Milestone: Lesson Recap 7/9

No new pony pictures so you get some more pictures from Kentucky

As mentioned in my previous post the plan was for me to have a lesson once I got back on Sunday to make up for the past Tuesday when we canceled due to the holiday. Jane's amazingly nice and flexible as she didn't expect me to set a time on Sunday and just watched for me to get there so that I didn't need to feel stressed about making it at a specific time after my flight. I ended up getting there right around 5 I think so it was hot but not unbearable.

We warmed up using the full ring again and getting Katai cruising before we asked for anything else. She was moving nicely to start (especially after a few days off) and so after a bit we did some leg yields and we NAILED them! We've still been struggling but on Sunday we really got them. I think it was a combination of getting her off my leg better in warmup and that I'm finally starting to put the pieces together to be able to ride them appropriately even as her balance changes throughout the movement.

After a walk break we did some shoulder in and just worked on sitting trot in general. It's already improved from how it was at my last lesson but I'm still struggling with losing my stirrups and maintaining consistency in my position. Even with that we got some really good should in. Jane had me do an exercise where we'd do half the long side, do a 10 meter circle and then go straight for the rest of the long side just to make it so that Katai didn't need to do SI the whole distance. I struggled enough with getting her shoulder off the wall and making the 10 meter circles appropriately that Jane set up cones and that ended up being as much a focus of the exercise as the SI was. Ah well, I have to keep reminding myself that this sitting trot thing is really new for both of us.

Overall Jane was really happy with our SI and with our progress in sitting trot as well.

Downtown Lexington

After another walk break we started our canter work and did some counter canter through shallow serpentines. To the right we did quite well but (maybe because she was tired after all the canter to the right and SI) to the left she struggled and wanted to use speed to cheat. However, her canter is still much improved and she's mostly letting me slow her down and control the rhythm and tempo better than she was.

At our final walk break Jane brought up that she thinks we're going to be ready for 1st level at our next show!!! I may make that goal after all. First level test 1 basically has the addition of leg yield and if we can keep going the way we have recently we'll be ready for that by the end of August for that show. Then I'll probably also enter Training 2. It will still be opportunity classes for both and then next year I'll join all of the things so that we have more test options.

The horse park is such a beautiful place

We also decided that instead of doing any other schooling shows I'm going to do two clinic rides with Susanne likely in November. She teaches the clinic at my old barn which is just a few miles away and we'll trailer there and back both days so it will be a great experience for Katai. It shouldn't be too intimidating since she lived there for awhile and it's a nice short journey so it shouldn't be overly stressful. It will also be good for me since I'm sure I'll learn even more than I would at a show.

It was such a great lesson and felt like a great payoff after a few tougher rides :)

Third Day at World Cup: Freestyle!

First, before I post any updates on the World Cup I need to brag about my girl for a minute. If you follow me on Instagram you've already seen this but I wanted to post it here too because I'm so proud.

I was going through some video footage from Monday that I got of Katai free lunging after our work outside and got this!

I think that she has her own pony World Cup dreams ;) The best part was that this wasn't just one isolated moment. She trotted like this for a bit and then cantered like this.

I am glad though that she practices this particular movement without me...

Katai's own version of a freestyle

Annnnyyywaaayy, back to the World Cup Freestyle!

I had a great time on Saturday for my third day of the event. I believe I got there around 11:00 or so. My mom and I had picked up some salads and brought them with us to eat there since they didn’t have many vegan friendly food options. We watched some of the warmups while we ate and then my mom brought her knitting to a coffee shop while I met up with a few people.

 First I went back to see Stephanie (Hand Gallop) at her booth! We had more of a chance to talk and I tried on some amazing breeches including the pink ones. I really liked the pink but ultimately it was just a little too bright for me :) I also realized later that I’m not sure if I ever really said goodbye to you Stephanie so I’m sorry if I didn’t!! It got a little chaotic since H came and found me while we were talking and then I found out that H and Stephanie know each other. Such a small world!!



via GIPHY

H was there with a few people from her barn and they had been doing a lot of shopping. She and I talked while some of her group did some shopping and then they separated to drop off their purchases at the car and I went to do some shopping of my own. I have to say that I’m really proud of myself because I only ended up with one purchase and it was something I needed. The one thing I really wanted to shop for was a show shirt. I have a nice polo for schooling shows (and will probably pick up a couple more $5 polos from Old Navy because that’s tough to beat!) but my only show shirt isn’t my favorite and it’s starting to get a bit big on me. I had tried on and loved the HorseWare Ireland shirt but wanted to check out my options and probably get a shirt that wasn’t also navy blue.

I hadn’t tried anything on yet at that point because I was only finding shirts that were $200+ and I’m just not willing to spend that on a show shirt. A jacket or boots yes, but not a show shirt especially since at that price point I feel like you’re really just paying for the name and I just don’t care enough. However, H had bought a show shirt that I really liked and while she hadn’t told me the price I decided to go check it out. I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the booth that the shirts were marked at $89 which was totally doable for me for such a nice show shirt. My favorite thing was that the fabric was a little thicker so, while still breathable, it didn’t show every single bump or bulge of my torso. I was able to try the shirt on in black but I wanted this really gorgeous light grey/cream color that they had and they didn’t have it in my size so I ended up ordering it from them. Because of that, even though I did buy something I didn’t have anything to carry which was sort of nice.

The only proof of my shopping.
I wanted a picture of what they were because I really liked
them but since they were priced at $349 I doubt I'd even buy a pair.

I had forgotten that clothes are taxed though (since they aren’t in MN) so that stinks but, oh well, I’m really happy with my shirt and can’t wait to get it!

 By the time I’d done that it was pretty much time for the show. I had planned to meet up with another friend (one of L’s students) but she was running a little late (due to the long walk at the zoo lol) so we planned to meet up during the break. I headed up to get my seat and met my mom there and then watched the Freestyle!


via GIPHY - Isabell Werth!!!

I LOVED seeing all of the tests but I have to admit that I actually liked watching the Grand Prix better. I didn’t expect that but for some reason it was just more fun for me to watch. With that being said the freestyle was AMAZING and it was so great to see Isabell Werth win! I still think I loved Laura Grave’s freestyle just a bit more but Isabell’s was truly spectacular. Since we had a long drive ahead of us we left right after Isabell’s ride and didn’t hang around but I did see the footage of the awards ceremony and it would have been fun to be there to see Isabell share her champagne!

After getting to my parents and picking up Veggie I ended up getting home around 12:30am and went straight to bed. It’s good to be home since it was a pretty intense three days with a couple of late nights and long drives. I’m really hoping to do either Rolex or WEG next year! I also have to say that while it was AMAZING to be there and definitely something that I’ve always wanted to do, I think I enjoy the Pony Cup just a little bit more. I enjoy that there isn’t much separation between the spectators and the competitors there and that it’s more pony specific so it’s something that I can actually see myself doing some day. While it’s an expensive event to go to for the level (not exactly seeing Olympians there for the most part) since I fly rather than drive, it’s something that I’m hoping to do again next year if not this year.

First Quarter Goal Review

Goals for Katai:

 

Speaking of goals, so proud of how we both look here.

Master our canter transitions

  - Nope, still on the struggle bus with this and I haven't been breaking these out and practicing them the way that I should. Of course it hasn't helped that Katai has had a few health issues already this year and we've lost over a month of riding. Not making excuses, it's just made it tough to make consistent progress. This is one of my main goals for the next couple of months.

Perfect Leg Yield

 - Not enough progress on this either but we have been practicing them more despite them not being perfect and that's a big deal for me. More practice needed!

            

Practice riding through at least two Intro tests and at least two Training Level tests

 - Nope, I have memorized Training 1 so that I can practice riding through it but now that I have an idea of what I'm going to do for the first show in May I'm going to focus on doing Intro A and Intro C to see where we have holes.

Sign up for at least two clinics

 - Done! I've ridden in one with Susanne Winslade and have signed up for a second in May. I have a feeling that I'll add at least one more later in the year so we should knock this one out of the park.

           

Go for a trail ride off farm property

 - Nope but that's the MN weather for you. This will happen multiple times this Summer and I have found someone to trailer me and go on trail rides with so that is some progress on this goal.

            

Attend at least two dressage shows

- Great progress on this one! I'm planning on at least 3 schooling shows and possibly a rated or two. I've got my entry form filled out for one at the end of May and am turning in payment for my stall this weekend.

Goals for Katlyn:

Continue with my own self improvement

- Yep! Great progress here and I've continued to experiment with vegan recipes as well as loosing some more weight and getting out more. 

Gain Strength

 - Another yep! I've continued with my work out at home and now I'm going to focus on getting a gym membership and doing more strength training. I'm also planning to do more running this year.   

     

Blog more often

- Meh - My goal is to average 15 posts per month and I just squeaked in 15 in March with way fewer in January and February. I'm going to keep working on this and hopefully do better for the rest of the year.

Better pictures and video both for blog posts and just for myself!

 - I think this is getting a little better. Still no high quality photos but we've also been stuck in the indoor so far with poor lighting. I'm pleased that I got some photos of the clinic and with more posts I've also been able to share more photos. This is another big goal for the rest of the year though. 

Purchase a set of show clothes and tack

- Almost complete! I've got a decent set of schooling show/clinic appropriate attire now. I'd like to add another pair of white breeches but that's not needed for schooling shows so it's not a big deal. 

Finish building tack locker with my dad

- Made great progress so far. Unfortunately my dad's been unavailable on weekends because my poor grandma feel and hurt her knee. He and my family are working on moving her to an apartment nearer to where my parents live so our next few weekends will be focused on that rather than tack trunk building. Priority on family always.

           

Resting On Our Laurels: Lesson Recap 3/20

I had a great lesson on Sunday. Katai was her new, normal self and went right into work mode. We started off with me giving L some more information on how things went at the clinic. It felt like it had been awhile, and it has, since last week Katai had her reactive moment so I did my best to remember the important stuff. The good thing is that through analyzing how things went and working through some of it myself over the last couple of weeks I actually realized something else.

 

Suzanne had made a comment that my glutes were too tight and I needed to use my core more independently. This had actually come up with L previously when she told me to only tighten my abs and not my butt and in that moment I had realized that I’ve always done both at the same time and couldn’t separate them. At that point I started working on it but had sort of forgotten about it. With that comment from Suzanne and the seat realization I had made I’ve been riding different and realized that my tense butt was chasing my poor pony around. It’s crazy what it takes sometimes to really be aware of your body!

 

After a good warmup I got on a 20 meter circle and first we worked on the bend. Very quickly though L started telling me to put leg on. She said that she knew that quiet, not-so-forward, pony is a novelty for me but that I can’t just let her jog around. She shouldn't get quick but she actually needs to use her hind legs. Going to the right especially Katai wants to pull down and drop on the forehand and while everything else is better and she swingier and working through her back she still needs to work and push herself forward and certainly not just drop on the forehand.

 

It was tough, I’ll admit, because I’ve really started to like having a slightly slower, more maneuverable, more relaxed pony. Eventually all of these things will come with her more forward version but now it’s a fine line and I rarely get everything at once. However, once I actually started expecting her to push from behind we got some amazing trot. We also got some AMAZING canter to the left! There was actually some jump to it and some hang time. Katai has always had a decent, three beat, balanced canter but it’s certainly nothing fancy. On Sunday though pony brought the fancy to the left and just not as much to the right which has always been her weaker side.

 

A couple of other things that came up are that I’m over twisting to the inside with my pelvis on the circles to the right, I drop my left shoulder going to the left, and tend to carry my right hand higher than my left. I also give away my right hand and this is starting to cause issues now so I need to really make myself hold (in a giving way) that hand and carry it and not just keep letting go of the contact.

 

The show season came up and I mentioned the first couple of shows that I’m planning on attending. This was the first time I had brought up the Three Ring Circus show with her and I found out that she’s actually taking her green baby horse for the same reason I’m bringing Katai. Because the absolute chaos will be good for him. She is going to trailer in ahead of time and stall overnight so I’m going to try to do the same. We’ll see if there are any stalls available because I know that they normally fill up quickly. If not, it will be a good experience for her to have to stand tied to the trailer and stuff herself with hay (and scream because we all know there will be lots of screaming).

 

And again, my trainer has more faith in us than I seem to :)

 

L brought up opportunity classes (I think this is what she mentioned) and that since I’ve never showed before I actually could do some rated shows this year without having to be a member of organizations (hoping this is what she said. I’ll do some digging over the next week). I asked if I should wait for that until next year and she said –with a big smile on her face- that we should just wait and see how the first few shows go. She was already picking out my rated show schedule and determining which of the local rated shows I should go to. It’s so amazing to have a coach that supports showing, believes in my ability, and is giving me the gentle push I need to just get out and show already!

Why I Love Drill Team

Despite a lot of positive posts recently I've been having some struggles with my dear pony. Of course that's to be expected and the more we ask the more she will check to see if she really needs to listen or be with the program. Right now our thing is whether she really needs to make reasonable transitions. I'm focused mainly on her walk to trot transition but all of her transitions need work. My main thought process right now is just that we need to do it more :-)

Lately when things seem difficult I've been reminding myself that although my rides with my instructor are better then when I'm on my own, I'm the one that does at least 75% of the work with her which means that I get a decent amount of credit for our awesome progress so far. Of course we'd never be where we are without L (not even close) but it's the daily grind that is a big part of our progress.

However, no matter what the rest of our rides are like I always look forward to drill team. This last Thursday I ended up driving straight from work because I got stuck there late. On the way I picked up some food (we do potluck but most of the time no one brings any vegan food) and then ate and had a glass of wine with the other riders.

After dinner we tacked up and Katai was as happy to see me as I was to see her. We all mounted up and warmed up for a bit and then got to it. Unfortunately with the weather, a couple of lame horses, and some cold/flu going around we've only had three riders the last couple of times which makes it tough to do any of our patterns. However, L always has something great up her sleeve and so we've been doing a couple of exercises where we ride single file. One of these involves looping from front to back and the other involves leg yielding out and then extending the trot to pass and get to the front of the line. This last time we added canter to looping to the back which of course got everyone all fired up.

After one of those I ended up further back than I should have been (poor steering for the win) and so to catch up I decided to play with our lengthening rather then just cantering to the end. It was a long side of the arena and so I balanced her and then pushed out her trot and we FLEW. I could feel her pushing forward from behind and her front legs snapping up and L was jumping up and down and yelling THE PONY'S GOT A MEDIUM!!!

It was seriously awesome!

I'm fairly certain that we'll be doing this soon.

I was so freaking excited :-) We ended up doing one more pass and that time she broke to a canter since, I think, I wasn't doing enough to balance her but I was still grinning from ear to ear. From the sewing machine to this isn't something I ever expected so the slow, currently unrewarding, work at our walk/trot/walk transitions doesn't seem so bad.