Today was lesson day with Liz! And.. I knew I had to start getting ready and was hoping to meander around a bit first but life happened and of course I wasn't quite ready. I was about to put the bridle on when she pulled up. Whooops! Oh well. I was hormonal and cranky and irritated and getting mad and frustrated at Funny for stupid little things. Sigh.. I said a quick prayer that God would turn my mood around. And I got on and headed to the arena. We got up there and I apologized to Liz. I told her I was super hormonal and cranky and if I shot her a death glare to not take it personally. I also told her that I needed her to call me out if I got mad at Funny without reason. We chatted briefly and I walked her around. We talked about our last lesson and kind of what I had done since.
Mackenzie had come and taught Jean and her interns again so they had moved the jumps out and put down some poles. There were 4 poles in a cross on each end and then in between two little jump fillers side by side. So Liz told me to ride the circle over the poles, and then, while holding the bend, kind of leg yield her away to the side of the poles and then half pass her back to the other circle of poles. Except she didn't want me to really think half pass and leg yield because it wasn't that specific. It wasn't about the maneuver, as much as she wanted me to focus on my body and keep the bend. And... it was easy.. and then it was hard. Basically I tend to collapse in a way that half passing left is easy. Leg yielding right is easy. But the opposite is hard. Tracking right was much easier. Tracking left, I could get her to leg yield out really easily, but when we went to half pass in, she was already falling in so I almost over asked. I almost had to do "nothing" and she would naturally half pass in because that's how my body wants to be (Wrongly) positioned. But then I tried to over correct and would cross my left hand over and end up blocking her and creating a counterbend. It was hard to fix! I had work really hard to fight it and I'm still not 100% sure how I accomplished it. I know that I do need to keep my inside (left) leg on, OPEN my left hand instead of crossing it, and open my right rein a little too I think. And almost think of pushing her haunches back in. I think. We did that a bit and she was so lazy. Like...lazy enough that Liz had me hop off for a minute because she was a little afraid that Funny would try to lay down, like she was colicky. But no... she was just quiet. I do think she's in the lovey dovey phase of her heat cycle.
So then we picked up the trot and Funny definitely perked up. Although overall today she was still much quieter and I did have to use my leg some. Oh, that was the other thing. She didn't want me kicking every stride... not even kicking, pulsing. I was trying to push her haunches out with each stride, in the right phase of the stride, but Liz told me to instead... put my leg on and leave it. And if she ignored me, give her a bump. But don't just kick every stride to kick every stride. And sure enough, it helps! So anyways.. we trotted and Liz didn't want me doing tight circles this week. She wanted me to trot around the arena but off the rail. If I needed to circle I could, but she wanted me to try to stay on straighter lines. And it was hard. We worked on me, and once I got balanced and settled... just wait it out, and Funny would come to me. And holy cow we got some really nice trot work!! Seriously nice trot work! Like... it's already so much nicer than it has been, but... today, we went from 6's, to 7... and then oooh, an 8, and then HOLY COW THAT WAS 2 or 3 STEPS OF 9!!!! And it was crazy cool because it only took the slightest little change in my body and she was suddenly this amazing fancy beast! It's so hard to even make notes because.. it's not one specific thing. It's a bit more of a feel.
So...
Tracking Right: It's harder to make it happen but almost easier to get it correct. Tracking left it's easier to cheat and have it look nice but harder to make it truly correct. So tracking right we'd go from a 5 to a 10, and stay in 5 or 6 most of the time, but tracking left we'd start at a 7 and vascillate between a 7 and an 8 the whole time. So.. interesting.
Tracking Right: She wants to throw her haunches to the left/outside, and also throws me to the outside. So I had to sink into my outside stirrup and let her take me there, but then say.. .okay, you can go here, but now we have to balance underneath yourself here. So... sit left but then ask her to hold me. (similar thinking to my lesson with Jacel where I went from just leg yielding her out to catching the outside and riding inside leg to outside rein). So once I got into my left seat bone and thought about sitting onto my left hip/her left hind, lifting my inside seatbone, and turning my shoulder to the right, but then turning my head to the outside (which is apparently actually straight ahead), she was like "oooohhhhh" and lofty and balanced. If I don't turn my eyes to the "outside", then I tend to look in, which makes me think my shoulders are facing in but they aren't. So it feels silly and I feel like I'm looking way off in space, but I'm not. I have to keep my elbows moving and soft and keep my elbows at my side and my hands slightly wider. And we got some seriously nice trot steps! Especially when I slowed my post and thought about posting up and down vs forward. And when I sat .... a tiny bit behind the motion almost. That's not exactly it... and it's not exactly rolling onto my seat pockets.. but more lifting my sternum and core and just... tipping my butt a hair. I don't know.. I know what to do and I can feel her change when I get it but it's hard to put it into words.
We let her have a breather because she was starting to fade. And she processed. And then I went to pick her back up and Liz yelled at me. I told her that she needed to re-explain the gathering thing because I thought I was doing it right. It wasn't a "take, take, take, take, take" in step with her steps.. it's a "take...step, step, step, take, take, step, step, take," WHEN she offers it. So... when there is slack in the reins, that's when I shorten them. Not shorten them to create more tension. And it's always two to one with the outside first. That's how you get them into the outside rein. OOOOHHHhh!! Okay, good because I was confused. And it definitely makes her less combative about it. And then bring my elbows slightly back to create more "take" but keep them moving and soft and following.
Tracking Left: She went to pick up the trot as soon as I thought about it, but i felt like she braced a little so I didn't ask and waited til she softened again. Liz said that I was correct in waiting til she was soft... don't sacrifice the transition for a certain spot on the rail or certain time. Just wait til she's ready and then ask. But she also said that she wasn't bracing, so much as just hearing me. And sure enough, once I got her soft again and asked with my "energy" vs my leg, she went up into the prettiest upward transition. Tracking left feels way easier but it's not really truly correct. I have to sink into my right stirrup and post up and down. And stay looking ahead, or a little to the right/outside. My shoulders naturally tip to the inside, so I don't have to worry about them. But I definitely have to worry about my inside hand crossing over. And everytime I do that, bad things happen or bad things get worse. But if I just widen my hands and open my inside rein, she softens. And sometimes I even have to open my outside rein to give her shoulder somewhere to go. And then slow my post and think about breathing softly and my core lifting. And we got some really nice work that way too!
So then we took another breather and then we picked her back up (more correctly this time) and went for the canter. We were aiming for walk to canter but if she trotted that was okay too. BUT we had to have a nice walk first. A nice soft relaxed walk. And it took a minute but we got it. She sort of trotted quick into the right lead the first time but it was okay. The canter was the same as the trot, more or less. Same things with my body. And it was quite nice. It was a little quick and big, especially since we weren't on circles. BUT it was still so much better than before. And Liz said we could "fix" it on small circles but we also needed to figure out how to fix it on the straight aways. And honestly... we did! She totally listened to me. Part of what helped was the very first exercise we did today. I almost rode her in a very slight and subtle leg yield to get her into the outside rein, especially on the left lead canter. And wow! It worked! And when I did that, she didn't feel like she was motorcycling in. Liz said it was hard for her and if she falls out of the canter, let her. Don't punish it. At one point I felt her starting to weaken, so I closed my legs and she didn't break, but then a few strides later she did. But that was okay, because I supported vs punishing and then allowed. And when I did ask for her to trot, beefore she broke on her own... SO MUCH MORE LEG! Ha ha. She came down so nicely but it was almost a canter to halt transition. Ha ha.. we're not there yet!
We quit after that because she was sooooo good. We chatted a bit and I hopped off and she was snuggly. Liz mentioned how happy she looked too. Yay! I'm soooooo sooooo glad we've gotten over that combative phase of our relationship. And maybe I could have avoided it had I ridden differently... or maybe it was needed.. maybe I did have to prove to Funny that I was actually going to get to have a say, albiet a fair one... not to sound cliche, and I really don't believe in "asserting dominance" but.. to a point, maybe I had to prove to her that I was worthy of being in charge?? I don't know. Maybe not.. and maybe not as long as we fought. But, regardless, we've come out the other side and seem to be on the same team and as I kept saying before... "If we can just get on the same team, we're gonna have so much fun"... and it's true! THIS!!! THIS is what I've been waiting for! She's so responsive to my body language and so willing to try. And so freakin' athletic and talented. She's NICE!!!! So nice! And it's so fun when we're not fighting. For both of us. So WHEEEEEEEE!!!
When we were chatting after Liz laughed and said my smile was awesome and I was no longer hormonal or angy anymore. NOPE! You fixed that!! :) :) :) But she pointed out that she teaches by little dopamine hits. Those moments of "aha" that make us feel so good. Me and Funny. And we want more of those. And they make us happy. And... it freakin' works and she's right! I'm sure the sunshine helped my mood too. And just getting to actually ride! And such a good ride too. So YAY!!!!!!
I walked her home since she was so good and let her have some naked time. It's a hair chilly but.. it's about to be at least 36 hrs of below freezing and potentially up to 70 hours, so.. I felt like she would appreciate the naked time. :) Sadly I didn't get any photos because I was enjoying the ride so much and Liz didn't get any videos cause she left her phone in her car. But that's okay. It was WORTH IT!
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