I am embracing things today. I am embracing the fact that it's "staycation" and I slept in a little and then spent a few hours with Mike. We rode the Triumph to Lake Oconee for brunch and took the scenic route there and back. We also got dippin dots on the way home. Then I was planning to take Dan to Ashland and jump with Julia since our lessons were cancelled this week. But that meant that I didn't quite have enough time to ride both girls. But that's okay. I'm embracing vacation. And it was so hot and steamy that... I actually ended up planting some seeds my friend gave me first... I debating riding either girl because... quite frankly, Lyric worked hard at the show and doesn't really "need" a dressage ride at home at the moment. And Funny is just so hard in dressage... and my plan of not focusing on dressage in the arena only works if I can get to Ashland... it's kind of hard to not focus on dressage when I'm riding at home. Especially since it's empty right now so I could drag. But... I was thinking that while I was hoping to ride both girls tomorrow... I'm also going to be gone for 4 days... which, they probably deserve a vacation too, but... alas.. I ended up riding Funny at home. I figured maybe we could just do some microwalking and in hand work. I don't know. Maybe I temporarily forgot that I was not going to focus on dressage... ha ha!
So, we tacked up, walked up to the arena and then did our pillar walking. We also practiced the half halt rock back before we initiated the walk. Then I pulled a pole out and we straddled it and she walked forward straddling the pole the whole way til the very end! Good girl! We did slow incremental steps...not just a big marching walk. So then we tried to side pass it. She did okay with it and going right was way easier than going left. But she managed it with only a little bit of struggle and tantrum. So then I got on.
We walked and practiced some microwalking. She's really getting good at that! Then we did some leg yields and some shoulder in and haunches in. And then we half passed. And... it wasn't terrible. She's much stiffer haunches in to the left so the left half pass is harder. But... for just introducing it, she got the idea and we managed an acceptable version at times. Good girl. So then I trotted. And.... I was pleasantly surprised! She was actually quite nice. I tried very hard to keep a soft feel without letting the reins flop but only the softest of feels because anymore than that and she curls behind the vertical or we hang on each other. I also tried riding with my thighs and thinking of just... tightening myself up... making myself less flowy. And.. it seemed to work. She had quite a nice trot that felt more balanced on the hind end. Yay! We even played a tiny bit with letting her get big across the diagonal. She's definitely stiffer tracking left and I had to do more ten meter circles to the left than to the right. But that's okay. We took another walk break and then I tried a canter. And, the canter is just big and quick. I tried to sit... and tried to shrink it a little but.. not sure I accomplished anything. I did manage to keep it from getting bigger and we did some 12-15 meter circles to help. She was fussy in the bridle though and kept flinging her head. I tried more outside rein... more elbow movement... sitting deeper... but not sure anything really helped. But it wasn't terrible. So then we went back to trotting and of course, it was a bit rowdier. I managed to get a decent trot and then we went back to walk.
My thought was to distract her from the canter excitement and to put her brain to work. Except.. it backfired! We started out okay going to the right, but then when I tried to go left she had a tantrum.. or panicked... She just kind of overreacted and tried to blow through my aids and go the other way... then tried to fly forward. So.. we had a few moments of arguing and it wasn't pretty. I probably should have managed that differently rather than meet her explosiveness with increasing my aids. But... I did. I eventually got her to simmer down and just walk over the pole.. then just stand over the pole... then we walked off and then moved sideways away from the pole. Then we did it over the pole and called it a win even though she was flying sideways and kicking the pole some. Note to self... don't do it like that next time! Doh.
We went back to the trot and got some nice work again though! We even played with shoulder in on the long sides again. Then we did a halt and... man... don't go there yet Holly! ha ha. Of course she would NOT stand still, so... we had to sit there and dance and jig and spin until she finally stood for 2 seconds. Then we did a few more walk to halts and she started to settle. We finished with a trot to halt and she wiggled for a split second and then stood so I released her and called it quits. I did make her stand at the gate too though when we went through it. But then we had a nice hack through the pasture and we found Dan's shoe! Yay!
Sorry pony... that wasn't really the plan but I do feel like we made some progress!! Baby steps... soooo many baby steps! After my ride (I think.. my brain is tired) I read something about how we shouldn't wait til the horse does something to move our bodies.... we need to move ourselves first. Which... made sense. I did play with that today... with the whole inhale to initiate the upward transition... hold myself in my core to slow her speed... almost hold my breath to initiate a downward transition. Swoop my hips over in the half pass and leg yield to guide her vs just shoving her with my leg. (But.. ha!! Remember that with the side pass Holly!). So I need to remember this more specifically next ride. Maybe that will create more harmony.
And side note.... I finished my ride with her and had a few minutes to chill before leaving with Dan. And then checked the weather. I tried to brave it and had Dan loaded up and my friend called and was like "It's hailing and bad... I probably wouldn't bother coming", so... I didn't get to ride Dan. Sure enough the temps dropped about 20 degrees and the wind picked up and then the storm hit.
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