Loch Moy Dressage Break Down

As I stated in my post yesterday, dressage left little to be desired...especially with how well Tillie has been going for me lately. Don't get me wrong a 31.8 is a decent score, but I know we can be in the 20's and if I can get her going as well at events as I have been at C's or home, we would be in the low 20's according to dressage trainer C.

Basically Tillie when shes tense...all or nothing

I had a dressage lesson with C yesterday because I literally just cant get enough of her lessons and I wanted to pick her brain about the tension and judges comments from the event. Which were minimal and one worded comments BTW. Just not helpful and either she really didnt like us, or she didnt want to be there that day. Either way, C was pretty riled up at the lack of any remarks...there werent even collective comments.

Side note: I do love how Loch Moy is ran and the jumps are beautiful...but the dressage part of these shows now both times have my a little disgruntled. Both times I have competed there the judges have really lacked on the commenting or even completing the tests. My trainer, C, has been a bit peeved by the test too and flabbergasted at the lack of a completed test and remarks.

Soooo tense

Anyway, I planned to get on very early and just walk Tillie around on a loose rein to take in all the things to try to help. She did this quite well and was very relaxed. She even was pretty good when I picked her up in the walk, but as soon as I asked for trot all bets were off.

Now, there was no airs above the ground or blows up like we had a few events ago in warm up...but she just would not relax no matter what I tried. I tried everything from rating the trot - going slow to fast and back to slow, I tried lateral movements, counter bending, loosening my reins to see if she was claustrophobic, cantering a bit...the trick was it was also pretty hot, so I didnt want to get her overly hot...but C suggested yesterday maybe just let her canter it out next time a bit longer.

We chatted a lot about it and if its possibly me and something I am doing differently even though I feel much less nervous and more relaxed at events than I ever did last year. So our homework is go do some dressage shows.

Here is the video of the test:

You can see its slightly quick and shes against my hand pretty much the entire time...especially after canter she wants to root and pull down and low. That was the name of this test either bracing and racing or low and slow.

Its quite frustrating knowing how well she can go and THATs what I want to showcase...not this reverted version of a racehorse....**sigh**

I know I am being picky. I am still proud of her and shes come a lonnnng way with this, but it has been a bit of a consistent thing at shows I want to iron out. It also didnt help I came prepared to ride Novice A and realized when I was on deck I needed to actually ride Novice B - EEKS!!

Luckily we have been riding that test...lol but it was one more unsettling thing to add to this phase.

Anyway...C watched my video and compared notes to the test. She said she saw lots of things to like and some not so nice things lol and we worked on a few more ways to get Tillie unlocked. It was one of the hardest lessons I have had in a while because it didnt FEEL good, But C reassured me and asked me to trust her - that we need to focus on getting Tillie unlocked at the base of her right side of her neck.

Mind blown after that lesson

We did A LOT of 10 meter circles tracking right basically over bending her and asking her to MOVE the F away from my right leg since C said shes a bit dead on it. She said this is also why left lead canter is tough because she locks on the right side. So LOTS of counter flexion in canter too.

What FINALLY helped is when C had me both in canter and trot totally ignore her fussing and being connected and just keep her poll up and basically leg leg leg to get her booty under her with a TON of outside rein and then be soft to let her be straighter and carry herself rather than me helping her. This made a HUGE difference in canter and a few moments she even lifter her back.

So we have some things to work on, but at least we have a plan and I am determined to make sure Tillie doesnt get too worked up with this new set of homework we have.

When you just cant get on the same page

While I have been staying diligent and jump schooling at home, it was really apparent I havent been to a P lesson in a while...

Tillie was a good girl but she just felt sluggish. Warming her up she was ok, just didnt seem really eager to try like usual. She did what I asked, but she felt more like a gelding rather than my snappy sports car (no insult towards geldings intended there!) where is quick to think. 

It was chillier than it has been during the week, BUT it was humid and Tillie was already sweating after a brief warm up so I really didnt push it too much. 

One of my favorite Stills from the lesson...go Tillie go!

P had us start warming up like usual over some smaller jumps in a one stride line to get the horses sitting and paying attention. Tillie floated through and was totally in line with it. She even sorta woke up here and I had more horse under me again.

Last dence in the one stride lines with the oxer helping tillie to stretch

P had us then break down what our course was a and jump it a piece at a time starting with an outside line. I have an odd phobia about cantering into fences...I know most people hate trotting in and I used to hate it, but I feel like it forces Tillie to push more uphill to jump and keeps her slower. So rounding the turn to come into the first line in canter I know I sat up and just waited rather than moved up to the distance that was required.

Second fence in the line...we had a few striding issues the first few times.

We went through it again and it went a bit better after P suggested trying to allow Tillie to move up to the distance and be better about trusting her...but most of the striding issue she said was just a green bean move and it would sort out.

A litttttttle better

Tillie was fine despite these blips and kept a cool head, she didnt bat an eye and kept going so P had us move on to the opposing outside line. We had a chip in to the first fence which Tillie decided to fix by taking a flier to the second. 

P encouraged us and said it was good riding on my part and it was just a green bean move from her and I did a good job staying out of her way. She did land a bit forward and protested my half halt with some head flinging, but hey no leaping through the air or bolting through my reins!!!

Better approach to the first fence.

Our diagonal fences after the lines tended to be the harder fences for us...trying to get Tillie balanced and sitting on her hind end around the turns is challenging still. She no longer is bolting or diving, but she still isnt quite quick enough to sit up and lift so P had to talk us through the timing of the half halt, how hard its needed and then being soft without dropping her right before the fence. 

Tillie figured it out after a bit and got a nicer uphill jump

weeee

P put the fences up and had us then try putting all the jumps together...

The one stride jumps were nice to have in the middle as a sort of reset and seemed to help tillie figure out oh hey we sit to jump! But the darn diagonal fences after the lines seemed to still post our biggest challenge. Especially after the first line:

Finally getting a better distance, but still not uphill and unable to lift the shoulder.

 Luckily the one stride lines presented a nice thinking exercise for Tillie and as P said, made her have a bit of a light bulb moment.

Last fence in the one stride. 

You could hear P say "thats the fence we have been looking for!" because after that, Tillie jumped uphill and in balance the remainder of the course, even after the long canter stretch to the last fence. 

See more uphill!

Re-watching the videos, it doesnt look nearly as bad as it felt...I felt like we just werent quite syncing up. Some of it P chaulked up to the height being upped a bit which does change your ideal take off point/distances which will require me to balance her sooner and be soft. Soft being the operative word so she cant hang on me like I currently let her. 

Well here are some clips from that lesson:

Dressage lesson when your sick = hardest thing ever

Clearly I do not know how to rest up and take it easy...and I was in denial I was sick. So decided Tuesday I would try to suck it up and go to a dressage lesson. C is always great about positional corrections for me while making sure Tillie is doing her job correctly so figured it was the best place for my first ride back on in over a week. 

Tillie showing off her new boots. 

I was so proud of Tillie loading up since we took a friend's green bean horse who wanted nothing to do with loading. Tillie was the adult in this situation (thank god) and was a gem. Patiently waited and went on and off the trailer a few times in the hopes this other horse would load with her on, then maybe without her on....etc.

Yessss I so good! 

So I get on and immediately feel the same old crooked issue with my body...Where I feel like my left leg is longer then my right and constantly feel like I need to shift my weight to the right as if my saddle is crooked. This happens in all saddles...some more then others. I tried to not let it get to me too quickly and just do my best to adjust.

Our walk work was minimal and C instantly remarked how well that looked. Not too fast but not too slow...my first lessons with C the walk was rushed and then it became too slow in the next few. Tillie has the tendency to answer things in this way and sllllowwwly come to the middle eventually.

We started trotting and she felt really consistent but my arms felt like they weighed a ton. I believe now this was just from being sick/tired because riding since then each ride I have slowly regained my strength and its much improved. We warmed up with some leg yielding off the quarter line and I expressed my left bend issue of how she tricks me.

So we worked on riding more off my outside rein to close that door for when she likes to fall out and lose the outside shoulder and really use more inside leg to wake up the trot. Rides like these when I need more forward trot tend to mess with my head since I am so ingrained to slow it all down...but HEY new problems means progress right?!

We then spent some time discussing stretchy trot and worked on this with Tillie since I had left off working on that. Low and behold Tillie gave me the most wonderful willingness to stretch and all it took was taking a bit more of the inside rein and letting the outside slip out. Riding with wide hands when she loses the connection, and bring them together and forward as she stretches. Sounds so simple lol but it worked!

Psh this is no big deal any more mom!

There was a lot of commotion with it being feeding time at this point and I was so proud of Tillie for not going full giraffe mode like normal and stayed focused in work mode. 

We moved on to canter work which felt sooo strange to me. Not riding for over a week has a funny way of making it all seem foreign...but C said again she thought she looked pretty good and we would start working now on introducing a counter canter exercise to prep for that. 

I struggled a bit understanding at first what she wanted which led to a confused Tillie...and she really let me know how unfair it was at one point. C wanted us cantering and after the corner present like we were going to do a diagonal change of rein, but then by the center of the ring, still be on the quarter line and present Tillie back to the corner. 

Drawing it out makes more sense then explaining it

I was riding too deep and going all the way to the center line and when I heard C say no too deep I would panick and go back to the wall which confused Tillie and would result some of the time getting a flying change (which I have no idea how to ride or ask for yet...lol so good to know they are there!) and my balance and weight being all wrong and Tillie just getting pissed at me for getting in her way. 

BUT I finally understood it when C walked it for me...lol yes I was having that much of an issue and was clearly on the struggle bus and it produced such a wonderful canter by the end. 

It was clear at this point too, but crookedness issue was part of what was making this exercise so hard which C agreed and imbalance will get called out and show up in lateral work. So I need to go back to yoga and rebuild back to how strong I was before getting sick to catch myself back up. 

C left me with one more exercise where I would try an extended trot across the diagonal and then trot a 10 m circle to get her back to get Tillie sitting and lifting with a bit more forward and balanced and back to slow and balanced which is hard for her, and to test my evenness in both stirrups. 

The first two times Tillie broke to canter. The first time was right lead canter and then left because I over corrected. The last few times doing it was the coolest feeling...while it wasnt 100% correct extended trot C was excited we had a few steps of Tillie really sitting and toeing the line with the toe flick...she said you could really see Tillie testing her balance here and was impressed with how quickly she got comfortable doing it.

Tillie on the left ignoring the baby horse quivering and her shennanigans

Another lesson recap

Tillie and I had our third lesson with trainer P Saturday and it was a lesson filled with many things that have flooded my brain to process. So this will be my best attempt at processing...

Hey uphill trot...where have you been all my life

Tillie hacked out to the ring this time like an old pro. No jigging or dancing around at all even with a giant group in the ring doing some fun Christmas thing. It was utter chaos with bows, bells, shiny garlands and christmas decor on ponies that were running around, jumping etc. 

Tillie took it all in just fine until they started to leave and a neighbor was driving around a remote car in the field next to the ring. This to Tillie was just the scariest thing ever. So our warm up was a bit tense with some pretty hard spooks I am not used to riding. P just consoled me and said act like no big deal and dont make a fight out of it. 

Isnt she just so cute?

Left bend struggles:

She felt a bit flat at the trot and not very supple, especially to the left...I hate to say heavy because she really wasnt but she felt a bit like a lug. Usually I can have her like a rubber band and she just feels easy to manipulate. 

I struggle with her left bend because she'll start to bend at her neck not the poll or her whole body and then throw her right outside shoulder off the path so shes no longer straight, but she isnt properly using her body either. 

Homework: P prescribed homework of lots of transitions, getting her straight in the warm up, lots of turn on haunches and/or turn on the forehand and some other lateral movements in the walk to really be sure I can move all parts of her body. 

Finishing the flat warm up: Usually when she trots around like a lug her canter is a mess and she bogs down on me, but for whatever reason her canter was just lovely! Because of Tillie's tendencies to get flat and recent XC outings, I have asked P about bit options (and have been toying with them for a while) and she suggested trying a Pelham. 

P  had me switch bits to try the pelham with bit converters on it so it would be a softer adjustment for both myself and Tillie and I wouldnt have to worry about two sets of reins just yet:

I went back out and did a quick w/t/c set both directions with it on to see what Tillie thought. Right away P reminded me to just ride softer and the amazing thing was, I felt like I could. I barely needed to touch the reins and Tillie seemed much happier to respond off my seat half halt after she felt the bit a bit more. 

So on to jumping we went. 

The first warm up fence was just a trot in to a vertical to see how this bit would go. I really had to focus on soft hands and letting her take the reins with this bit so our rhythm up to the fence did change a bit, which P didnt seem to mind:

P then sent us through the same grid as last week, again really having me focus on leaving her alone and staying out of her way through the grid. 

Some the other horses in our lesson were having drifting problems (which we had our first lesson with P lol) so she set the grid with a ton more poles to help promote straightness. The conversation here got missed, but I believe the landing here is where P discussed with me about owning Tillies outside shoulder and getting her straighter to balance her when circling. We will see more of this issue in a later video.

After that it was on to warming up over some other fences before we would do the whole the course. This moment, by far, was the shining moment for me in this lesson. I got the hugest adrenaline rush from this one fence because we both just felt so in tune and like we really nailed it. 

P had us keep going to come right back and do the whole line. It could be a 4  but we did it in a 5, but what was nice it was a fairly even 5. 

We took a bit of a moment here to talk about what was good and bad and the course we would be doing. I LOVED hearing from P that I was doing a better job releasing and letting her stretch, so Tillie was jumping better because of it. WOOO!!

Stretch Tillie Stretch! 

So on to trying the entire thing, and while some of it was nice, others were not. The grid was fine and quiet, but really apparent that I am collapsing my right side and dropping left which is why Tillie isnt landing on the left lead even though we discussed trying to do this in the lesson.

Uh...rogue right hand apparently goes along with that.

But Tillie lands and does a change for me, but we lose the outside shoulder again like I mentioned earlier, so decided to circle before attempting the next part of the course. Basically I need to use more right thigh!!!

The line rode fine in a 4!! It felt like we came in a bit long and I think you can hear me sort of squeal in surprise, but it was fine and we rode out fine.

WEEEEEEEEE!!!

Then came time to use the half halt and I tend to be a bit dormant and not quick enough / dont get the timing right which makes us biff the next fence. Plus side is Tillie rode out of it like ok so what...whats next? 

The outside line rode very nicely again for us and that was that! 

So of course P had us try again...and some things got better while others regressed. At this point I could tell Tillie was tired from the last two days of lessons as she was a bit more backed off to fences then usual this last go. P had me think HALT after the grid portion to better balance her for the first line which got us a much better approach. 

Just because this fence and line worked out so nicely each time for us.

Unfortunately the striding to the second fence didnt really work out BUT we landed and Tillie wanted to build, I was able to use a clearer half halt to get a nice ride to the oddly angled fence. This moment is when I fell in love with the pelham because I half halted fairly lightly, but could give it back! And Tillie listened! WOOOO!! 

Then we ended with the final line again which we came in a bit tight so Tillie sorta questioned the last fence (you can see her sorta dodge left right before). 

All in all it was another good solid lesson and another page in Tillie's book for learning. I am desperate to get back to C for a long overdue dressage lesson to get our trot back on track, back the fact her trot is now erring on the side of flat and slow is a step in the right direction from the rushed million miles an hour trot.  

Tillie got a much deserved day off Sunday...which good thing, because mare came in not 100% for breakfast and really only picked at her food. Luckily, she seemed fine otherwise and was eating hay, pooing and peeing, drinking, normal gums and temp so we just kept a close eye on her and she seemed to work out of it. Nothing like stressing mommy out after a few good rides! 

Tillie says I not used to working this hard!