Sometimes I feel like the progress is so slow that I can barely tell the difference from year to year or month to month. Yet, every now and then, I have a ride where I finally FEEL the difference I have been trying to achieve. Tonight was one of those rides.
I have been riding in the indoor arena, and the last couple rides have felt very underwhelming. Overall, I have struggled to get Gadget truly in front of my leg, which means I never quite got him through his back and soft in the bridle. It wasn't horrible work, but it wasn't great -- particularly in the canter.
Tonight, I went in with the goal to MAKE IT HAPPEN. Whatever I asked, I was going to make it happen, quickly. After a bit of forward walk, I asked for the trot. It felt sleepy and sloppy, so I immediately gave him a couple strong gooses with the leg/spur and got him moving. His head popped up, but I just kept asking for more. Then with a bit of soft counter-flexions and true flexions, he rounded and started trotting through his back. Voila! We moved onto the canter, and I sent him forward again. I struggled to get the correct contact to the left, as usual. More flexions left and right and it felt slightly better. I threw in a couple changes to try to rev the engine, and we began to make some progress. A bit of baby halfpass right felt okay, half pass left felt labored and stuck. After a couple attempts at left halfpass, it was obvious that I needed to ride him more forward and get him to actually use his back and soften his neck. With that in mind, a few walk/canter transitions helped to get him moving off the leg better and bit of yeehaw/medium canter finally had him reaching for the bit in the canter. It had the feeling of when a horse really reaches under itself in a gallop and reaches with its neck. Whenever Gadget started to lose that rhythmic, round feeling, I gave him a solid kick and we were back in business. The left baby halfpass then actually felt not so bad. It doesn't have much bend, but the idea is there. We have a foundation on which to build. In that same canter, the 10 meter circles felt pretty good too.
After unlocking his back, the trot lateral work felt good. When Gadget started to hang on a rein, I flexed and sent him a bit forward. He finally felt like he was carrying himself in this lovely round frame and let me move him from shoulder-in to haunches-in, and shoulder-in to halfpass. The shoulder-in to renver can still get a little sticky, but it's improving too.
All in all, getting that loose, forward, reactive feeling in the canter is something I need to remember every ride, especially while riding in the indoor arena. When I put on my leg, I need to feel him immediately reach underneath himself and then know to keep the contact even and alive to encourage the active canter. I also need to remember that with enough patience and time, all of the little adjustments finally come together for visible progress.
I have been riding in the indoor arena, and the last couple rides have felt very underwhelming. Overall, I have struggled to get Gadget truly in front of my leg, which means I never quite got him through his back and soft in the bridle. It wasn't horrible work, but it wasn't great -- particularly in the canter.
Tonight, I went in with the goal to MAKE IT HAPPEN. Whatever I asked, I was going to make it happen, quickly. After a bit of forward walk, I asked for the trot. It felt sleepy and sloppy, so I immediately gave him a couple strong gooses with the leg/spur and got him moving. His head popped up, but I just kept asking for more. Then with a bit of soft counter-flexions and true flexions, he rounded and started trotting through his back. Voila! We moved onto the canter, and I sent him forward again. I struggled to get the correct contact to the left, as usual. More flexions left and right and it felt slightly better. I threw in a couple changes to try to rev the engine, and we began to make some progress. A bit of baby halfpass right felt okay, half pass left felt labored and stuck. After a couple attempts at left halfpass, it was obvious that I needed to ride him more forward and get him to actually use his back and soften his neck. With that in mind, a few walk/canter transitions helped to get him moving off the leg better and bit of yeehaw/medium canter finally had him reaching for the bit in the canter. It had the feeling of when a horse really reaches under itself in a gallop and reaches with its neck. Whenever Gadget started to lose that rhythmic, round feeling, I gave him a solid kick and we were back in business. The left baby halfpass then actually felt not so bad. It doesn't have much bend, but the idea is there. We have a foundation on which to build. In that same canter, the 10 meter circles felt pretty good too.
After unlocking his back, the trot lateral work felt good. When Gadget started to hang on a rein, I flexed and sent him a bit forward. He finally felt like he was carrying himself in this lovely round frame and let me move him from shoulder-in to haunches-in, and shoulder-in to halfpass. The shoulder-in to renver can still get a little sticky, but it's improving too.
All in all, getting that loose, forward, reactive feeling in the canter is something I need to remember every ride, especially while riding in the indoor arena. When I put on my leg, I need to feel him immediately reach underneath himself and then know to keep the contact even and alive to encourage the active canter. I also need to remember that with enough patience and time, all of the little adjustments finally come together for visible progress.
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