Well... I had an 8:45 am lesson scheduled and was planning to take Dan. But.. he was lame yesterday and even though I shockwaved him... I worried that I was going to overdo it in a lesson. Although it was tempting to get Kelly's input, but.. I just felt like maybe he needed to rest a bit. So I took Funny instead. I figured it couldn't hurt... especially after the spicy ride we had yesterday!
So... she got to go. I took the nathe bridle, but also threw her regular bridle over my shoulder just in case Kelly didn't like her in the nathe. We hacked over to the covered (Lucky us!) and she was already feeling a bit spicy! But she was a good girl. We got there but Kelly was running late with Kelly and Quantico, who is now a gelding but was recently a stallion. So I stayed out of the arena and walked around the warm up area. We went up the little hill a few times too. I kind of wanted to trot but she was feeling spicy so I didn't want to. And then I had the bridle on my shoulder... I finally set it down and then trotted a circle but... she was tight and spicy, so I brought her back down to the walk. And then Kelly said they were ready for me anyways. So.. in we went.
I told her basically that I was just talking myself in circles about the connection. So we warmed up at the walk and she had me take a soft feel with wide hands... no need to make them close and equitation pretty. She had me follow Funny but really there wasn't much of a feel. Just the slightest of feels. She had me think more of "setting boundaries" and putting limits on things than creating a specific feel. It was more of a "If you maintain your head in this particular area, there won't be any pressure on the reins and you can be comfortable". And it's not that I made it uncomfortable out of the box... I just had more pressure and she didn't get a release. And I'm still not 100% satisfied in my answer but... how does one encourage a horse to reach for the bit, if there's never a release from the soft pressure on the bit? I guess in my opinion, it needs to be more of a relationship to contact like Celeste teaches. I put slight pressure on the bit and when the horses softens, I drop the contact. Then... as time progresses, when I ask for a slight contact, and they soften, I don't drop the contact, I just keep it slightly soft. And then I can encourage them to go into it with riding the hind end. But maybe first they need to learn that they can get a release. But.. I don't know. I don't quite understand how to teach them to go into the contact without a release but then I also am confused how to progress then into actual contact. But I feel like I like this method better than the hold pressure no matter where they go without a release ever... Although I do understand that there is a fine line between softening vs a full release and I also understand that if they go behind the vertical and you soften, that's rewarding them going behind the vertical so I don't know. Maybe it's way more simple than I'm making it out to be. Anyways... so back to my lesson. I had a very soft contact but basically kind of ignored what her head did other than to maintain a very soft contact no matter where she went. And when she softened, I gave a little. And then we added to it. Once she went soft for a tiny bit, I gave the reins and encourage a free walk. But not just any free walk... a marching *8* free walk. She gives me alllll the stretch but not the activity behind. So, to encourage her to reach into the contact and to help strenghten her hind end... when she gets soft and "submissive" in the walk... soften, then feed out the reins but insist she gives me that marching forward fluid free walk. Which, is actually kind of hard for her. I had to kick! And keep kicking. But I have to be careful I don't nag. So, I can kick/nudge every quarter of the circle but not every stride. So then we go stretch... then go back to our medium walk with contact. And rinse and repeat. Repeatedly! For almost the whole lesson. It got ugly at times. We also talked about how activity is what is going to fix her lack of longitudinal suppleness. And while I agreed, I also said that it was hard at times to encourage more activity because she was already feeling so explosive and like she was running. But Kelly reminded me it's a balance thing. She's quick and running because she's on the forehand. So by asking for more energy/activity behind, I'll encourage her to balance better and be more uphill. Obviously there are times I have to half halt with the reins, but mostly try to use my core, my seat, slow my post, etc.
So that was fun...ish. She threw some moves my way. The stop and balk... threatened to rear. She slung limbs every which way... flung her head every which way. But... she also had some really lovely moments here and there. So then we took it to the trot. Same thing, but... harder! And we didn't discuss whether I should try a stretchy trot... because we just went back to the walk and then the stretchy walk. I think perhaps we're not quite ready for a stretchy trot. So we'll keep practicing.
It was hard work but also helpful. Oh!! And about 1/3 of the way through my lesson... I was walking (luckily still only walking) and suddenly noticed my right cheekpiece had come undone. It's the western headstall so they use chicago screws to hold the bit in place. Um.... ack! I tried to keep the connection and hold the bit in place and it was mostly working, but... I felt like I needed to actually fix it before Funny realized and took advantage. So I stopped and hopped off. Kelly said she actually quite liked her in that bit, but unfortunately I didn't have a screw driver so we couldn't pull the other cheekpiece off to put it on her other bridle. Which, thankfully I had brought!! So we finished my lesson in her regular metal bit and bridle. I did laugh and tell Kelly that she had mentioned a "bridleless, but still with a bit" lesson at my last lesson. Although I believe that was on Lyric. Hee hee. Funny was super good about it and Kelly commented on how good her ground manners were. Ahhhh, yay!
So then we went for another short hack around pyteradactyl lake to get to the trailer. I had to meet a friend later with Dan and had already been on long enough, so while it was tempting to do more and/or get some hills, I figured that was enough.
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