Gadget and I have been having a blast over the last month. I am consistently getting my series of three 4 tempies. When the stars align, we get 5 in a row of the four tempies. I have also been getting this really cool trot where Gadget has power, but also a some suspension. Each ride has been good. He has even felt a little hot to the leg, which is so fun! Until this past Wednesday.
On Wednesday, I rode in the jumping ring after the dressage ring was flooded. It has a slight grade, so we work on the slightly upward side, which is fairly well drained. We begin to warm up and it feels like Gadget is moving well but is just wanting to go. I also put him in the snaffle instead of the double, thinking this would be a good ride to play with the contact a bit. I go along with this and we boogy through walk, trot, and canter in warm-up mode. After a walk break, I am ready to go to work and ask for a little more engagement, throughness, and general attention. Gadget wants to barrel along. I try to bump him off of my hands, and he just sticks his nose in the air. I keep trying to find the power in his trot, but all that I get is speed. Then it gets worse. Every time I ask for a bit more trot, I get a canter. The bad part about this is how I handled it. Frustrated, I jerk him to a halt. We move into a trot, then he bounces into a canter. Most of our ride was this ugly pattern. I felt mad at myself for getting wrapped up into setting an expectation for the ride and not adjusting to the situation. Gadget is so good, and I didn't cut him a break when his mind wasn't in the game.
The next day, I trailered up to Robin's barn for a lesson with Pia. I was worried that I might have really set us up for failure due to the previous day's ride. However, when I got on, Gadget felt very honest off of my leg and reached right for the bit. We did a few minutes outside before it got dark, then we moved into the indoor. We worked on walk pirouettes while the lights warmed up. I need to ride them a little big and very active thinking of riding a haunches in, and being able to really ride the walk steps playing with inside and outside leg.
In the trot, Pia has me think of "riding him more over the outside." I am to stay soft on the outside rein and when I need to take a little more outside rein, I soften the inside rein and actually push him back and forth with my knees. I really like the concept of softening the opposite rein than you are going to take contact on.
We go a circle and do some forward and back .He should go really forward and come back softly. We then go on diagonal and ride in counter canter around the arena. I ride some counter-flexion in the counter canter, then we do the flying change. The counter canter in counter flexion really gets him straighter in both reins.
In the halfpass, I ride a 10 meter circle in the corner with the thought of staying soft on the outside. To the left, I stay soft on the outside rein, and just shift my weight, and ask him to stay forward and rhythmic moving over and not too sideways. To the right, I MUST NOT OVERBEND!! Surprise, surprise. He wants to lead with his haunches, so I need to think of not pushing the haunches at all. I just shift my weight, open the right rein, and think forward. The haunches will be there.
In trot, to fix the haunches leading, right a leg yield to the right and switch it into a halfpass to get the correct position.
In shoulder-in, put him in position, then be able to think slight renver. Being able to make changes in the shoulder-in is important, so you can adjust in the show ring without the horse being alarmed.
Overall, it was an amazing ride. Gadget felt really, really good. He was a touch spooky and full of himself, but he listened so intently. It was a cool combination. Hoping to get another lesson from Pia next week. It was a great boost to my confidence before regionals!
On Wednesday, I rode in the jumping ring after the dressage ring was flooded. It has a slight grade, so we work on the slightly upward side, which is fairly well drained. We begin to warm up and it feels like Gadget is moving well but is just wanting to go. I also put him in the snaffle instead of the double, thinking this would be a good ride to play with the contact a bit. I go along with this and we boogy through walk, trot, and canter in warm-up mode. After a walk break, I am ready to go to work and ask for a little more engagement, throughness, and general attention. Gadget wants to barrel along. I try to bump him off of my hands, and he just sticks his nose in the air. I keep trying to find the power in his trot, but all that I get is speed. Then it gets worse. Every time I ask for a bit more trot, I get a canter. The bad part about this is how I handled it. Frustrated, I jerk him to a halt. We move into a trot, then he bounces into a canter. Most of our ride was this ugly pattern. I felt mad at myself for getting wrapped up into setting an expectation for the ride and not adjusting to the situation. Gadget is so good, and I didn't cut him a break when his mind wasn't in the game.
The next day, I trailered up to Robin's barn for a lesson with Pia. I was worried that I might have really set us up for failure due to the previous day's ride. However, when I got on, Gadget felt very honest off of my leg and reached right for the bit. We did a few minutes outside before it got dark, then we moved into the indoor. We worked on walk pirouettes while the lights warmed up. I need to ride them a little big and very active thinking of riding a haunches in, and being able to really ride the walk steps playing with inside and outside leg.
In the trot, Pia has me think of "riding him more over the outside." I am to stay soft on the outside rein and when I need to take a little more outside rein, I soften the inside rein and actually push him back and forth with my knees. I really like the concept of softening the opposite rein than you are going to take contact on.
We go a circle and do some forward and back .He should go really forward and come back softly. We then go on diagonal and ride in counter canter around the arena. I ride some counter-flexion in the counter canter, then we do the flying change. The counter canter in counter flexion really gets him straighter in both reins.
In the halfpass, I ride a 10 meter circle in the corner with the thought of staying soft on the outside. To the left, I stay soft on the outside rein, and just shift my weight, and ask him to stay forward and rhythmic moving over and not too sideways. To the right, I MUST NOT OVERBEND!! Surprise, surprise. He wants to lead with his haunches, so I need to think of not pushing the haunches at all. I just shift my weight, open the right rein, and think forward. The haunches will be there.
In trot, to fix the haunches leading, right a leg yield to the right and switch it into a halfpass to get the correct position.
In shoulder-in, put him in position, then be able to think slight renver. Being able to make changes in the shoulder-in is important, so you can adjust in the show ring without the horse being alarmed.
Overall, it was an amazing ride. Gadget felt really, really good. He was a touch spooky and full of himself, but he listened so intently. It was a cool combination. Hoping to get another lesson from Pia next week. It was a great boost to my confidence before regionals!
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