update

Friday and Monday - Try

Cold weather, injuries, time off for Thanksgiving and begin Christmas preps: Friday was a complete dwell passenger day--all about filling her +s bucket. Monday was a review of connection in the dressage ring followed by some yeehaw let loose in the field and a bath followed by grazing and hanging out. Try was comfortable for the first time going down and rolling with me beside her.

Friday - Try and I - Ineffective Connection

See video: 2013 11 15 Try and I not enuf leadership:

Cranky at the walk so went to trot fairly soon and had some pretty nice trot as long as I wasn't asking for anything. Some improvement to trot-to-walk transitions. Very ineffective in maintaining the connection! Canter I was sitting and concentrating on separating seat and having nice elbows BUT no connection.

Thursday - Kathy and Devon - Downward Transitions - Laterals and Canter

1. After warming up we worked on trot to walk transitions. Conclusion: take the following steps.

1. Visualize the transition
2. Alert Devon with less leg and Try ?? (attention)
3. Sit deep
4. Apply 1/2 halt phases
5. Goal--smooth, immediate, good energy kept thru rebalancing the gaits, without little extra steps, etc using HQ. 
6. Homework: visualize this process and make it a habit. Film this each ride and watch for progress. 

Using intention and energy to power up i.e. in changing rein on the diagonal straight away.

Laterals: leg yield, haunches in and shoulder in.

Canter on the circle and then onto the rain.

Video: 2013 11 14

Tuesday lesson with MH

Set the camera and picked up parts of the lesson: see 2013 11 12

1.  Walk:

• Getting a good walk: energetic but relaxed, tracking up--not sticky or jigging. 
• On the video the walk looked pleasant. 
• She was in and out of connection--that had been better previously but at that time it was my primary focus.

2. Trot walk transitions:

• Cleanly from trot to a good walk--avoiding little falling out steps
• 1/2 halt, repeat until Try figures it out. 
• Make it a new habit. (Rest/treat to reinforce??)
• Upward transitions are important also. Notice the tendency to go from walk to jog to trot.
• Downward also want it to be relaxed and keep a good energy into smooth immediate walk.
• Very pretty trot after a few transitions

3. Circling to supple Try's right side

• Watch for Try's tendency to fall in and make the circle smaller.
• Use inside leg for this to keep the circle round whatever the circle size.
• Right rein and give, right rein and give.

4. Canter:

• Help Try every few strides with right rein
• Sit deep and follow with seat
• Separate my seat from reins, elbows. 
• Same downward transition as above. 
• Rhythm issue--trotting behind as my primary focus was independent seat and hands.
• I had several times 14 strides or so of a consistent good rhythm on the CIRCLE on the straight line I lost rhythm. Once we had two circles in a row of good rhythm. 
• Reins were bobbling some!

This was the best day so far in sitting the canter.
I see myself transitioning from in effect being a passenger to helping Try to have nice relaxed gaits with a good energy and helping her to use her body to be between my legs without falling in etc.

Videotape my rides with Try also!!

Monday MH rode Try and I rode Devon

Try and MH:

I watched and Katie filmed for me--18 minutes filed under 2013 11 11
1. I noticed a good bit of head bobbing and Try does it quickly with a sharp energy.
2. Walk, then trot for rhythm and downward transitions.
3. Canter twice tracking left and once to the right--MH said Try seems sore and was beginning to pin her ears so did not pursue it further. Normal for horses (and humans LOL) to have some soreness.
4. Saw nice little rounding up, more consistent frame.
5. Nice relaxed trot with good energy although not tracking up as much as she can.
6. ??How to help Try to step deeper with her HQ in the walk.
7. At about 12 minutes--MH stops and talks to me--go back to video to see if can pick up sound (ear phones if necessary).

Devon and I:
I wasn't feeling well and the old tricks were back and tension--partly Devon was hyper aware because of pack of hunting dogs barking near the ring. WTC not breaking gait. Carrot stick used and put down used and put down as it would add to the tension. Next time see if the little black bat would be better.

Friday

Update on this week:

I think Try is finally coming around with my not riding on loose reins and asking her to come up a bit thru her top line. Yesterday we walked on a casual rein til she blew then I took up the reins and asked--and by a few strides she was there with just a few reminders. Finally!!--I felt like I struggled with this all last year. No doubt having MH ride her a few times has gotten the idea across better than I was doing. LOL Anyway she seems pretty happy with MH and is licking and chewing a lot and fairly relaxed afterwards--so good so far. (I worry that Try is going to get negative--actually that is silly of me--of course she will and we will deal with it when it comes.)

Devon: I am seeing a real change in our relationship. The talk you had with me last week has really helped my approach--understanding that I wasn't using phases effectively, if at all and losing confidence made such a difference to my approach. Perhaps also he enjoyed our lesson last week as something different or having a good show was relaxing for him?? Who knows--anyway he has dropped several of the "testing me" games for the past two rides and we are both feeling more relaxed. Also I have no problem keeping him going at a pretty good pace--I am carrying the carrot stick and putting it down when he get anxious then getting it again if he feels like he might be losing energy.

Wednesday

Lesson with MH and Try:

Forgot to videotape.

1. Worked on downward transitions from trot to walk--sit deep half halt--engaging rather than throwing her away--so to speak.
2. Sitting trot: post, sit a few strides, post
3. Serpentines, circles. Falling in right front--help her with inside leg.
4. Canter: ride more from my legs--cueing/balancing/controlling the rhythm, get a good canter etc. Separate legs from reins.
5. Me: be careful about resting wrists and connect through my elbows.

MH and Try and Devon and I

Warmed up Try at the walk for MH: including patterns and lengthen and shorten the walk. Video etc of Try's lesson with MH who said Try is fun to ride and will do anything for you. BA complimented the progress Try is making. I saw Try looking really good for longer stretches of time. MH suggested lots of serpentines to help Try be balanced.

canter 

trot

Devon: I was ready for him having considered my increasing lack of confidence and unwillingness to up my phases with him. So today I had no problems with getting and keeping a good energy and had the gentle spurs and carrot stick as back up. Walk/trot/canter and no stirrups. BA suggested wtc warmup would be good for lessons with Kathy as well followed by dwell time to get calm after the canter.

Monday - Yeehaw Some with Try and Extended Trot

Went out Monday afternoon after three days off and Try seemed happy to get out and do something. After quick grooming, we walked til she blew then started in the dressage ring and she connected quickly. We trotted just a bit and then cantered. I was experimenting with the western saddle and the canter felt good.

Next we went to the field to play with extending the trot. BA saw and said she looked really good. This time Try did not break to a canter, was even rounding up on self carriage and extending as we trotted across the pasture. When we played with the canter she had lots of energy and was pounding on the front end and I was not able to sit it in the western saddle--so much for that experiment.

Thursday - Lesson with Kathy and the awesome Devon

Thursday I got a taste of incredible with Devon.
We did pieces of dressage patterns with the beginnings of suspension. WOW.
Also Kathy helped me get over an increasing lack of confidence with Devon. I realized later that I was letting the fact that he is Joey and BA's special special horse make me a pushover using only the lightest of phases and being ineffectual.

Also to note on the weekend BA showed Devon and was champion both days.