BRRRRR... Today was cold! It was like... 40-50's, but it was that damp chilly no sun, cloudy, just brrrr you to the bones cold. And the wind was fairly brutal. But we braved a lesson! You would think that Dan would be wild and sassy. Nope... he was his normal self. We started out with the turn on the forehand and haunches which seemed to be less migratory so yay for that. Then we went to the trot and tried the downward transitions. I just don't understand how to execute what she wants. I get that she wants me to think turn on the forehand, but... my brain just cannot fathom how to do it without actually doing it... or maybe she does want me to do it... I don't know. When I don't do it, I don't get the desired effect, but when he does do it... that's not really what she meant. So... I told her I was still so confused. So... we tried it at the trot. Basically she wants me to trot a 20 meter circle, then turn in for a 10 meter circle and ask for the downward and then the turn on the forehand at the same time and get the walk. But not a halt. So.. I sort of got the hang of it. So then we moved on to the canter because she said that she could tell we had been working on the trot and it was progressing (YAY!) but that the canter was all over the place still (Boo... doh!). So we did. The upwards are horrible. Always have been. So she told me to really keep him round and on the bit through them. He's not allowed to invert through them anymore. So that means a lot of inside rein. Like... bring his nose to the inside by bringing my inside hand to my knee in an opening guiding rein and not releasing the pressure until he is cantering without inverting. So we tried that. And that started a temper tantrum. "I CAN'T.... I Just CAN'T Mum"!!! Yep... you can, because you just did Dingbat.... you just are too busy arguing that you can't to realize you JUST DID!!! ha ha. So, because Dan is Dan and I am me, of course it's slightly different each way. Tracking to the left, I have to keep my right/outside rein almost pressed against his shoulder and stop lifting it. This will keep that shoulder from flinging out but also keep the outside rein connection. Then open the inside/left rein to invite him to go there. Going to the Right... I still need to keep a good feel of the right rein because that's the one he hates to go into. I still need to keep it against his shoulder, and open the outside/left rein to invite him to go to the left, rather than diving down hard right. So... we worked on that and then also on the downwards. Ugh... My poor brain just cannot grasp that concept. And then we sort of spiraled into ridiculousness. He went to the place where he got dramatic and extra and just kept slamming on the breaks. Kind of like his reining stops in his mediums down centerline. But no... Dan!! The whole goal is to get your hind end moving and engaged and balance on that hind end so you can lighten up and free up the front end and be fluffy in the downwards. NOPE! Then he got behind my leg. Then he wouldn't canter. Then he went up and down. Then he inverted. And my brain couldn't cope either. It was tooo many things to try to do. Keep my hands where they needed to be. Keep the connection. Ride the hind end. Engage the bend with my inside leg. Keep cantering with my seat. Keep my seat in the saddle. Stop my core to ask for the walk but then keep my leg on to keep him moving forward. ARGHHHH!!!! My little hamsters were flying off their wheels as bad as Dan's! And to his credit... sometimes, (or probably 95% of the time)... he's actually being obedient, but I'm a dumbass and can't ask him correctly. Now granted, it would be SOOOOOO much easier to be clearer with my aids if I didn't have to pony club kick, fly about and wail around, and "starfish" to get him in front of my leg!!!! I said CANTER.. you MUST CANTER... until I say Walk.. then you must Walk. Arghhhhhhh... BUT... it did get better. Then she made us do it as a figure 8 and change direction every time we crossed centerline. And that started a whole other slew of him dropping into the walk.. because that's what we used to do. He knows this game... but I didn't realize what was missing when we used to do this. So... we struggled again. BUT... it did get better. His upwards got better. We got more forward. I was able to sit. We were able to get more forward in our downwards and not quite so slammy into them. So... lots of homework.
Poor Dan. We were both pretty tired after that one! It was too cold for photos, so.. here's a pretty one from yesterday! It was also cold but at least sunny. (Or maybe this was this weekend?? I don't know...). But here's what I felt like we looked like most of my ride today. :) HA HA
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