May Video Lesson

I almost didn't post this considering it is nearly two months over due.  But I really like these posts to keep track of our progress, so enjoy (or skip over it).  It is also funny writing this up when we have progressed so much since then, but it is a good reminder.

05.09.16 Video Lesson

My Thoughts:

The trot work felt better than it looks.  He felt like he was actually reaching for the contact instead of tucking into the false contact.  At the end I did some turns on the forehand/haunches and leg yields.  This is the first video where I really felt like I was struggling with my balance at the trot.

D's Thoughts:

I need to relax and ride my horse.  I am locking in my lower back and regressing back to when I was first figuring out how to ride him and was super defensive.  I need to remember to breathe and let go (true on so many levels).

The walk is looking really good and I am doing a good job of managing him in the walk, which is funny because D thought the walk is what we would struggle the most with.  Now I just need to transfer that mindset to the trot because the walk is our happy place right now. 

I am doing a better job with the trot (above).  D thinks that the majority of our problems are because I am too tense and he is now in the neutral, so I need to meet him there.  I need to get out of my head and stop worrying so much.

Our lateral work is improving, but I need to stop once I get the correct response and not push for more.  I need to go for baby steps instead of trying to go for everything (29:07).

05.15.16 Video Lesson

My Thoughts:
I was fairly happy with this video.  I felt like most of the issues were due to me.  I was waiting for some new stirrup leathers to come in, so I could shorten them a hole.  We had done a fair amount of walk before the video starts and I really think that helps him to loosen up and relax.

D's Thoughts:
Our first trot transition is one of the best we have done and the trot work is the best it has been since we removed the side reins.  I was looking much more relaxed in the trot.  We had a nice diagonal until I flubbed the corner (I remembered that there is a dip in that corner at the last minute and turned him abruptly).  In general, I need to use my aids better in the corners.

I need to get him a touch lower in the trot work for now.  He was working well and it was excellent work for us, but in general I need to work him a little lower.  Overall, D thought this was one of our best rides since losing the draw reins.

05.24.16 Video Lesson

My Thoughts:
I was pretty happy with this video.  It was after I had a couple lessons with my favorite dressage judge, so I was a bit disappointed that the leg yields weren't as good as they had been.  I was having some trouble to the right, and I think it was because he was locking up in the poll and I couldn't quite get him to give and I think that is why he was twisting his nose.

D's Thoughts:
Right from the beginning, I took his neck away.  I did have a bobble and ask for too much when I did the turn on the forehand.  I shouldn't be afraid to let him trot when he starts to get worked up (I don't totally agree with this, because I have a system that is working for us, but it is good to keep in mind).

In the second trot set, he is rushing a bit and I need to slow him down and rebalance, but I am catching him when he comes above the bit.  On the plus side, the leg yields were good.  At one point I even got him to drop his right hip and led with his hind end.

One interesting thing that D said was when I feel that tightness in the poll is it is actually his hind that is the problem.  I need to really push the hind leg up under him and really emphasize the bend to get the release I want.  She also feels that he tends to jam himself up in his shoulder, because he has really figured out how to bring the energy up from his hind.

Overall, D was really happy with how things are progressing.

05.29.16 Video Lesson

My Thoughts:
I kept this one short, because it was hot (little did I know that it was just getting started).  I wasn't super happy with the trot work, because it felt like he was pulling with his front instead of pushing from behind.  Also, he was blowing through my half halt attempts.  I also played with the shoulder in (baby ones) and leg yields (they made him anxious, so I didn't do much).  Overall, I was happy with the ride and he felt balanced and didn't take as long of a walk warm up to start stretching.

D's Thoughts:
D was happy with the shoulder in.  The one to the right wasn't as good, but it was a good starting place.  The trot work at 7:00 looked really good.  When I am doing the turn on the forehand, I was trying to hold him in it too long and now I need to make sure his feet are planted.  He is wiggling too much and I need to get him planted and then ask.  I also figured out that I was cueing for the turn on the haunches incorrectly.

Overall, she thought this was one of the best rides we have had.  Our trot work was inconsistent, but he would respond promptly when I asked him to stretch down again.  The lateral work was some of our best.

April Video Lessons

Video 1:  04.06.16

My Thoughts:

I rushed things a bit, so it isn't very good.  He was pretty tense and braced.  He did feel straighter, so that is a plus.  My geometry was terrible, because the letters were half set for the small ring and I kept getting confused as to what letter was where (basically I am a ding dong who couldn't focus).  This is also the first lesson that I had my spurs on for.

D's Thoughts: 

There was some confusion and D ended up watching another video twice and not ever watching this video.

4.12.16 Warm Up

Video 2:  04.12.16

My Thoughts:

I started splitting my videos into two parts this time.  I have a separate warm up video and then the actual video.  I also did the whole thing without draw reins.  And this was the video where I tried to shorten my stirrups.  The stirrups leathers I have are on the last hole, so I wrapped them then they felt too short so I dropped them two holes, so I don't know if they actually ended up any shorter...

He was pretty locked up to the left and I had some objections to the spurs, but when I do get the shoulder unlocked the head tilt disappears and he softens up front.  The struggle is getting it unlocked especially at the trot.

After the first attempt at the trot I realized I was seriously struggling, so we went back to the walk to regroup.  I am still letting his hips drift right.  I just don't feel that as well as I do the left shoulder.

The second attempt at the trot is better, but he is still too up and braced.  He does give more frequently.  His brain left the building around 6 minutes, then the big drafty butt blocked the camera, so skip to 9:26.

He gets a little rushy in the trot.  I don't really know how to describe it other than he leans and wants to bulldoze through my aids.  At late 12 and early 13, he started wanting to canter.  At 14:45, I went back to the walk to try to get him to settle and stretch more.  At 18:45, I went back to the trot and decided to trot serpentines until he settled again.

D's Thoughts:

When I don't have the draw reins I need to think smaller and slower.  I should go back to smaller circles and the smaller trot and doing spiral in and spiral outs.  It is back to basics to reinforce that he isn't allowed to saddlebred.  I need to be careful about not getting my hands high, because he needs a ceiling right now.

At 4:56, I get a nice give and good body flow.  At 10:17-10:40 he looks really good.  Even when he wanted to get tight he recovers.  I need to slip him the reins when he does give his lower neck.  When he comes back up, I have to regather, but right now I am not giving enough.

At 12:11 he tries to explode, but I managed to reroute it.  When he ducks low and behind I need to push my hands up and out and also add leg.  Yes, he will probably get frantic but it isn't balling up and I can bring him back to the slow (over and over).

When he gets bossy bring him back down to the walk (don't slam him down but a quick transition).  He also is fairly straight this ride, but I need to make sure I am not sacrificing my connection for straightness.  Overall, this ride was much better than D was anticipating (Yay us!).

04.19.16 Warm Up

Video 3:  04.19.16

My Thoughts:
I should have put the draw reins on, but I didn't have them.  He lost all focus because there was another horse in the ring and he was more reactive.  It wasn't terrible but more so than he has been.  We had been walking for twenty two minutes prior to the start of the main video (it's all in the warm up video).  In hindsight, I should have done something different or used the draw reins, but hindsight is 20/20.

D's Thoughts:
I got busted on several things this time around, but as always D was very on point.  The first thing I got busted for was on rough days, I try to stay with my typical plan.  We do lots of 20m circles, some straight and walk some.  On the days that he is tighter this is not going to work.

Also, he was distracted and I never did anything to take his focus from the other horse and put it on me.  When he wanted to lock in and look at the other horse I needed to be changing directions (I did this at 7:16).  I need to put his mind to work, so he is too busy to focus on anything but me.

If I don't have the draw reins I should lower my hands and use them more as draw reins.  Once he has the reminder I can bring them back up, but sometimes he will need that reminder to get his head out of my face.  I also need to stay relaxed.  I was more rigid so he was feeding off me or I was feeding off him, but either way it was not helping the situation.

The other major thing I got busted for was thinking too much.  D said, "I can literally see your brain running around trying to calculate where you want to be, where you are, and somewhere in that how you should fix it."  She wanted to blindfold me, so I had to ride more off my feel.  Right now my instinct is getting muddled by my busy busy brain.  I need to ride the horse I have and not try to be so textbook about things.  My thought process was "OMG I am going to run into this girl.  Are we straight? Are we moving forward?  Ok wait head is in my face.  Let's do this and now crap neck is in my face.  Maybe we should walk."  I need to to be more, "Breathe, no neck down, breathe, no neck down, and so on."

We did get complimented on two things.  One we had decent walk leg yields and the confidence and flow in the walk is great (we just need to get that in the trot).

Video 4:  04.30.16

My Thoughts:
This one is pretty boring, because he felt tired and we didn't do a lot of trot work.  It had been in the 80s and humid.  He still hadn't shed out completely so I thought the he was getting to him a bit.  He had been getting pretty sweaty just walking and the one day he came in from the pasture and was really hot.  Overall he was pretty good.

D's Thoughts:
I struggled a bit with this one, because I was attempting to replicate what I had done with the dressage judge in the clinic.  Unfortunately, D did not agree with this and I was struggling trying to figure out how to compromise.  I will point out that I don't think either are incorrect in their approach and the end goal will be the same, but the paths diverged a bit.

Anyway, back to D's thoughts and not my rambling.  She disliked that I kept the rein length the same in the walk and the trot.  He wasn't really connected in the trot and and I didn't have a way to direct the energy.  Also, I was using more inside rein than outside and it would have been better to bend to the outside then pick up trot or keep the outside bend while trotting.

She also suggested that one days like this when I am mostly walking I should practice turns on the haunches or forehand and do some halt and rein back work too.  I can also incorporate some walk poles or slightly raised poles to make things more interesting.

I asked about the turn on the haunches because he likes to plant his front and not move it (the hind readily swings in all directions).  D told me to think of it like a very tiny circle of leg yield.  I shouldn't try to keep him in place right now (more like a 5 m circle).  If he starts panicking I can walk him out of it, get the brain back and try again.

March Video Lessons

March was a bit rough, because we had a two weeks off due to the thrush (which is doing much better).  Without further ado, here are the four videos.

Video 1:  03.06.16

My Thoughts:
I thought this one was a decent ride.  I did feel like I was getting dumped off to the left and I never really got him straight, which is why I was struggling to get him balanced.

D's Thoughts:
When D watched this video she told me it was time to lose the draw reins (I had already taken the other one).  Basically, we are getting boringly consistent and it is time to lose the crutch.

Video 2:  03.13.16

My Thoughts:
This video was a little short and weird (soloshot had a glitch and I cut five minutes of sky out) and it was getting dark, so the quality is crappy.

He started out tense, because he was being an asshole at the mounting block and I got after him (so obviously the world is going to end).  I was trying to walk him forward and he decided that forward was not ok (aka the halts were not asked for or encouraged).  The halt at 1:40ish was the first one I asked for.  Also he felt a little off and I think I see something.  Despite the appearances, I was trying to get him to lower his head, but I think we were both on the struggle bus.

D's Thoughts:
You did a nice job through the walk and even once you started trotting of managing him.  Give the guy some props his feet hurt but he was still trying.

Video 3:  03.28.16

My Thoughts:
This is the one where I freaked out about him being lame and the reality was he was just sticky and a bit crooked since he had two weeks off (face palm).  I also didn't take the draw reins off until the very end (I meant to take them off half way through).

D's Thoughts:
D's take on his hind stepping short is that he is actually trying to step longer, but I am not capturing the front enough, so he is driving out not up and that makes it feel shot.  Basically, I need steadier rein contact to box the energy slight more (I start doing this better at 13:26).

He is looking better every video (YAY!!), but I need to make sure I have control over the outside.  I am still losing it a bit and he spins out on the circle (mainly to the left).  At 17:54 I get a good correction.

D suggested that I shorten my stirrups a hole (I tried that for an April video).  She also suggested that I start squaring off my turns.  So I move the front end in front of this hind end.  And also to do some dramatic counter bending.  I need to be more dramatic about it, so I get a quicker response.  Also, when he tightens up in the trot, hollows, and brings his head up I need to start pushing him up and over.  No more halting.  I have to think leg on and forward but grab the energy with my hands and make the neck let go.  It is going to be chaotic for a while, but he needs to learn.

Video 4:  03.31.16

My Thoughts:
I forgot to take the draw reins off, but I did make an effort to keep them really loopy and not actually use them.  I think I used them about twice.  He was leaning really hard on my left leg (theme of the ride), so I tried leg yielding him off the left.  Then we spiraled in and out at the walk (both directions).  I am still not getting him as straight as I want him.  The haunches are still right and the left shoulder is braced and leaning.

When we were going right, he was fussy because I was trying to counter bend him to get him to step the left over to the right and actually get him straight instead of braced.  I also thin I am sitting unevenly or collapsing my right side.  Ahh the end I tried playing with some leg yields, but he started getting fussy and was trying to pull to the rail.  He had to walk straight down the quarter line and just settle.

D' Thoughts:
He is well aware the draw reins are loose and is taking advantage.  It is going to feel like you are going back to square one, but you still need to have the same rules apply.  It gets better at 12:00, and the trot is better than the walk.  The walk will be hard but it is good to see more relaxation.

At 14:00 we get much straighter and my position is more correct.  Sometimes he is resisting the straightness, but I am staying consistent so he gives.  He never gets all out of whack.  She says I am riding really well and he is mad because I have the shoulders in check.  16:32 I took too much to the inside and we got a bit backwards.  17:36, I counter bent him and got him straight again.

This is the best straightness she has seen from us (he is just grumpy about having to be straight).  I need to rewatch this video.  She also commented that my riding is much better on the difficult days than it is when he is behaving, so that is something I need to work on.

February Video Lessons

I am not doing a very good job keeping up with the video lessons.  They are happening, I just keep running out of time to get everything together.

Video 1:  02.06.16

My Thoughts:
We had yet another freak out over my legs.  I wasn't sure if I was handling this correctly.  Basically I was keeping my legs on until he calmed down, but I wasn't allowing him to go forward.  My reasoning for that was that he likes to take any leg cue as rocket launch and I felt that allowing the forward was feeding into this.  But I wasn't sure if that was the right approach.

He felt a bit frantic in the trot again, but I did think we had some nice moments in there.  I really wanted to work on the walk trot transitions, but I didn't think that it was the right day for that.  Instead, I did a quite a few walk halt transitions.  I was really trying to get him to halt off my seat, and we were doing fairly well with that, but sometimes, they were really abrupt and he wasn't staying soft.  I do think we are improving.  This also really helped with being able to slow the walk down.  Sometimes it feels more like a running walk rather than a true walk.

Stinker does not agree that legs should touch him.

D's Thoughts:
I am doing a better job catching him as he is coming above the bit (3:46), but I need to watch how much inside rein I grab.  It makes him round, but I am starting to get a head tilt (2:24 and 4:33).  I also need to be careful not to ride defensive (2:57), but I did correct myself.

The down transitions are good, but I need to be careful about how much "break pedal" I start with (4:33) and I need to have a much stronger outside rein for the upward.  I should be thinking smaller shorter steps for the downward and bigger steps for the upward transitions followed by a strong outside rein.

I also need to remember to use the walk figure eight when he gets locked up or jigs.  This will help him find this balance, keep his focus on me, and help to loosen him up.  It is good that I stop him and swing my legs around until he relaxes, but I also need to take his neck away (6:15).  In these moments, since he is so tense and feels like he is ready to bolt, taking his neck to the side and making him move one direction then the other will help me to distract his brain.  Basically, I have to give him something else to be worried about, besides being worried.

With my circles I need to mix up the size and not be afraid to switch directions when he wants to get spazzy (6:15).  Just mix things up a little bit more, which will help with his focus.  Both of us need to be more engaged.

Video 2:  02.13.16

My Thoughts:
I thought we did better with the legs, but he felt pretty tense in general.  It felt like his hind end was sore, because it felt more like pulling from the front rather than pushing from behind.  Everything felt a little disconnected and choppier than it has been.  We did have some nice moments, but there were less than I had gotten in previous rides.

D's Thoughts:
The walk trot transitions are looking better, especially since they were coming from more a halt.  I was also using my hands better, I was pushing them wide and down.  I managed to keep a good position for most of the ride and rode "confident and tactfully."  We found a decent neutral spot and he responded well, because when I asked him to halt and breathe he did so over and over.

There were a lot of times he was actually pushing from behind in the ride, but he would usually canter a couple of strides.  Rewatch 14:01 there is a huge body change and then he gets a bit upset.  He really shifts his weight back in this instance.

He really steps under himself and then he canters.

When he counter canters, I need to turn him in the direction he is cantering then proceed to do the figure eight exercise in the trot until he settles.

He is looking more muscled behind and he is trying to shift his weight back and push, but he is probably a little muscle sore.  Also, because of the EPM, he may need a bit more recovery time.  Not necessarily days off, but a lighter day.  (The schedule I have him on is five to six days a week where I really try to push him the video days and the lesson with S.  The other three or four days, I try to keep things light.  Example trot him just enough that he will settle and walk then we work for about twenty minutes.)  D thought this was a good schedule for him and to keep with it since he is showing improvement.

Video 3:  02.22.16

My Thoughts:
This might be the world's most boring video ever, because we just walked.  He just felt a bit tired and was willing to walk, so we just walked.  I was actually pretty happy with it.  He was maneuverable for me and did some leg yields.  He did get a bit tense, but he would move over and not have a meltdown.  We did some one loops and he was happy to change bend and straighten.  The serpentines and figure eights were pretty consistent.

My only complaint is he is starting to root.  I try to bump him back up with my legs, but that typically causes the head to shoot up and him to hollow and jig.  I don't know if I should keep doing that.  I try not to give at all when he gets rude, but after the fact I realized that while I was trying to give I never gave him a break to fully stretch out.  He might have just wanted to stretch and I wasn't letting him and he got frustrated.

D's Thoughts:
That was a nice 20 minutes of stretching.  There isn't much to critique.  D was impressed that we were able to walk for 20 minutes with him stretching and if he came up he was willing to go back right away.

The rooting is a hard issue, but I shouldn't feel bad that I didn't let him stretch out because we were just walking.  She suggested that I try pumping upwards with my hands a bit instead of with my leg.  Just a light up and out towards his ears.  This was really good muscle building because he just held his stretch and he is moving his SI area a lot more in the walk and that is great.

Video 4:  02.27.16

My Thoughts:
I rode like crap.  (That was literally the message I sent D with the video.  I was super irritated with myself, because I let myself get frustrated which does nothing for either of us.  I think D was pretty kind to us, probably because she knew I was beating myself up over it.)

D's Thoughts:
D liked the trot we had in the first eight minutes.  He is trying to push and it is the most correct slow trot she has seen from us.  Around ten minutes he had a temper tantrum.  What happened was I was trying to get him to soften to the left and he lost his marbles (we have done the softening routine quite frequently so it wasn't new to him).  Normally, he will give the left shoulder and step over into the right rein.  I think the pop up came from him thinking he couldn't go forward and me being frustrated.

Stinker can't handle life.

D thought that my position "actually looked quite lovely" so I guess that is something.  She really didn't like that he popped up.  The bottom line was he got too anxious and bottled up and the brain was not functioning and he felt trapped when I was telling him to go forward.  I was not worried about it because it did not feel like there was gong to be a pattern.  D agreed (eventually) that she wouldn't worry about it if it didn't happen again.

Overall, she thought I rode their ridiculousness really well and was really happy with me.  At 15:45 we actually had a stretch and I was able to catch his first counter canter, bend him left and trot.  At 16:05 he got a little nutty again and I was able to use the smaller circles well.  We had butt foam (him not me, mine isn't visible) at 19:07, so he is using his hind.

On the long side, you can really see that his haunches are trailing to the inside (right).  I can feel this when I am really focusing, but sometimes get distracted and forget about it.  I have two options to handle this.  I can use shoulder in or I can make his a diagonal line with his body and keep his haunches on the rail.

My Final Thoughts:
This series of videos was interesting, because we had some struggles.  But I do think we are making progress.  Sometimes I get too caught up in things and forget where we started.  I want everything to be steady upward progress and not have any setbacks.  The good of the not so great moments is I now know I am handling his BS better and don't buy into it as much and we can work through things.  Also, our nice moments are getting nicer.

Video Lessons January: AKA I got super behind

So I got really behind on things with my video lessons.  One, I wasn't sure if I was going to do them at the beginning of the month, so I only did three.  Two, my parents were in town for a large portion of the month, so I didn't do so well on keeping on top of the blogging (they don't know what a blog is much less that I have one).  So here is a month long dump.  Feel free to skip it.

Lesson 1:  Jan. 16, 2016

My Thoughts:
I was rather disappointed in this ride and I still haven't gone back to watch it.  He felt tense and frantic and we had some unintended canter.  It wasn't a bad rider really, but we had been feeling much better.

D's Thoughts:
D thought he was the most relaxed she had seen him.  He looked more bouncy through his body and he wasn't ever in the stuck up and down place we used to get.  She also thought that I did a better job of not letting him brace through his neck.  He would brace and then give and while it was give and take, there was the give.

Areas to Improve:
Do not let him pop up in transitions.  If he brings his head up the transition, it needs to be redone.  I also need to continue to work on getting him to lower his head.  She wants to try to keep his nose even with the bottom of his chest to help get the last bit of give from his under neck.  I also need to keep my leg back a bit more (this was the first time she saw me in the new saddle).

Lesson 2:  Jan. 23, 2016

My Thoughts:
My mom filmed this one and it is a little interesting.  I am pretty sure there are parts where I tell her just to keep me in the picture and don't worry about the rest (I am not the only one that suffers from technology challenges).

D's Thoughts:
Most of my issues came from me not utilizing my outside aids (I was a day late and dollar short figuring this out...).  I need to turn him away from my outside rein instead of turning him like a car (this makes me lean to the inside of the saddle).  I am moving in the right direction with his frame, but I still need to get things lower.  She really liked the bended lines I did, but I need to search for more relaxation before, durning, and after the turn.  I also got called out for babying him (oops).

Areas to Improve:
Keep after him to stretch down and over his top line.  Use my outside aids and stop trying to ride him like I am driving a car.  Shift my weight to the outside and keep the outside from falling out on turns. This will help with the relaxing in turns (he gets off balance he speeds up).

Lesson 3:  Jan. 24, 2016

My Thoughts:
Stinker had a bit of a meltdown in this one.  He was running through my outside leg and I booted him a bit to remind him that my leg does mean something.  He then proceeded to have a meltdown over any leg at all...we got it worked out.  Overall, I thought it felt pretty good.  (I did not rewatch this one either.)

D's Thoughts:
I was more consistent with not letting his nose pop up so high.  I need to be better about catching him when he first comes up.  I am letting him get way too high before I make the correction.  She was glad that I let him have his meltdown and still worked through it.

Areas to Improve:
More transitions! (this was followed by a plllllllllease) Leg yields into this new frame.  Use a figure eight to soften him up (he has to yield his neck and his body at the same time).

Video four didn't happen because we had a bunch of rain and the footing was total crap.

Video Lesson #17: Angel

Well this is the one where I am idiot and did not get my girth tight.  So the weird cut out around 6:15 is due to cutting out all the fixing and what not.  I was so proud of him for not dumping me.  He was obviously confused, but stopped and stood there like a champ.

My Initial Thoughts:

Right from the beginning something felt funny with the saddle and it should have clicked in my brain.  I wanted to start off in the walk and try to get him thinking about stretching down and out instead of his typical up and curled.  The squeaking you hear is the new bit which drives me crazy, so if you have suggestions on how to make a bit stop squeaking please let me know.  He wasn't really getting what I wanted, so I decided to move on and come back to it later.

I still need to slow the trot down a hair and I stayed on the circle for too long.  I should have swapped directions earlier.  I do feel like he is letting me put my leg on more without getting over reactive to it.  I can really use it to ask for some bend without having a rocket launch forward.  He felt really locked to the left.  I think that instead of giving in the shoulder he is bracing it and then doing weird things with his neck to bring his head inside.

I was a little discombobulated by the whole saddle sliding thing and I wasn't as focused after that.  I honestly had no idea how much I had cantered or what exercises I had or hadn't done when I was done with the ride.  I need to remember to bring my focus back with me.

Also, in the canter I felt something funny with his hind end a few times.  I am not sure if he slipped or if he was trying to trot behind and canter in the front or what.  One of these is at 7:11, his inside hind does something funny.  The more I stare at it, the more I get all weird about the way his left hind looks in the canter.  Maybe I just need to get him standing up straighter, instead of the wheelbarrow look we have now.

At 12:13  I didn't realize he had picked up the incorrect lead.  It felt funny, but I thought it was because he was bracing.  After that we were a bit of a mess.  He was wanting to canter and I was wanting him to trot and give in the right side.

I popped the draw reins off at 26:24, because I wanted to try to do some bending at the walk to help him cool out a bit.  I am really not sure what that thing he is doing with his leg is, but he does it on the lunge line too.  I was happy that he is letting me have more control over things.  I still need to be faster on the give and take.

I did try some turn on the forehand to see how he would react to moving off my leg.  The first one is at 33:20.  He got a little tense and confused at first, but then I think he got the hang of it.  I thought that if I got him used to moving off my leg this way it would help with the leg yields.

Towards the end, I probably should have gone back to trot, but I was really trying to let him cool out and be done.  He was getting a little frustrated with me, since he wasn't sure what I wanted and if he was doing the right thing.

I am seeing places where I am not sitting square and what not, so I will try to keep that in mind.  Hopefully the four days in Florida with eyes on the ground will help nip some of those habits.  Also, I have really high hopes that the saddle issues will finally be straightened out.

D's Thoughts:


D was really happy with this video.  I actually got him on the bit and she was so excited she called me and left me a message.  It made me laugh because she sent me a message saying she was trying to talk calmly.  Overall, she said I need to memorize this video because it is my best one.  Even without the draw reins, I was getting him to give and made the correct decisions.  He was a little too forward, but we were working together and I was getting him to a good place.

Video Lesson #16: Big Boy Pants

I was so proud of him with this ride.  When I led him up to the dressage pasture, he was really spooky and tense on the ground.  I thought I was going to be in for a ride, but he was really good.  Although, at the very end once I got off him this happened.

I am really not sure what that was about, but it isn't typical behavior for him.  I was happy that he held it together when I was on him.

My Initial Thoughts:

I rode him in a new bit (french link egg butt instead of french link loose ring).  I think I liked him in it a bit better.  I felt like he was more consistent.  It wasn't a huge difference, so maybe it was all in my head, but I am going to keep him in it.

I tried to work on taking his neck away again and not letting him get in the spazzy canter.  There were places that I could feel him push from his hind end rather than pull from his front.  He wasn't lifting his back, but I don't think I will really get him to do that until I get the saddle issues straightened out.

I am still being timid with the bigger trot, but I am getting more comfortable with it.  I really need to remember to focus on my tempo.  I get so many things running through my brain that I forget that one.  Which remembering the tempo will probably help fix the other million things that are running through my brain.

I also need to remember to look up.  I am fixating on his next and staring down, which automatically puts me in an incorrect position.

Nice trot from the end

D's Thoughts:

4:06  You got the right answer (eventually), but that correction needed to happen more quickly.

4:58  This is the same thing.  It just needs to happen faster.

6:06  Great work.

6:34  Keep your weight more to the inside.  He is throwing you right especially as you are trying to open the right side.

7:57  Your leg is out by his shoulder.

9:30  Make the circles in the corners a bit smaller.

14:36  I saw the canter happening a mile away.  You needed to readjust his balance to the outside.

14:55  Nice moment here.

15:55  I would have moved off that circle by now.

18:16  Nice moment again

19:34  This is the best spiral you have done.

19:53  Nice change of direction.

19:58  Nice three loop!

22:46  Good transition

All of the trot work at the end was your best ever.  Nice work!  You made good choices and followed him and he responded.  There seems to be a happier horse because this is one of your better rides.  You also had better control of your posting, mapping out a plan, and executing it.  You should be really proud of this ride.

Three Loop Serpentine

My Final Thoughts:

I was and still am really pleased with this ride.  I feel like it really demonstrates how far he has come, because the horse I rode was calmer than the horse I had on the ground.  This is pretty much unheard of for him.  I feel like he has really done a lot of growing since I started doing these lessons.  I am so proud of my little man!

Video Lesson #15: Back On Track

The last video lesson I posted, I was frustrated with the ride and lacking in confidence.  Between D and S, I got back on track.  While this ride didn't go exactly as planned, it was much better and I remembered to ride.  Overall, I was much happier with it, and as an added bonus I managed to get this one edited, so there isn't the four minutes of me wandering around setting up the camera system.

The List:  This is getting more complicated and isn't an exact checklist anymore, but more of here are exercises to utilize as necessary.

One Loop Serpentines
Three Loop Serpentines
Leg Yields
50/50 Split Canter and Trot
Canter to Trot Transitions at X
Trot Lengthen on 20 m Circle
Spiral Circles at the Trot

My Initial Thoughts:

I did get a good enough trot that I did some one loops.  I did canter quite a bit.  The main focus of this ride was to get the right side softer and maintaining myself.  I tried the spiral circle exercise and never got the right feeling, but I do think the pseudo spiral helped.  The exercise was to really focus on the spiral out part of the circle to get him heavy in my outside rein.  Once I had him there we could go straight and as soon as he lost that feeling we were to go back onto the circle and reestablish the feeling.

At 9:17 we had a terrible canter transition (scooting for the win), but I let it slide since he was getting stuck and I wanted to get him forward.  I figured picking a fight about the transition would cause a mental meltdown, since he was already pushing the limit.

I am still letting him get his head up too high and I need to take his neck away more, but we had some nice moments.  I am much happier with this video and my confidence/riding is much more effective.  As a side note, I hate how much my confidence is linked to my riding.  Sometimes I need to just shut my brain off, because it gets in the way.

D's Thoughts:

I was successful using the spiraling (Yay, because I thought they were iffy at best.)  5:23 and 27:20 were two places that I actually got his neck taken away from him entirely.  I need to be able to get this feeling all the time.

I also need to work on sitting longer (D has been telling me this since I started riding with her.), because I get too quick in the rhythm.  In addition, my leg is getting better (I am not kicking him in the shoulder), but it still needs to go back farther.

I got some of the best stretch at the trot.  Keep in mind this is very relative and that Stinker's favorite position is giraffe neck with nose tucked.  And we also had some of our best walk work.  This is huge for us.  The walk has been a struggle from day one.

I need to be careful about my rein length.  There are times (6:14 for example) that I ask him to bend to the inside, but don't give my outside rein and allow him to stretch.  He can't give if I don't allow him to give.

I also need to work on my timing.  Around 9:00 he got frazzled because I stayed at the trot too long.  I needed to get the small give and move on, rather than harp and get him frazzled.  For now small is ok.  I need to remember to ask, get, and move on.

I also need to work on not locking up in the transitions (10:46).  When he locks, I lock my arms and it is ugly.  I need to shake my arms out, spin him around, spiral him back out, and canter.  This needs to happen every single time he locks up like that.

Lock Elbows=Tense Inverted Horse

The canter is getting better and more relaxed.  I am now ready to try spiraling in the canter.  When the circle gets smaller almost ask for a trot, and if he trots that is ok right now.  I just need to get his adjustability more fluid and improve our balance.  When he gets in the super tense canter (it feels like a bolt almost), I need to shut it down.  He is bracing in his neck, so I need to take that away and remind him to be fluid.

Also, I am suppose to start adding in circles in the corners.  Right now he launches himself out of the corner and circling will help us to maintain a rhythm and force him to pay attention to me rather than say "We go NOW!"

Again, I need to be better with my hands and when he asks to stretch, I need to be giving and allowing.  He already has a tendency to curl, if I never give forward he will stay like that.

Overall, I need to pay attention to our balance, take away the neck, and make sure I am giving at the appropriate moments.  The circles and spirals will help to set up our balance and take the neck away.  And I have permission to try a few rides without the draw reins to help me with the giving moments.

Progress:

I think we have been doing really well lately.  He has given me a couple of really nice rides that made me so proud.  I have gotten some really nice three loop serpentines and excellent trot work.  There are improvements in the canter, and I am learning to get the feel for the larger trot.

He still isn't lifting his back and really moving the way I know he can.  I am really hoping an appropriately fitting saddle will help this.  S's saddle is a little too small and I can't blame him for not wanting to lift and push into a too small saddle.  In the mean time, I am really trying to limit the number of rides, because I don't want to sour him due to the saddle fit.

Ignore me and look at the neck.  No under neck!!!

We have been doing a fair amount of ground work.  I lunged him over a cross rail and he is so adorable.  I think if we can get him consistent on the flat he will be an amazing jumper.  Sadly I did not get any video of it.  We also went on a bareback trail ride, which was lots of fun.  I love riding bareback and I love that he is ok with it.  Although he is so freaking uphill that I pretty much have to grab mane the whole way so I am not sliding off the back.  But I love his ears and his march when he gets going.

Video Lesson #14

This video was pretty rough for me (Ignore the first four minutes I was having video editing issues).  I was struggling with my confidence (Long story short, someone cracked a joke about Stinker needing a professional ride and while I knew it was a joke, my feelings were hurt and my confidence took a hit).  I always struggle with having confidence in my riding, which is why I am so dependent on lessons (and careful about who I ride with).  They give me the boost that I need.  Needless to say D gave me the boost I needed with this.

The List:

The list went out the window, because I was firmly on the struggle bus.  But what is on the list is below:

30 Minutes Total

15 Minutes Trot
     4 Three Loop Serpentines with 15 m circles at the midline
     4 Lengthen Trots on 20 m circle (lengthen one half bring back other half)
     1 One Loop Serpentine each direction
     1 Leg Yield Each Direction at the Trot
15 Minutes Canter
     Canter entire arena with 20 m circles at A and C and 15 m circles at E and B
     4 Canter to Trot Transitions on the diagonal with the transition at X

My Thoughts:

As I mentioned above, this ride was pretty rough (I almost didn't post this lesson, but in the interest in full disclosure I am sucking it up and posting.)  I felt like we only had choppy mode or canter mode.  Everything just felt horrible and I wasn't riding well.  So feel free to skip the video (I am really hoping you do).  :)

I was not able to follow the program, but I did try to keep my reins shorter and give him a ceiling with the draw reins.  I think I did on ok job on that.  I also think I did a fairly decent spilt between the canter and trot work.

I have been struggling with the trot.  My thoughts on why I have been struggling are:  A) He is no longer happy in S's dressage saddle (I am quite confident this is an issue now).  B) He has decided that cantering is easier than trotting.  C) It is something that I am doing that makes him think I want to canter.  I did notice that when I was on the incorrect diagonal, he wasn't trying to canter as much.

D's Thoughts:

This might be a little disjointed, because we did more back an forth than usual.  The summery of our conversation was I am a chicken shit.  Not really, but I need to not be afraid to canter when he gets like this.  The more I try to trot the more frustrated he gets.  And I need to remember to just keep riding and to have faith in myself.  I am so worried that I am going to create bad habits that I do nothing and it is actually worse than anything I do.

D encouraged me to let him canter it out.  I don't totally agree with this, because he is the freaking energizer bunny and just keeps going and going.  Every time I try to do this, I end up with a horse that is drenched in sweat and still trying to canter.  I do agree with I need to get him forward and then bring him back and then forward and back, until he gets his head in the game and is willing to play with me.  It all comes back to the mental game with him.

Another thing that D pointed out was the fact that he was completely locked on the right side.  I never noticed it (oops).  In my rides since then I focused on loosening that up and I think it has helped greatly.  I also really need to work on my half halt and remember to breathe.  I have a tendency to tense and stop breathing.  This makes him anxious which feeds into the cycle I am trying to break with the half halt.  If I tighten my core and continue to breathe, he will respond as desired.

Another big point, was I need to get over my fear of making mistakes.  They are going to happen no matter what and I just need to take a leap a faith and go over the cliff.  And right now the only way I am going to learn is if I make some mistakes.  (Damn overachiever side of me cringes at this.) 

Updated List:

Everything listed at the beginning is still on there, but I am also to add in spiral in and out on circles.  I really need to focus on the out part and use this to help supple him.  I can bring him back into the slow trot (almost a walk) for this if necessary.  The goal is to get him heavy in my outside rein.  When that happens I can take him off the circle.  As soon as he starts to get heavy on the inside, he goes back onto the circle.

Despite my initial frustration with this ride, we did have our good moments.  D pulled this picture out of the video and I love him in it.  Yes we do have improvements to make but compared to where we were I love it.  Although as one of my non horsey friends said when she saw the picture, "Dat ass!"  I really need to get my butt in line and not do my weird perching thing.  PS sorry no gifs, because I still mostly want to pretend this video didn't happen.

Video Lesson #13: Overachiever

The List:

25 Minutes Total
3 One Loop Serpentines Each Direction at the Trot
1 Leg Yield Each Direction at the Trot
1 Canter Entire Arena Each Direction with Circles at A and C
1 Lengthening

The Results:

25 Minutes Total
3 One Loop Serpentines Each Direction at the Trot
1 Leg Yield Each Direction at the Trot
1 Canter Entire Arena Each Direction with Circles at A and C
1 Lengthening (I did not try this because I never felt like I had a good trot)

1:50  Right lead canter
6:59  One loop serpentine (left 1)
7:24  One loop serpentine (left 2)
7:45  One loop serpentine (left 3)
8:20  One loop serpentine (left 4)
9:09  One loop serpentine (right 1)
9:45  One loop serpentine (right 2)
10:33  One loop serpentine (right 3)
12:14  One loop serpentine (right 4)
12:48  One loop serpentine (right 5)
13:38  One loop serpentine (right 6)
17:54  Left lead canter
22:08  Leg yield (left 1)
25:22  Leg yield (left 2)
25:48  Leg yield (left 3)
27:25  Leg yield (right 1)
28:33  Leg yield (right 2)

So cute (him not me...ignore me)

My Thoughts:

This ride did not feel very good.  Everything felt choppy.  In hindsight, I should have taken the time to fix the arena back to the large size, but he was already impatient and annoyed with me, so I didn't.  I have two thoughts on why we were so choppy and it is probably the combination.  One, my hips have been super tight (to the point where my back has been hurting) and he is very sensitive to this.  So I think the tension in my hips are making him antsy and that makes him choppy.  Two, he is anticipating the canter.  Circles used to be his happy spot to relax, but now I am feeling him get more and more antsy when we circle.  I think he is expecting to canter and I need to spend part of the time just going back to walk trot and not canter.  I didn't try to lengthen, because I never felt like I had a trot where it was good enough to push for forward.

Thoughts on me:

I am doing the weird lean forward thing again.  I think I am doing it when I want to get him to stretch forward and down.  I was also struggling with an effective half halt.  It seemed like the majority of turns he would try to rocket out of them, and I couldn't half halt him in an effective manner.  My leg needs to come back about six inches to be in the correct spot.  I also seem to be getting dumped off the left side.

Legs out front, butt out behind, leaning forward, elbows not bent...

Thoughts on him:

I felt like I could never get him to just drop his head and relax.  We would get a few strides, then it would be back to head up bulging under neck.  I don't know if on days like this, I should just scrap the plan and really work on getting him to relax.  Or if I should just try to work through it and keep encouraging him to stretch down and continue with the plan.

D's Thoughts:

D was super impressed with our left lead canter (actually both ways, but the left is harder).  And she thought we actually looked more confident in the canter than in the trot.

She also wants me to use the draw reins more on days like this.  He was more up and I was a little off, the draw reins are supposed to set a ceiling for him, but if I don't shorten them up he never hits the ceiling.  She isn't worried about me abusing them, because I never really get them activated in the first place.

I am supposed to shorten my reins (about half the length) and be more proactive in the trot.  When he gets tight, I need to take his neck away and let him know this is not an option any more.  I am also allowed to do more canter and sit in the canter instead of my crappy two point in dressage saddle attempt.

I also need to have confidence in myself and my ability to ride him correctly.  I get tight and tense and that compounds onto him.  We get in a vicious cycle, and I need to have confidence in myself and break this cycle.

New Checklist:

30 Minutes Total
15 Minutes Trot
     4 Three Loop Serpentines with 15 m circles at the midline
     4 Lengthen Trots on 20 m circle (lengthen one half bring back other half)
     1 One Loop Serpentine each direction
15 Minutes Canter
     Canter entire arena with 20 m circles at A and C and 15 m circles at E and B
     4 Canter to Trot Transitions on the diagonal with the transition at X

All of this is in addition to the old list.

Video Lesson #12: Onwards and Upwards

I had yet another video fail.  I changed a setting in hopes of improving the focus, but it had the exact opposite effect.  Oops.  Thankfully, I had white polos on the front and Stinker has white socks on the back, so the feet are still pretty clear.

The List:

The list stayed the same, because D wanted to see improvements.
25 Minutes Total
3 One Loop Serpentines Each Direction at the Trot
1 Leg Yield from the Quarter Line Each Direction at the Trot
1 Whole Arena Canter with Circles at A and C
1 Trot Lengthen

The Result:

The list stayed the same, because D wanted to see improvements.
25 Minutes Total
3 One Loop Serpentines Each Direction at the Trot
1 Leg Yield from the Quarter Line Each Direction at the Trot
1 Whole Arena Canter with Circles at A and C (Spoiler: we even got the left lead!!!)
1 Trot Lengthen (Sort of)

My Initial Thoughts:

The video is short.  I didn't realize they were doing double turn out, so they brought the horses in much earlier than I anticipated.  I waited to get on because I wasn't confident I could bring him back to me when everyone else went galloping out of his pasture.  That aside, I think everything else from the list was accomplished.

Me comments:

My legs are KILLING me!!!! My conclusion about my position is I'm trying to water ski. I clutch with my hands/arms and brace with my legs.  This really needs to change, because with the arms especially I am creating tension in him which he doesn't need any help with.

General comments:

We start off pretty choppy but I think it is still an improvement and at 1:15 he starts to relax and step under more.

1:55 (one loop L2) isn't as choppy as the first one, but there is still a long way to go as far as him stepping under and really stretching.

2:15 I like this short side.

2:30 (one loop L3) I didn't make it to X

3:26 (leg yield L1) he currently thinks me moving my leg means canter or he thinks cantering is easier than moving over. Basically nothing pretty happened in this.

4:00 (leg yield L2) this one is less reactive but still not there.

4:30 this was supposed to be a lengthening but I got sloppy with my aids and he took the open door.

5:10 (one loop R1) I am not sure why I have his head cranked to the inside.

5:40 (one loop R2) same thing

6:00 (one loop R3) maybe it is an effort not to lose the bend? No idea.

6:40 (leg yield R1) not apparent. I lost the left shoulder and he got crooked and there was no cross over.

7:05 (leg yield R2) we start crooked and when my attempt to straighten didn't work we circled. I have his head cranked weird and when he finally moves his haunches we left the shoulders and were really crooked.

8:15 (leg yield R3) we got a little fussy at the end, but it didn't escalate so I'm happy about that.

9:00 (leg yield R4) I actually like this one. He is not crossing over but he moves off my leg we stay relatively straight and there is no OMG haunches swing every where.

10:00 this was supposed to be a lengthening but I don't really see him stepping under any more. Probably because I am posting too fast.

10:35 (canter left)

10:40 (canter left)

11:15 (canter left) it was better than before. We are still fast and don't have great balance but it was way less terrifying than the other day when we were a motorcycle...

14:27 I am bearing down with my hands.

14:35 (canter right) I think we might have started wrong but he flipped it. It was more like a rocket launch than a transition. I think I'm gripping with my upper thigh/knee and he objects.

15:15 (canter right) this one is much better. And our down transition was much more prompt (quarter of a circle instead of the entire thing)

I do like that I am able to bring him back more easily. He needs to step under more but even that is improving. We don't get stuck nearly as much. Overall I am happy with the ride. The things that I am grumpy about are all me. Stupid legs. They lie to my brain about their location.

D's Thoughts:

Our trot was stickier than it has been especially at the beginning.  D thought we evened out a bit after about three minutes.  She also busted me on leaning forward in the trot which I hadn't been doing.  Maybe because I was fussing with my leg I forgot the other half of me?  D also thought that my legs looked a bit better (I think she is being kind, but hey I will take it).

Initially, D wanted me to push for more crossover with the leg yields just to get a reaction.  But when saw the leg yield at 6:50, she realized we could get lots of reaction from the leg.  I knew going into the leg yields that I wasn't getting much over and they were staying really shallow.  My line of thought was I know he can shoot to the side and cross his legs, but it lacks control.  So I thought I would start with the control and add in the more dramatic movement when he was used to my aids.  Basically I wanted to start small and build up rather than start crazy and try to control it.

Her words of advice with the leg yields were that I am on the right track I just need to keep practicing.  They were much better than last week mostly because I was better connected to his hind legs (YAY!).  This also made him work harder which is why we appear sticky at times.

The one loops improved from last week.  Above I commented that I had his head cranked weird in multiple places, and that is because he is bracing in the right shoulder and loose in the left shoulder.  So what I need to do is be more proactive on the left side.  It is the same thing that I see in the canter. When he gets like this in the one loops, I need to either circle left or bend him left then bring him back right.  Overall, I just need to keep making him more flexible and this will help with the weird twisting.

The lengthenings were total crap (my words not D's; she is much more diplomatic).  He was stuck in his choppy trot so he had nothing to extend on really.  I need to have a better trot in order for this to happen well.  At one point, I took a break and gave him a pat, then picked up trot again.  This is the kind of trot I need to have in order to be able to lengthen.  And I really should have it all the time.

Why can't we look like this all the time?

The left canter, while less than ideal did happen.  Which is a huge improvement from last week when he would only hold it for a couple of strides.  It was even a huge improvement from Sunday when we motorcycled around everything at more of a bolt than a canter.  D was pleased that I was able to get the lead and complete the pattern (it was a little iffy on the whole pattern thing, but she didn't call me out on it).

The right lead canter got picked on a bit more.  I need to have my outside aids on more.  I admittedly was very lacking in this department.  I also, need to stop driving!  Even in two point, I was driving him forward (hence the rocket launch) and he needs more breaks than gas.  I am to start trying to lean back a bit every stride and hopefully this will get me off the gas pedal.

Overall, I am to give more forward in the trot.  I am holding back too much, so I need to give and encourage him to stretch more.  I am under strict instructions, not to dump him (she knows me too well), but to give slightly and if he takes it give some more.  If he goes into saddlebred mode, I am to take it back and repeat the process.  I just need to play more with pushing him forward into the contact and relaxing myself.

Conclusions:

Minus my major goof with the technology, I am really proud of this ride.  He watched his pasture mates gallop off to the barn and managed to keep his marbles together and give me a decent ride.  Sure we have tension and get choppy, but we also have some nice moments.  He gave me everything that I asked for and worked his little butt off.  When I have his brain working with me instead of panicking, he tries so hard.  When he gets stressed out his brain shuts down and that gets difficult.

I really feel like we are finally developing a partnership.  I am getting better at reading him and know when to say hey buddy you are fine before he gets himself into a mental bind.  And he is learning that even when I tell him no, that it is fine we will just do it again.  Hopefully we can keep this progress up until December for the boot camp.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that he doesn't lose his marbles in a new place and I am able to keep a lid on things.