Dressage Day by Day

It's been one heck of winter with lots of snow and frigid temperatures. The horses were not turned out for weeks, so I tried to make a point to keep Gadget working so he would not go completely stir crazy. We really had some breakthroughs! I think I am finally finding the way to ride him uphill in light contact while still keeping an active seat. The trot and canter quality has much improved. Yesterday after my ride with Kenny he said it was the best he has ever seen Gadget go. It made my heart sing to hear that! The video confirms that Gadget is looking more elastic and generally happier. He worked so hard yesterday! It was so much fun! We worked on medium trot and canter: In the canter, cut the corner by a step and leg yield him that last step on the rail, then start the medium. To bring him back, tap him lightly on hindquarters. Reacts well to this by becoming very active. In the trot, train the medium from quarter line to quarter line on the diagonal. When you turn on to diagon...

I started this blog thinking that if I could chronicle my rides, I could go back and read what works and what doesn't. What I am learning is that what works one month or week, may not be the same approach the next day. And maybe that is a more important lesson for me. Gadget is becoming more and more fun to ride as we figure out some of this collection in the canter. I really can't believe how much we have progressed over the summer. The thought of competing at fourth level with him NEVER occurred to me previously. I really thought that third level was a lofty goal. So the fact that I am now thinking about fourth level with Gadget is exciting. I am trying to do a longer warmup with lots of long and low and very forward work a la the 2012 Bent clinic. I bend him around my inside leg, push him a little sideways, and give him even more rein on the inside so he stretches. The key to the stretching warm up is to get him moving forward so he actually loosens his back. I have a...

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 ...