Dressage Day by Day

Clinic with Kenny I had the opportunity to ride with Kenny today in a clinic about 45 minutes from where I board. Hani stayed home today, so I trailered Gadget up myself. He loaded and behaved like a pro for the entire day. It's a shame he pulled a front shoe earlier this week, as he was definitely a bit off without it. Ken immediately picked up on my left hand, weird contact issues. To the right, he suggested counter flexing, which immediately changed my left hand from dead weight to active hand. It also added needed starightness that direction. To the left, I need to use an opening inside left rein. Gadget is stiff on the left, but by taking an softening, taking and softening and overbending him a few times, he loosens. In the trot, I tend to post with my hips landing to the left. I need to think of bringing my right hip forward. Throughout the lesson, using more active hips to help Gadget was a theme. On a 10M circle in rising trot, tap with the whip in up phase of the ...

As I have mentioned before, I have issues with my left rein -- mostly that I have a death grip on it. In July, I rode in two clinics and both clinicians really zeroed in on my contact issues in different ways. The first clinic with Bent really pointed out my over-active right hand and dead-weight left hand. Bent also explained that when I get stuck in the left rein, Gadget gets stuck in his back. I need to be more playful and giving with the left hand. A constant reminder through the lessons was to steady the right rein and give on the left. Bent rode Gadget the first day and proclaimed that "he's not easy." However, Bent really stretched Gadget in a long contact to get him loose and moving through his back. He did lots of changes of direction to supple him, but he pushed him forward to a longer, round contact. The next day, I warmed up for about 15 minutes with Gadget long and low in this way. I think it really helped get his back moving. I have incorporated the stret...