The Recipe

I was thinking last night about how to structure my ride today and I realized that I had already found part of our current recipe for success and then promptly forgot about it. Earlier this month (I think it was prior to Katai's mounting flail thing) I was lunging Katai before riding her. Only for a few minutes in each direction but going through walk, trot, canter and really giving her a chance to warm up.

For Katai it's never about getting her bucks out since she is almost subdued on the lunge. Seriously, crazy things can be happening and Katai will just be in listening work mode the whole time. Every once in a while she'll break into a trot before I ask her to but most of the time she listens to everything I ask. I think that for her it's more about warming up, particularly her back, and finding her balance with the neck stretcher before I climb on.

This was working so well for the week that I was doing it but I don't know that I ever put two and two together and for that reason I sort of forgot about it. Today I started her out that way again and again had magical, floaty, dressage-unicorn pony.

She was hot but in this contained fun sort of way where she was lifting up and forward through transitions and it was all coming from behind. She was extremely light and floaty in front and all of her power was coming from behind. It felt like someone had traded my training level pony for a 2nd level pony overnight.

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego anyone? 

I was also riding her like I was (closer to?) a 2nd level rider today too. I was able to keep my lower half softer and more relaxed and was posting very consistently so that she had to follow my rhythm rather than the other way around. It was a little more work to keep her connected since she was lighter in front but I never really lost her either at least not for more than a few steps at a time.

I was also able to use both of my hips independently and I don't think I was twisting or collapsing as much after a week of conscious work in sitting straight and working to strengthen and be more aware of that side. It also helped me make my canter transitions better.

I'll find out tomorrow if I'm actually managing to not twist as bad.

We're Kind of a Big Deal: Lesson Recap 1/3

When I think back over 2015 I can't quite believe that we are where we are right now. Katai has become an amazing little athlete and I realized the other day how much she's developed a presence both in the arena and just in the barn. As she's developed strength and confidence I feel like she's got this confident, slightly sassy persona that makes people look when she walks into a space.

L started out riding again since we'd talked about having her start the ride for a few lessons. Since I hadn't had a lesson the Sunday before and had taken almost a week vacation I was crossing my fingers that she'd be good.

She was!

L commented that Katai was feeling excellent as she was riding. They had a couple of minor disagreements but Katai just hasn't been having tantrums anymore and so it didn't take much for her to start listening again. L played with leg yields and Katai wasn't sold on the idea of crossing over so she'd let her haunches really trail out and head at a steep angle to the wall. I mentioned that she's not getting much practice because I didn't want to teach her to do them wrong but of course that also means that she's not getting any practice. Then L tried, once, a baby half pass!!!! We were both grinning from ear to ear. L commented that Katai wasn't quite sure what to do but she tried! Of course this isn't something we're working on yet but I was pretty happy that L thought that Katai was at a point where she could play with it.

After only about 10 minutes L handed her off to me. We started off getting her at a nice slow but forward working trot. As we've worked on slowing her down it has, of course, compromised how much she is pushing forward from behind. At this lesson we started working on encouraging a more active, pushing hind leg. Once we had her pushing from behind L had me start pushing her trot across the diagonal. The first couple of times she just sped up and then we actually got a lengthening! The first time Katai broke into a canter but got lots of rewards for such an incredible effort and a she got a nice walk break. Then we tried again and got a canter a couple of times but eventually got another good one all of the way across! L commented that it was a 2nd level lengthening!!! I really can't even imagine how we got from sewing machine trot to a 2nd level lengthening in one year.

Finally we did a little bit of canter and it was good! As she develops strength it's getting better and better without too much fuss. Her transitions are still messy but mostly that's me. Something to practice for this year ;-)

My homework is to do a better job of supporting her with my outside rein but remember to give the inside rein more often. It's easier for me to do this to the right (not too surprising) but I really struggle to the left where I tend to want to give the outside rein and hold the inside.

This week the plan, again, is to ride Tuesday - Wednesday and Saturday so that I've got 5 rides in. I may lunge instead at least one day because that seems to be really helping her find her slower trot.