warm up with some gradual leg yields. Next, she had us do a bit of a serpentine/changing bend exercise that did wonders to unlock Tillie's neck and really get her supple. As the clinician said this winter, he neck is the key to getting her soft. And boy did it work! Even changing the bend from right to left was soooo smooth when usually she is a bit harder that way.

Our lengthenings are still slow to develop and she isnt quite letting all her balance go yet, but the feeling I got in this lesson was by the most "toeing the line" we have ever gotten and you can hear me in the video the last two times laughing and say "OH MY GOODNESS". Tillie LOVED doing them and it was quite fun to feel her really fill up the contact and dig in for them.

We sprinkled canter in around those...I am glad I have footage of our canter work since now we are digging more into canter. It didnt feel nearly as good as it looks and I was laughing at the end at how messy it felt. C reassured me that it wasnt, its just new so things feel a bit all over the place, but will settle the more we work on it.

So here, C had us trying to smooth out the canter transition and work on my not freezing and keeping the inside bend. What was so glorious about this, that if I rode it well, the resulting canter was really nice. C commented how nice her downward transitions have gotten and our goal is to get our upwards equally as nice. Yay!!

So all in all it was a great learning lesson. Most of them are with C lol, but I am super excited with how things are progressing!

Finding the balance between the 3 phases of eventing...

...is hard! I totally understand why this sport is so challenging. In addition to galloping solid fences over various terrain in almost any weather to the technical obedience and precision of dressage and stamina of stadium. It really does test your horses rideability and your team work in all three. 

Just because I like this photo

Take the name eventing out of it for a mere moment and think of it as cross training. Coincidentally this is how I was described eventing when I first learned about it just a few short years ago. It is so incredibly beneficial for both horse and rider to have a strong foundation in dressage in order to jump well.

Trust me, I have seen the difference the dressage has made for Tillie's ability to jump up hill.

Not very uphill

yay, uphill!

I took a dressage lesson yesterday with C and what I realized a few things:

1. While Tillie has been Killing it jumping lately, our dressage isnt really as awesome as it was back when we did the fix a test 
2. I am a really crooked mess and need to see an orthopedist (No seriously...)
3. I need to find a balance in lessons where I can budget to fit more dressage in like the winter months.

Back when our dressage felt the best

Ill elaborate on all 3...

1. I recently realized flatting at home, we just didnt feel quite as relaxed, soft or willing when doing dressage. It seems to have started when our crazy weather sorta went bonkers and got super cold again...Especially when changing rein from right to tracking left. Her left bend has been SUPER stiff lately. It tends to be our trickier side usually...but there is something in the recent rides that it just feels like I cant get her to work out of it. 

I usually describe her feeling like clay. At first we get on and it requires some kneading. Massaging it to get it warm and squishy and bendable. Usually after a good warm up, she evens out and her neck and body feel like a rubber band. 

Lately I dont get it out of her. Maybe i need to revert back to how we used to warm up with the over bending and gradual warm ups...in hindsight those seemed to work well for her. 

Left bend problems

In the lesson she was hollowing out in transitions walk to trot and usually shes pretty spot on for those...canter transitions were just not clean and I felt like I was getting jostled all around. Its disappointing when it hasnt been that way, but I guess our recent jump focus has caused some of these nuances to revert. I realize that I also have been riding her as frequently the last two weeks as I should with having to teach more...so heres to hoping weekends start allowing more lessons. 

2. Most of the lesson sort of gotten hijacked just trying to get me straight. I couldnt get my weight down in my left leg and it was coming too far back behind the girth and my left shoulder kept creeping forward. When I would try to even out my body just would go haywire. My entire body is twisting and its a real struggle to get it straight. C encouraged me to go see a DR since Chiro didnt seem to help...le sigh. I guess I need to make that appointment.

My body really aches today from it...

You can sorta see me doing it here

C had me drop my right stirrup for a bit and shockingly Tillie felt better. So now its a matter of chicken or the egg. Am I causing her left side issues or is she causing me to twist or are we just not helping each other? 

I also realized that I am helping her waaayyy too much with my right rein tracking left. I am using it way too much to keep her on the track when it should be coming from my inside left leg. BUT with me not getting weight into it, that would make sense why I am compensating. 

It became really apparent in our leg yields in the lesson. C was super impressed regardless at how well she did with them, but leg yielding tracking right to left she really didnt want to stay parallel to the wall (ahem, left leg not working and my right hand cant fix this). 

Because she's cute

This all leads me to #3. I think most of the above issues are stemming from my lessons with C being way too spaced out. With jumping confidence issues being a fairly recent thing which allowed me to try P and take those jump lessons....I think it was exactly what I needed to get back on track. I plan to continue lessons with her, but in order to afford more dressage lessons with C I may need to cut back on the P lessons. 

I will definitely watch it, and maybe this is a for now type thing...but dressage is the foundation for the rest of it. That needs to not suffer. My confidence in Tillie over fences is there, but it does stem to how much I can trust her on the flat and lately its been back to the rushing, bracing and baiting me into hands type stuff. I want to get back to that sweet spot in dressage where she almost feels like a push ride and I have a good contact, not this fake contact where shell suck back at any minute. 

Being able to ride through the not so great rides...

We all have highs and lows...and for me I am sorta moving towards a down swing to a low :( In addition to saddle fitting woes, which I am sure doesnt help me mentally with my rides knowing they dont fit, we just arent quite jiving on the flat. Over fences we are doing ok...nothing amazing, but nothing worrisome either.

Our best jump from our lesson last week

Right around the fix a test, I felt like Tillie and I couldnt be stopped. She felt great and we felt really in tune with each other. I actually felt like I could ride her forward without worrying about bracing or rushing.

Still from the fix a test

Not sure what is going on, but since then we had a ton of rain and an extreme cold front, even with the warm weather back and the footing dry she doesnt feel quite right.

I remember riding her early last week in the wet footing a day or two after the fix a test and said out loud to my barn mates, "She seems off and keeps tripping, does she look off?" Everyone didnt see anything too alarming and I shrugged it off as the crummy footing that was uneven, VERY wet and sinking in pretty awful in a few areas.

Riding her later that week when it was dry we hopped around over some stuff and she felt ok, I thought I felt some offness again when switching diagonals, but nothing that didnt even out so I rode anyway. I did poultice her up to be safe though but both legs felt ice cold despite it being a warmish day.

Adorable face

Our lesson with P Saturday in the extreme cold and rain/sleet/snow I really didnt notice it and P didnt because she never said anything....and she will if she sees something. I did however feel a less happy tillie when trying all the new saddles than I had the weekend before trying saddles, but again just thought maybe it was from all the poking and prodding and changing of saddles.

I had a student ride her Sunday and they both did a nice job and I didnt see any shortness or stiffness. When I rode her earlier this week though and still felt like things were off I decided we needed a C dressage lesson and felt like we were waaaayyyy overdue. Emma agreed she seemed slightly short right hind, but we both rode and finished on a decent note, but that comfortable forward feeling we have had was no longer there. So I begged C to fit us in.

On a brighter note, loving my rig!

I was a bit stressed to get there in time...trying to make it after a work day is tough and it was made tougher when the road to get to the barn was closed. It also happens to be the same road to get to the barn to C's barn. But we detoured and I managed not make it too late.

I fill C in about our fix a test and what I have been feeling lately which is the C magic is fading and I need to get back to that point. She laughed and we started off with a bit more time in the walk. We took our leg off and relaxed asking for more walk, then leg on asking for smaller steps. Tillie has started rooting again and being rude since my last ride and C really scolded me to get after her for that since I tend to ignore it.

We picked up a trot and C instantly said Tillie looked off :( She had me switch my diagonals back and forth and it was by far the most drastic I have felt...she had me trot away from her and change direction a few times and agreed right hind looked short.

She had us keep trotting and remarked even her left hind wasnt quite as active and in general she wasnt bending her hocks as much as usual and was kicking up a lot of footing. She asked if she was due for a trim and I am embarrassed to admit she is WAY overdue. My farrier, as great as he is, is quite hard to schedule so figured I could push Tillie a bit to get him on the same rotation as a few others in the barn to make life easier. C said being a sensitive red head mare, she could be reacting to that and being right hind is our weaker leg its just more prominent there, but her toes are too long which she thinks may be the issue.

In the summer she gets done every 4-5 weeks. Winter we can push it a bit, but I think its been quite a while since her last trim so I am hopeful when she is done weds this will resolve this issue.

I am really trying not to fret about it...but I am signed up for a clinic with Dom Schramm next weekend and reallllly dont want a kinda lame horse.

Just too cute

Anyway, we chatted a bit about my saddle fitting woes and maybe trying pentosan for preventative maintenance and off we went to more trotting.

Tillie eventually evened out and felt MUCH better than she has lately but she kept losing her left shoulder to the outside when tracking right and falling in/leaning in on the left when tracking right. **SIGH** horses.

C had us come in and trot the smallest circle we could and then ride straight out and bigger trot to a 20m circle. Poor Tillie struggled tracking right, but tracking left she was quite easy. We did some quick leg yields to get her limbered even more and worked on the same idea from the walk, big trot - slow trot - big trot.

Tired Tillie after our first bath of the year! 

Then we moved on to sitting trot and I felt like it could ride it a tiny bit better without feeling like a moron. We did the same exercise of big trot little trot using my core and a lightbulb moment happened when C said think of pulling my belt buckle up to my sternum. Also think of the "j" motion my seat bones make and keep the bounce but make the curve of the "j" smaller to keep the activity in the trot.

Tillie did this well and gave a 5-10 good active small steps before it would get too flat. C said def do this for homework, but be careful to make sure it was a good trot and not flat so dont do the small trot for too many steps in a row.

poor croup high Tillie makes this dressage stuff that much harder

Then from the small trot C had us ask for canter which C wasnt quite expecting it to happen...Tillie did a head flick into it but she did it! We did this a few times both directions and C kept saying how hard it is and was impressed how much Tillie was trying and doing it. Left lead canter we had a bit of crooked issues from me that once I fixed, Tillie fixed.

So seems like both of us need some adjusting. I am sure we will be fine, its just tough to feel good about things at the moment. I am sorta guarded...but its tricky because these times are when I find my motivation waivers when I need to be riding her more even if its just a hack - motion is lotion as Emma says ;).

Recent dressage lesson = TONS of homework

Continuing on my recap from the weekend...it also includes my Sunday dressage lesson. I dont normally do lessons on Sundays other then teaching my own lessons, but with it being overcast and a bit drizzly I jumped at the shot to slip in an opening that C had right after Emma had her lesson.

So we hitched a ride with Emma and I am thankful she got Tillie loaded up for me while I finished up with my last few lessons. After a bit of rushing around, it turned out C was running really late so I made it long before Emma got on and was able to watch hers! She'll be recapping her own lesson on her blog I am sure soon - here.

An indication of how our lesson went...a tired and itchy Tillie

I mentioned in my Part 1 recap from Saturday's lesson that lately I have felt Tillie falling back into the old habit of wanting to put herself in a safe zone and not being all that agreeable when I ask to change that. She'll happily go around straight, bent to the inside, high or low but once I put her there, that is where she wants to stay. She is quite smart and only recently did I figure out this is what she was doing rather then just being stiff or harder one way vs another etc. 

C pointed this out right away and said that while its a much better place shes putting herself in, we still need to be able to adjust her more readily and have more give at any time. So we went right to work and I can summarize all I can hear in my brain after the warm up:

1. Push her around the inside leg even more - SO much freakin inside leg
2. Watch out for a stiff right hand, but open and close to have more bend in both elbows especially the left (nice to know I have issues on both sides)
3. My left shoulder creeps forward making me crooked/twisted in my torso
4. Dont be afraid to take the rain until she softens BUT I must soften and follow her back

 Tillie had a few moments of "No I dont think so" before she settled into a nice rhythm and really started to dig into work. She was so into it, her vibe was contagious and I felt a bit like the little engine that could as if she were thinking "I think I can" over and over.

C had us going on a 20 M circle spiraling into a smaller circle focusing on really getting her to give and wrap around my inside leg before using a fairly quick leg yield to push her out without losing the shoulders. Here is where we talked about leg use and keeping it longer when applying it since I have the old habit of lifting my heel and my leg then shrinks about 6". Ok maybe not THAT short, but its a bad habit among many others I need to break.

Here is a video of warm up...notice Tillie really starting to dig it by the end of the clip:

After the warm up we continued trotting but started asking for leg yields, but really quick lateral ones to promote getting her out of her comfort zone. Tillie was all business. 

It felt really good and still amazes me how well she is progressing despite not riding at all during the week with our ring still frozen. After a bit of a break which had a lot less rude pulling and rooting then usual, C had me start back up said, "ok, now sit your trot"

Lol I made a face apparently because she laughed and said everyone makes that face!

Being fairly new to sitting a trot where my horse is actually going...it is not the most pleasant thing in the world. Ill admit, I feel as though I am riding it ok, until I watch the videos. The amount of discomfort that I am emulating is so apparent I was uncomfortable just watching it:

At this point, Emma started filming since my phone died. C  prompted for me to canter (I love how we will be going along and rides as you go and gives us commands a few strides before she wants it). Sadly we missed capturing on video the first and most wonderful right lead canter transition. It took both Tillie and myself by surprise that C even laughed and said it was all over my face.

C had us move onto leg yielding in canter to get her more mobile and rideable in canter. At this point its been all about the basics of balancing her and keep her from diving on the forehand...so it felt really good to receive a command that required taking our canter to the next step - which as you can tell in this clip Tillie wasnt quite prepared for: 

What I have loved about the sitting trot despite how uncomfortable it is, is how much it has helped me get a better feel in the canter. I can only describe it as me feeling more balanced and stuck in the saddle which allows me to use my seat to better help Tillie. The leg yields in the canter were quite fun! Tillie gained a bit of speed through them, but it didnt feel too bad with how soft she was. 

So we moved on the left lead canter which is our harder and weaker lead. C guided me on how to use a better timed half halt to get her more balanced and using herself better without me grabbing and bracing on her. 

It produced quite a nice canter and we were able to do some of the maneuvering from this lead as well. At the end C had us try some lengethings in the trot across our diagonals to promote testing the boundaries of balance which Tillie tends to err on the side of caution. You can see in the clips she gets a bit unsettled and really doesnt let go of her shoulder just yet in them...but C reassured me it would take some time for her to trust herself to just ride very straight, weight even and both elbows stay at my body. 

The lots of homework part includes:

• Taking Tillie big around the entire ring to test try to get her trusting lengthenings more
• Sitting trot there is no head wag which means rising trot happens from tension on my arms
• Bring my left shoulder back/straighter
• MORE inside leg and MORE bend to get her out of the safety zone
• Sitting trot practice rocking back more and letting my "crotch bounce" 
• Stretchy trot (which we did a few circles of here)

Poor Tillie was so tired after trying so hard she was ready to go to sleep:

Sitting trot = human blender

Lately our state has decided it wants to be Alaska because Saturday and Sunday (Valentine's Day) the temperatures dropped to below 20...Sunday, my truck said it was 12 degrees as I loaded up to go for a dressage lesson. Because what else can you do when all your lesson cancelled / the show is cancelled and cant ride on the rock hard footing?

I was also really excited to haul with my new truck for the first time.

Oh so excited!

Backing up to hitch up was easy peasy with the back up camera and now I am officially spoiled (I am sorry...I dont mean to brag!!! I have been driving beater cars my whole adult life - this is my first all out new with all the gadgets!!!)

I was really bummed the dressage show got cancelled...but decided to sneak in one with C to feel a littler better...

I chose to get there early again to give us some time to walk around to warm up since it worked so well the day before. Tillie was a bit more up here...the indoor is MUCH larger and the light was so strong coming in the windows from the snow reflecting it would blind Tillie and then cause her to be a bit jumpy. She finally figured out how to close her eyes going through those patches and settled in ok.

She kept being really rude about any contact with the bit and would root or dive her head down...even in really small short bursts. I worked on addressing that so by the time C said she was ready it wasnt as much of an issue.

Here is our warm up trot:

She started off really stuck and pulled a few whip nae naes when I started asking for bend with some leg. C had us do things realllllly gradually and try to get her warmed up with both inside bending and counter bending before asking for more trot...rather let her offer the bigger trot when she felt warm enough. 

She lost a left hind shoe at the end of the week so I was a bit worried if she was being inconsistent from being sore on that....

Here is our warm up trot tracking left:

She still felt way too light and not confirmed in the contact so C had me start having more of an outside rein conversation and think almost mini leg yield into it so we would spiral out gradually to a large circle, then smaller into a smaller circle and back out.

Then C wanted to use some changing rein exercises to help soften her more and partially through this is when I had a nicer contact and could start manipulating how high or low I wanted her rather then her dictating that herself:

Youll notice pretty early in this video, C instructs me to gently add leg as I set to push her away and encourage lifting her back. Keyword being gently to which Tillie thought my gentle was not gentle enough.

After a few turns, we started having more conversation about softening. 

See we can soften despite the cold

We did some leg yielding each way and leg yielding from right to left was really nice and easy. Seeing it in the mirror was really cool and exciting. The left to right she was having a harder time staying straight, but C had us take a walk break and promised we'd get back to it later in the lesson...she had other plans for us - AKA sitting trot AKA the human blender.

A still of stilling trot...not as bad as it felt

 First sitting it was just all over the place. I really did feel like I was in a blender and might bounce right out of the tack. The key is to still have a good working trot from Tillie, but sit it without asking for her to slow down too much. Her trot got really elastic here and watching this footage makes me really excited.

So C wanted me to ask for canter from the sitting trot...and my muscle memory was really making it hard for me. You can hear her scold me a few times because when I started thinking about other things I accidentally post...hehe "weenie" moves she said.

I cherish these photos of my smiling while riding...this used to be so rare, and now I have found the happy place again!

Unfortunately my phone died before we really got to improving :( but it was really cool how sitting the trot and canter sort of help one another improve. This first right lead canter was the first canter of the lesson and it already felt way more solid and balanced then usual with using sitting trot. 

After this round, we changed direction and I was able to start relaxing a bit more. C noted my sitting trot was MUCH better this direction and I wasnt gripping as much...my knees were open and leg was much longer. Left lead canter was just as nice which was a huge shock considering how unbalanced and weak it has been. 

So we walked after this a bit to mostly let me catch my breath and stretch out my hip flexors which were on fire. Who knew sitting trot was soooo much work?! 

Miss fancy pants

When we picked up sitting trot again, I immediately felt better about it was was able to rock back and engage my core without tensing my upper body or gripping as much with my legs. It took a reminder to breath here and there, but it felt better even with Tillie working in the forward trot she needed to be in. 

From here we did more leg yielding this time coming down the center line, leg yielding staying straighter and asking for canter through the turn. It produced a really nice canter! Tillie did this very well leg yielding right to left into right lead canter. 

We had to practice a few more leg yields left to right, but sitting trot allowed my to close my thigh more to keep her straighter. I notice I tend to tighten my left side this way which is part of the issue in her over bending and leading with the shoulder...I simply am not riding the right side enough and letting go enough with the left side. 

All in all Tillie tried really hard and C was impressed with her work ethic and by the fact she stayed as calm as she did despite the cold and a loose horse. 

The remote start for the truck was really nice to have warm and ready by the time we were done...and I topped off the Valentine's day with lunch with the barn girls and then dinner with the hubby. 

Valentine's day dinner.

Hope you guys had a great Valentines Day!!!