I have fallen into the bad habit of not updating this blog, but I think it's been because things have been going relatively well (touch wood).
September was a wonderfully horsey month for me. I rode with Ryan the second weekend of the month and had very good rides on both horses. Gadget felt stiff but actually gave me some very good work. I had a breakthrough ride on Iggy just before arriving at the clinic, so I was able to confirm that we were still on the right path. I realize that by riding Iggy's canter more forward, he will stay more balanced and less likely to lose his lead or swap leads. It is completely common sense, but I think it took a bit of bravery on my part and strength on Iggy's part to figure this out.
At the Ryan clinic, we positioned Iggy with a bit of flexion and bend to the right going both directions. He is weak on that side, so tends to drift or lean that way. This positioning makes him stand up on that shoulder and helps me keep him straighter. We did some baby leg yields and then asking for small and bigger trot to teach him to start pushing from those hind legs. He was pooped on the second day, but he worked very willingly and quietly. I am so proud of him!
The next weekend, I took Gadget to the WPDA Adult Clinic. It was a great time! The clinic is structured to have two lessons per day on Friday and Saturday with an evening lecture each day and one lesson on Sunday. On Friday, I learned to isolate my outside aids from my inside aids until the horse is soft and gummy. So inside leg, inside hand until he is nice and swinging then switch to outside leg, outside hand. This actually worked quite well with Gadget and I have incorporated it into our daily warmup. Gadget felt very loose and supple, which made it easy to add the power back into the mix. On Saturday and Sunday, among other things we worked on half steps. It was so neat! One thing that really stuck out to me was that I was looking for the rhythm to be too quick. The trainer stated that I should think of how the canter pirouettes have a slower rhythm when the horse takes the weight between each steps of turning. This really helped. I wish I had these sessions on video, but I think we achieved some good steps.
The last weekend of September, I attended Dressage at Devon to shop an spectate with a friend. It was wonderful! The weather was surprisingly nice and Devon is such an amazing show with its electric atmosphere and expansive shopping. I really wanted to find Iggy a leather halter and have a name plate put on, and I found the perfect one. It is black with brown padding and looks just beautiful on him. I also bought some back on track items for 50% off. The sheet is much too big for Iggy, but I'm working on a way to make it fit. and I bought a couple new riding tops from Arista and a pretty lightweight Pikeur windbreaker.
I also feel in love with a snaffle bridle by MacRider. The crown piece was so soft. It's black lined with brown (I guess I really like that trend), and I'm not sure I could have resisted had they had one in horse size.
Since I've been back in the daily routine again, Iggy feel like he is getting stronger and more adjustable. He still has bobbles in the canter, but less frequently. I'm hoping this will continue to improve with time. Gadget is doing great. He has been giving me great changes and his canter halfpasses are feeling so much better. I'm excited to show Ryan our progress and get our next set of home work!
September was a wonderfully horsey month for me. I rode with Ryan the second weekend of the month and had very good rides on both horses. Gadget felt stiff but actually gave me some very good work. I had a breakthrough ride on Iggy just before arriving at the clinic, so I was able to confirm that we were still on the right path. I realize that by riding Iggy's canter more forward, he will stay more balanced and less likely to lose his lead or swap leads. It is completely common sense, but I think it took a bit of bravery on my part and strength on Iggy's part to figure this out.
At the Ryan clinic, we positioned Iggy with a bit of flexion and bend to the right going both directions. He is weak on that side, so tends to drift or lean that way. This positioning makes him stand up on that shoulder and helps me keep him straighter. We did some baby leg yields and then asking for small and bigger trot to teach him to start pushing from those hind legs. He was pooped on the second day, but he worked very willingly and quietly. I am so proud of him!
The next weekend, I took Gadget to the WPDA Adult Clinic. It was a great time! The clinic is structured to have two lessons per day on Friday and Saturday with an evening lecture each day and one lesson on Sunday. On Friday, I learned to isolate my outside aids from my inside aids until the horse is soft and gummy. So inside leg, inside hand until he is nice and swinging then switch to outside leg, outside hand. This actually worked quite well with Gadget and I have incorporated it into our daily warmup. Gadget felt very loose and supple, which made it easy to add the power back into the mix. On Saturday and Sunday, among other things we worked on half steps. It was so neat! One thing that really stuck out to me was that I was looking for the rhythm to be too quick. The trainer stated that I should think of how the canter pirouettes have a slower rhythm when the horse takes the weight between each steps of turning. This really helped. I wish I had these sessions on video, but I think we achieved some good steps.
The last weekend of September, I attended Dressage at Devon to shop an spectate with a friend. It was wonderful! The weather was surprisingly nice and Devon is such an amazing show with its electric atmosphere and expansive shopping. I really wanted to find Iggy a leather halter and have a name plate put on, and I found the perfect one. It is black with brown padding and looks just beautiful on him. I also bought some back on track items for 50% off. The sheet is much too big for Iggy, but I'm working on a way to make it fit. and I bought a couple new riding tops from Arista and a pretty lightweight Pikeur windbreaker.
I also feel in love with a snaffle bridle by MacRider. The crown piece was so soft. It's black lined with brown (I guess I really like that trend), and I'm not sure I could have resisted had they had one in horse size.
Since I've been back in the daily routine again, Iggy feel like he is getting stronger and more adjustable. He still has bobbles in the canter, but less frequently. I'm hoping this will continue to improve with time. Gadget is doing great. He has been giving me great changes and his canter halfpasses are feeling so much better. I'm excited to show Ryan our progress and get our next set of home work!
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