Dressage Day by Day

NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS! I usually love reviewing my goals, progress and dreaming up new goals for the coming year, but this year was a tough one with the loss of my dear Gadget. I read a great set of articles on the Chronicle of the Horse by Matt Brown about how to shift your thinking about goal-setting. He makes the argument against fixed, outcome goals and to instead set more of "growth mindset," process-oriented goals.  And here's a link to the first article:  http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/a-case-for-not-focusing-on-your-goals-part-1  They are totally worth reading. I think dressage requires a strong focus on the "process" and I've always enjoyed thinking about the little things that build to success. However, I will totally admit to being outcome goal driven. I love setting specific score goals and even the goal of mastering a movement. Just as Gadget taught me lots of humility and patience, Iggy is going to drive those lessons home in a who...

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. ...