Sneak Peek

We had a dressage lesson last Saturday. Here's a sneak peek, full write up (with videos that are pretty freakin funny tbh) to follow!

Lesson Videos

Had another lesson with Ann today. Gracie and Nat came to have a lesson after mine too. While we were getting ready a horse galloped in his yard and spooked our mares - who then proceeded to pull back, break the twine they were tied to (Gracie has NEVER done that before!) then they pranced off to disturb the lesson before us and ran all over the property causing havoc. Allie even ducked under a temporary one strand fence! Brat

Allie was amazing there as per usual. We worked on proper flexion (she tends to tip her nose to the right to avoid that rein) and transitions within the trot.

It was pretty fun, the exercise we were doing - big trot, then little trot (almost walking) then immediately bog trot again, over and over. She did so well!

Then, out of the blue, Ann said "alright, now canter, don't even think about it" and suddenly she gave me the most beautiful right lead canter depart. I laughed out loud it was just perfect and easy and I can't wait to do that again.

Left canter was pretty funny - the video below shows how hard Allie tries to get it right but she just doesn't have the balance there to canter while being through anf forward into the bridle. IT's geting there though.

Seriously though - watch this video, it's pretty funny.

Photo spam of pretty well behaved ponies:

Pretty mareface!

Ann talked Nat through the whole 'lowering the neck' and 'reaching down' and 'taking control' thing. I think it is some sort of initiation into dressage? :P

Next lesson in a month's time. We certainly have some homework to do!

Dressage Lesson 15.09.12

Allie and I had another lesson with Ann yesterday. We needed one badly.

We worked on going through and forward into the contact, straight lines and the right canter lead.


Contact

Ann reminded me it will take years for Allie to be solid in the contact. But her moments are getting better and better, longer and longer.

Ann had us practicing letting allie follow the contact forward and out.

Sucking back and me not taking the contact back too. It is my responsibility to keep the contact a constant and follow her when she sucks back like this.

Example of Allie's moments. First she says "I can't stay through when you ask me to turn!" then "I am an overachiever how great am I?" then finally "This frame is sustainable".

Straight Lines
So - I had been trying to get my wiggly wobbly horse to go in straight lines by trying to straighten her with my legs. Apparently that is impossible (and glaringly obvious now). It is her shoulders I need to keep straight. With my reins. Voila! Straighter lines, happy unconfused pony. I love a simple fix!

Canter
Canter, oh canter, why do you remain so elusive?

Left canter is going alright actually - we don't get frazzled and it kinda just magically happens. Right canter though - we both freak out and apparently according to Ann, Allie has kinda gone a little dyslexic. Like, she can;t figure out which way her legs need to go which is why she gets all disunited, swaps to the left lead, spazzes out and rushes, etc. etc. etc. Then I haul on her face to stop her and she takes that as a punishment which makes her worry every time I ask her to work on it again.

I'm to let her truck along and figure it out while keeping her through and forward into the contact prior to the canter transition. If she stuffs it up, DO NOT HAUL ON HER FACE! Let her drop back into the trot again with my voice, then ask again.


We probably won't have this whole canter thing figured out in time for my test. I'm going to take her along anyway, warm her up, see where we are at and if we feel good, do the test. If not, scratch. It's not worth her spazzing out and having a bad experience just for a comp.

A few more pictures:

Boy, this dressage thing is HARD WORK!

p.s. I have dropped a size in jodphurs. So pleased about that! I'm working REALLY hard on my fitness and strength at the gym (I'm totally not a gym person so its a big deal I'm actually going there) and it is starting to show in my riding which is still looking terrible but is getting more effective.

On a Lesson High

Ever been on a lesson high? That is me right now. I'm addicted. :)

We went to Ann's today - Allie went amazing again - riding there is like magic!

We finally figured out left flexion. I got in trouble for fussing with her at the walk when I should be leaving her to figure out going forward into the contact herself. We had a BEAUTIFUL right canter, we had a pretty good left canter. We had some AH-MAZING trot work. We had a stretchy trot, stretchy walk. Allie was loving it too.

Best of all, Ann said Allie could very easily be an advanced level dressage horse. The more Ann sees of her, the more she likes her. She says Als has three lovely paces. My horse is just amazing, I am so so so lucky to have her. :D

Have a few crappy pictures.

Back on Track

We had our lesson with Ann today. It went really well.

No pictures or video though as I had to go by myself. Sucks, I know.

I asked Ann for homework - told her how abysmal our tests last week were. Told her how fussy Allie gets, how offended she can be when I take up a contact. Ann said Allie sounds exactly like her mare when they first started. Told me she knew exactly how to get past this.

It was a great ride. Basically, Als is way overdue to put her big girl pants on and deal with contact. Like super consistent contact that she has to move forward into. And to be honest, she did for most of the ride. Plus I need to put my big girl pants on too and take the responsibility of helping her go correctly. We had some fairly awesome moments, the very best being a left lead canter depart where she was truly through the whole time. We only held the canter for about 2 strides but the try was there. I smiled almost the whole lesson.

I'm going back again on the 18th - in the meantime our homework is to get Allie moving forward into the contact, at all times.

I'm very excited about where we are headed. We are going to smash our next test, really nail it. :)

Saddle Fit, Lesson, Happy Ponies.

We had Tony Flynn come do a saddle fitting for both Allie and Gracie yesterday. I bought my saddle from him over a year ago, but I could tell that my saddle wasn't balanced for me (it was fine for Allie). Sure enough, it was tilting me forward and needed a heap of flocking up front. It felt great in my lesson!

Gracie's dressage saddle is no good. It doesn't have a changable gullet so it is now for sale for about $50 if anyone wants it? Natalie's other saddle, a wintec all purpose, DOES have a changeable gullet so he fitted that to her and she went so.much.better. under saddle with it - Nat said it was her best ride on her - ever. He put an extra wide gullet in it! No wonder the poor mare didn't have much forward or want to lift her back before.

We got some photos and video:

Nat was trying to get up off her back here I think - looks like it worked!

Watch this one, it has a lol moment!

Happy pony and rider after the cool down walk up the street.

Our neighbor's cute dog who came for a walk too. LOVE those ears!

I also got a lesson with Ann before Nat rode Gracie - pics and vid of this too! We concentrated on her being 'through' to help with our walk-trot transitions (which are normally 'leaping' - Ann said "we will fix that today!" and so we did!) and then have a little go with the same principles at the trot-canter transition.

Finally - a nice trot-canter transition. Just what I was looking for!

 

I was so satisfied with the lesson - Ann said that with a horse at this stage normally they look for nice moments - Allie rather has bad moments among the nice, if that makes sense? She also said once Allie has the balance and strength, her trot is going to be amazing. I'm so excited. :D

So motivated and excited for my test now!!

The Plan

My wonderful friend Linda gave Allie and I a lift a few weekends ago to go to a lesson with dressage instructor Ann Serrao. Ann has a property just a 10 minute float ride away from me, and my place is almost on the way to Ann's for Linda. Perfect!

My husband Andrew held Allie for me for a sec while we waited for Linda.



He luffs her. :)



First Linda rode her lovely arab warmblood gelding Houdini (Hoodie). She has been taking him to Ann's for 3 or so years, and I think he just looks amazing. She has done really well with him. She is competing him at novice and is just about to bump him up to elementary (he is schooling elementary at home). 

 
While Linda rode, I watched. My horse was very worried to be off property.


Obviously.



 I hopped on and got her used to the arena while trying to stay out of Linda's way as she finished up.



She liked looking at herself in the mirror. Must have been admiring her mule ears...





Talking to Ann about Allie's history, and our goals.



I was warned by Linda that the nest 12 months in Allie's dressage training will be so boring I may want to take up team penning instead. We spent 45 minutes working on Allie being soft and giving to the bit 100% of the time. No exceptions. Mainly, it was all me getting used to timing, when to reward, and getting used to the feeling of the moments when she gives correctly. It must have been boring to watch, but I have to admit I got a tear in my eye because we clicked.

Ann showing me what to do.

Allie does not agree that this dressage thing is a common goal for us.

 

Banana neck!

NO!

Harumph. Fine.

She started to understand what I wanted.

Ann said "I would be more than happy if all we get today is one step forward while she is soft". Allie surprised us by actually taking many steps while being soft! This is why I teared up, my dumb galoomph of a horse is actually quite trainable and 'got' it.

I liked Ann. I expected a dressage instructor to get me to shorten my reins. Instead she told me to lengthen them, as Allie is so young and needs to stretch forward and out.

Fin. Good girl!!!

I was so pleased with her. So now, the plan. At home, once or twice a week schooling, being 100% consistant with softness, giving, asking long and low and out, building muscles and settling brains. Then, Saturdays are a tiny bit of schooling (to make sure her brains are there) and then FUN! We had an awesome road ride last Saturday (just around the block). They were so good, ignoring cranes and dogs and speeding (!!) cars and deer and trucks and cantering up hills and and and they are just going to me the most level headed, quiet, bombproof mares once they grow up, honestly. They were just great. :)

As it is winter, I am not going to set myself unrealistic goals when it comes to schooling her during the week. I am not going to want to set up flood lights and school in a tiny little uneven yard 4 nights a week. I will be bored, she will be bored, we will both get sour and it will not be beneficial. She is still only 4 and a half, it is not going to kill her to take it relatively easy over winter, and then come summer, we will have plenty of daylight to ride. Then, next winter we will have a float by then and can haul over to the indoor that we took them to recently for schooling on a regular basis if we got bored at home. Plus I think I may send her to a proffesional dressage trainer for some training for maybe 2-4 weeks to kickstart ourselves next winter.

Linda is having another lesson in a month's time with Ann. I will go if we have walk & trot while being soft down pat by then, if not, I can always work on it more and go back to Ann's a little later.

:)