Dressage Day by Day

November Clinic with Ryan Part 2 -- Iggy! The last two clinics, I have lunged Iggy before hopping on him as that was my practice at home. In early November I did away with the lunging before getting on him. It seemed that he really didn't need it and I would rather influence his balance while on him as opposed to letting him play on the lunge. So I walk Iggy into the arena and Ryan holds him while I get on and remarks that it seems like he has grown again. Ryan said this at the last clinic as well. I laughed and said he is growing like a weed. He was around 16.2 when I tried him in Holland and he is around 17 hands now. I love his size currently, but I'm hoping he is about done growing! Anyway, we got to work with a bit of free walk to let him acclimate to the arena. Then moved into a medium walk with contact. Ryan wants him to feel the reins in the walk, but not to back him off from the rhythm or contact. Iggy goes nicely forward in the walk now and is happy in the bridle...

It was a bitter sweet clinic as it was the last time we will see Ryan until next Spring. It's amazing the progress that both horses have made this year. 1. Gadget Over the last month, I'd tried to make Gadget more responsive to my leg in an attempt to get him a bit hotter for the twos. Last weekend, I had a couple great rides where Gadget was getting the twos relatively easily. Then, he didn't want to let me catch him from the field. I decided a couple days off were warranted since he hasn't been that skittish in the field in years. On Wednesday I rode him and he felt like crap. The canter felt like it had no life, so I put him away and hoped it was just an off day. By Friday, I felt like Gadget was feeling much improved. Our ride on Saturday, Gadget felt pretty good but he did not want to keep the activity in the collection. So we focused on riding movements that would loosen him -- haunches in on a circle in canter, big sweeping and forward canter halfpasses, l...