Skip to main content

Spring revival

Image
By
I've been feeling a it down lately about my own riding and Gadget's struggle with this dressage stuff. I've not been riding as often as I would like and then when his back got a little sore, it was one more reason not to ride. I really think he becomes more sensitive when he starts shedding out as the sensitivity seemed to go away even before he got his hocks done.

Regardless, he had his spring maintenance injections this week, and I've been doing some light lunging and serious grooming, which is a nice change of pace. After our last lunge session, I let him loose in the outdoor to roll. Instead he headed for the small pile of hay in the corner. After shooing him away, he wandered up to my cavelletti, which are set up in the grass beside the dressage ring and walked through them, then turned around and trotted through them. This is the horse that reared two weeks ago to avoid going through them at the trot at the medium height. I'm thinking maybe he is actually feeling better and we are on our way back to normal.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When old becomes new - update to my old Pikeur Diana!

By
Here is the finished product! It was a plain black jacket so I added white and light blue trim with RHINESTONES! It's very sparkly! Here's a closeup of the collar, which looks better than the pocket. Now I am going to try to add coordinating trim (minus the rhinestones) to the saddle pad.
Post a Comment
Read more

May 1-2, 2015 Lessons with Kristin

By
Had another weekend of very insightful lessons. I rode Isaac Friday night briefly and he showed me how hard it is for me to keep my body aligned, because he quickly went crooked when I did. Big takeaways from lessons on Gadget: 1. "Keep your basket to the outside." Kristin tells me to pretend I am pushing or holding a basket on my hands. In my mind, my basket is squarish. She will often tell me to take my basket to the outside and it helps me take both hands one direction. I really ride with too much bend to the inside and I need to learn this new feeling of straightness that feels almost counter bent. 2. "Look at the outside ear." This keeps me from twisting my chest to the inside. It's actually shocking how well it worked. 3. "Go and whoa." This is how I have to ride the canter. Quiet seat. Left hand up, not holding. This keeps him off his left shoulder. Right hand maintains connection. I have to go from leg and quickly put him togeth...
Post a Comment
Read more

PRE-SHOW NOTES

By
I leave for Mid Ohio Dressage Classic in less than a week, and today Hani vidoed my ride. I had so many break- throughs!! For right trot halfpass, do not put outside leg too far back ! This results in breaking to the canter! Keep leg at girth and move haunches. Left trot halfpass -- start in shoulder-fore, then keep shoulders to right , and add haunches. For left canter halfpass , ride canter with very following hands . Gadget will bend around inside leg and flow sideways. If you hold too much in reins, the canter falls apart. Turn on the haunches -- soft hands , strongly hold haunches to inside , then ride shoulders around like cow pony , only half-halting between steps to keep rhythm. Stay soft/following in the hands to keep Gadget soft in the neck/back.
Post a Comment
Read more