Today was lesson day with Jacel and I wanted to get her take on Dan. The arenas were closed at Ashland because of the rain last night, but luckily I was able to sweet talk Jacel into coming to me on her way home. And bonus, I got to lesson on Lyric too!
I did Dan first because he was a mudball! I must have curried off a pound of dirt! I got on and warmed him up at the walk a bit. Since his jump bridle had rubbed, I decided to try him in the new noseband I had got. Artemis had a sale and I got a bunch of nosebands for $10-$30! This was a figure 8 ish type noseband/flash type. Unfortunately, it still hit the same spot as his rub but I was hoping since it was new leather and not all crusty from being in the lake a gabillion times, it wouldn't run. And then I just left his regular bit on because... you know.... didn't want to change too many things at once and I was also lazy and running out of time. Overall I would say he was better. He kept his tongue in... he wasn't too chompy... but he was a bit fussy and twisting his head. I have no idea if it's because something else is going on or if he was just trying to keep it off the sore spot. But there wasn't any worsening of the spot after our lesson, so.. hard to say.
I told Jacel what was going on and she watched me trot him around on a loose connection. She thought that he looked pretty good but that our trot to walk transitions were too abrupt. She said that he was basically slamming his SI joints with his downwards and that would certainly make him sore. So we started off working on the trot to walks.. and me asking for it in 3 strides, vs one. I also had to soften my seat and not drive his back to a standstill. Ahhhh... I didn't quite realize how heavy I was with my seat until I worked hard to lighten it. Interesting!! And our downwards got better. So then I mentioned his upwards being icky. So we did a trot to canter and I told her that I didn't like how he flung his head up because it made me worry that he's using his front end to canter vs his hind end. So she had me drop the reins to the buckle and ride him around like that. We did trot to canter to trot to canter to trot for a bit, on the buckle. And after the 3rd or 4th transition, he stopped flinging his head up. Okay..... so what does that mean? She said she thought it was just that I was holding him. And because I was holding him (not harshly... just in a supportive way) he wasn't having to do it himself. So he wasn't strengthening himself. So she suggested I ride him on the buckle for a week or two so that he has to learn to carry himself. He KNOWS how to go on the bit. He knows how to go into a second level frame. But he's forgotten (or it accidentally got deleted) how to use himself properly without me doing it for him. So he's gotten weak. And if I ride him on the buckle, he has to figure it out for himself. She explained how the two weeks before Pine Top, she only had time to do about 10 rides and they were all just hacking the hills around her farm. And she let her go on a long rein and just focused on her lifting her back and marching. And she felt stronger and more balanced at Pine Top than she did when she had been focusing/training hard. And got a better dressage score too. She said that Dan would go into contact easily, but he needed to get stronger. Even if we never picked up the reins at home while we were training... til the end of time... he could still do that.. and go into a test and I could pick up the reins then and he would score well. okay... I hear what you're saying. And.. there was a little part of me that was like "Yes... that's what I'm doing... we're hacking and training around at a training level frame.. if that"!. BUT.... I'm not actually. I'm getting bored/greedy/who knows what... and inching him up into a frame. It's not a second level frame... and it's still on a longer neck, but.. I'm not really letting him go around on the buckle. I'm still supporting him and helping him.
So.. that's the homework for him. Ride him on the buckle and let him strengthen himself. She said that he was tucking and using his pelvis better and not putting so much concussion on it in the transitions. I'm still a little worried though. He was a bit fussy and biting at his shoulder some. Granted, that was more in the beginning before I dropped the reins. But he was twisting his poll some and a bit fussy. So I don't know.... I don't know if it's weakness or discomfort or both. But we've got a vet visit on Tuesday, so we'll do our buckle rides and Kelly E homework until then and see what we've got.
Poor dude though.. he got some treats and got untacked and tossed right back out so I could get my lesson with Lyric done. I did sneak him a carrot afterwards when I let them out to eat grass in the middle field though because he was a good boy and tried hard!
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