Lessons, Lessons, Lessons (& Clydesdales!)

After work yesterday I microwaved some leftovers, changed clothes, and headed for the barn. I got there about 5:15 and got ready to ride. There were surprisingly few people there at that time, which was nice, since I prefer to have some room in the ring and to not block the aisle for everyone!

Henry was great, although not as steady in the contact at first. We worked on a lot of bending, circles, etc and then did several trot-halt-trot transitions. After a break we worked on leg-yields, shoulder-in, then haunches & half-pass. Still not quite right but it is amazing how well he will "sit" and slow down when I am asking him for lateral stuff. I had a really hard time using my right leg for this stuff. It almost feels like the inside of my right thigh is thicker or something? I end up turning my toe out just to be able to get a good feel on his side, which is troubling. I have theorized in the past that this might be because of driving, and using my right leg for gas/ breaks (therefore that leg's muscles get worked more, and so are bulkier) but I might be a little nuts to think that.

We took another break and worked a little in sitting trot, again with the trot-halt-trot transitions and then into a rising stretchy trot. At this point, people had started to come in and tack up for a 6:30 lesson taught by the BO, and she came out and saw some of my ride. She commented that she was very pleased with the stretching work and that we had come a long way in the past couple of months with it, which is true, and thank GOODNESS I have finally learned to PUSH him at the stretchy trot and hold his front end up so he doesn't fall all over himself. She then said that my trainer (her daughter) had commented on how nice of a horse he was, which combined with a similar comment from the farrier (relayed to me via another instructor/boarder yesterday) made me all warm and fuzzy inside :)

I gave Henry another walk break and then we did one or two canters each way, concentrating on uphill, steady slow pace, BENDING etc, but by this point riders were starting to bring in their schoolies for the 6:30, and Henry was getting tired (even broke once or twice) so I finished with one more stretchy trot around the arena - and he was so tired I had to push him to keep the trot! Normally if I go large with a stretchy he will prick his ears and *ahem* extend the trot unasked for...

I took his tack off and decided to take him out into the arena for a walk, to see if he would roll, even though he wasn't warm. He dug around a couple of times like he was going to roll, sniffed around for that perfect spot, but in the end decided that watching the lesson get started was more interesting! There were six riders in the lesson and not all of them felt like giving Henry any space to potentially roll, so after a couple laps we went back to his stall. By this point, two boarders had added their horsies to the already circus-like ring, so I was REALLY glad I had gotten there early! I cleaned his bucket and gave him some warm water, started to put his stuff away, and then when I went to groom him saw that he had taken half a flake of his hay and STUFFED it in the bucket, and was proceeding to take dainty little bites. Whatever makes you happy, buddy!

Two of my 7:30 college lesson riders (Fashion Boots Rusty Rider and Medieval History Practical Horseman - see Jan 27 post for more info) showed up while the 6:30 was still in progress, so I had them go into the barn to start grooming their schoolies. They were very eager to be able to ride which is awesome. They really are great students. The three other riders (Finance Major Linebacker, No Gloves International Relations Major, and Quiet Architecture Major) came right on time and all had matching gloves! Evidence, they said, of their dedication to the sport ;)

We got two more horses groomed and tacked, and I borrowed one from the 6:30 lesson, and once everyone was finally out in the ring I showed everyone how to mount. All of the guys in this lesson went from never been on a horse to steering, stopping & starting, and decent position in about a half hour. I was impressed. The best part was, the QAM had asked last week if he could wear cowboy boots to ride in (sure, why not...) and HE DID! Granted, he had a wicked chair seat, but those boots looked good :D

During the lesson, MHPH asked how much horses weigh. I gave him approximate weights for several of the horses in the ring. Then - "What about Clydesdales?" This guy is OBSESSED! He asked if we had any last week, to which I replied that no, we didn't, but there is another local college that has some. He asked if they would let him ride them. Umm... probably not. In honor of MHPH and his zeal for learning and love of Clydes, I give you the following Super Bowl Ads:

"Generations"



"Stick"



and my favorite of the night (seriously made me tear up a little!)
"Circus"



With that, I am off to prepare for my 5:30 lesson with my trainer, and try to think of some interesting things to work on with my 6:30 BegInterVanced college lesson. I'm starting to look forward to Spring Break!

Okay, going to TRY to keep this brief!

Let's see..

Wednesday night, I spent in the gym. Cardio on a killer elliptical, about 45 minutes of strength/ weight training, and then a yoga class. Good times :)

Thursday night, I went out to the barn kind of late, around 7pm, because I had taken my time with dinner lol. Henry was a peach as I lunged first, then got on to work on my homework (yes I did everything on the list!). Then I spent some quality time cleaning his stall, scrubbed out his water bucket and put some warm water in, etc. By the time I left it was 9:30!

Last night I taught another college lesson. Out of four originally expected students, one had dropped the class, and another never showed. This was an ABSOLUTE beginner class, which was easy to tell when the first comment in the barn was "Oh! It smells in here!" They were sweet though. We worked on grooming and learning how to tack up, as well as general rules for the barn and how to act around equines. They suggested at the end of the lesson that they'd like to switch to Wednesday nights, which would be nice so that I could teach M, T, W and then have the rest of the week to myself. I will have to check with the barn owner to make sure that's ok. My boyfriend, who comes home on the weekends from school, decided he wanted to clean Henry's stall (!!!) and so I let him do it while I scrubbed the water bucket. He's a keeper ;)

Today I went to the barn and rode Henry, really working on leg-yields from the wall, quarter lines, and center line, as well as getting that awesome uphill canter more consistently. He got his lead (true or counter) every time except once, and by the end of the ride was holding himself up for longer and longer stretches.

Unfortunately I was witness to some nasty bad-mouthing at the barn today; I hate to even be around that sort of drama but as we all know it is unavoidable. It was a woman who was actually sh*t talking the barn owner! Who is a glorious and wonderful older woman, and deserves to be sainted. I was shocked by this boarder's negative comments, but even more shocked that she would just spout it in the tack room with plenty of people around. That's bold. I left the tack room as quick as I could.

Also unfortunate is that our resident farrier seems to have forgotten about Henry. I have been using his bell boots during rides lately because he's getting pretty long, and I have heard him step on himself more than once. I think the next time I see my trainer I will ask her advice on this. The last thing I want is another episode like I had two years ago, when Henry got a sole bruise because his angles were off. Six weeks of handwalking in the middle of summer is frustrating, but it was worse since that was preventable. Hmmm...

Tonight I am attending and helping out at our GMO's annual Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. Last year I ended up spending about $100 on auction items... I might have to leave the checkbook at home this time! I also won a year-end championship last year, so keep your fingers crossed for a repeat for me and Henry!!!

2 Lessons in 1 Night = Exhausting!

Well, Tuesday night was more than a little nerve wracking for me. I got to the barn a little before five and got ready for my lesson on Henry. Of course, after so many years of practice it only takes about ten minutes to tack up, so I had some time to kill before my lesson started. I had thought ahead and brought a Kyra Kyrklund book with me to see if it offered any insights on that baffling half-pass that I knew I would be working on in my lesson, but also to see if there was a simple concept I could use to focus the lesson I would be teaching at 6:30. Suffice it to say that my nerves, combined with the vague tone of the book (I loved reading it the first few times but it does have a sort of "you had to be there" feeling) and I ended up blanking out on all the words. Oh well.

I did get a chance to talk to some of the girls who work and ride at the barn who have taught these college lessons before. They suggested some horses to use and some tips, and regaled me with stories about good looking college men (sorry, already taken!) and students who are studying abroad here (most are from Asian countries, for some reason). These stories were too funny because looking back to Monday night, there are four guy names on my list (one girl asked if they had "hot names"... um... WHAT?) and on Friday, all the names in my lesson are distinctly Asian... hopefully there won't be too much of a culture/ language barrier. I'm worried though, it's tough enough to try to explain all the parts of a bridle and a horse's anatomy to someone who is a native English speaker!

I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Getting back to my lessons, though...

I warmed up with a nice easy walk while I waited for my trainer to finish the lesson before mine. It's so awesome to be able to walk around on the buckle and not worry that my horse will do something spooky or dumb. We started with some leg-yields, and quickly moved into shoulder-in and haunches-in, and from there tried a couple of half-passes. Going to the left, he gave me a really good effort and so we gave him a walk break. After that we tried to get some good ones to the right, but we are finding he has a hard time bending well to the right. It's partially me as well, as I tend to let him work his own way through the corners and don't support his shoulders as much as I should through the bend. That will change!

We went back to the leg-yield to the right to try to work some more on bending, but it will be a long road. This is something that will start to show itself more and more, and so I will need to work on getting him to bend all the way through to the right. Another disconcerting quirk that is showing itself is that when I ask for something challenging, as he is thinking Henry tends to click his teeth together. He's not gnashing them or fighting the contact, just playing with the jaw and click-click-clicking through the movement. It is a sign of tension but I have been assured that it will go away when he becomes more comfortable with what is being asked of him. I purposely keep his noseband one hole looser than most would, because after reading horror stories on COTH and sustainabledressage.com, I want to make sure I am doing what I can to understand the biomechanics of my horse and make him more comfortable. I'm also going to put in a call to the vet to have her come check his teeth and see if there are any shots that need updating.

Anyway, after another break we did some counter-canter-walk-canter transitions. Let me tell you, his canters feel awesome, but it's also tough because I need to be there to keep his shoulders up if he starts to tip in (especially to the right), half-halt before he can flatten out, and push him into the bend, all while staying upright. Someday his balance will be such that I can just sit back and enjoy the gait, but for now I am more than willing to lend a helping hand (and leg, and seat, and upper body...). We finished with some lengthenings at the trot, emphasizing a prompt transition back down to the more collected (not actually collected, more like working) trot, and then a stretchy circle, focusing on encouraging him to stretch down and OUT, not down and towards his chest. He's getting there :)

So homework for this week is:

• keep plugging away at getting precise control of his shoulders, haunches, and sideways to improve each of the elements of half-pass
  
• keep working on getting a deep, through bend to the right
• leg-yields on center line and from the track to center line so that he's not leaning on the wall as a crutch or anticipating the movement
• prompt transitions within the trot to lengthening and back down

The tough part is, as my trainer says, "we're going to be here for a while". Henry is such a quick learner and a hard worker, that it sort of feels strange when he struggles with something. I gave him last night off (and spent almost three hours at the gym between cardio, weight training, and a yoga class!) and will work sparingly but diligently on our homework. I really wish the weather was better so that I could give him a trail ride mental break. He's always in work mode, which might be how he likes it, but I do get nervous that he'll resent all the concentrated effort on these tough new moves!

Hmm... think I'll save my tale of the college lesson for the next post. This one's long enough ;)

Half-Pass is umm... hard.

Well, after riding yesterday AND today, I am befuddled. I feel bad that I can't get the hang of half-pass, especially because I could do them pretty well eight or nine years ago! I have totally forgotten the feel of it and as a result, I'm making it confusing for poor Henry! Hopefully in my lesson tomorrow I can get some more clarification on the aids and my position in this tricky move. I concentrated on doing really good leg-yield, haunches-in, and shoulder-in today and didn't work too hard on the half-pass. We also got some awesome trot lengthenings (though for some reason I always want to sit two strides at the beginning and end up on the wrong diagonal), and worked on getting prompt down transitions from trot and canter.

I had the day off today, and I hit the gym for some cardio this afternoon and then had a healthy lunch. It feels GOOD to work out and get my muscles going. I even love the medieval looking ab-crunch machine. I can also tell it is helping my position and my riding, although I bet it would be a lot easier to tell if it weren't so darned cold up here in Siberia, New York. Ugh, and the worst part is, this week feels like t-shirt weather compared to last week, because even though it is only reaching the mid-20s this week, at least we're on the right side of zero!

I was supposed to be teaching a lesson tonight, but none of my five students showed up! I don't know if it was the weather, if they got lost, or if they thought there was no lesson because of the holiday, but I guess we'll just make it up later on. This is one of three lessons a week I will be teaching this semester, a PE class that a local college offers. Should be pretty fun, but I am a bit nervous as I don't want to disappoint anyone! I will be sure to post about those as soon as I get some students!

In sadder news, one of the mares I took many years of lessons on was euthanized yesterday afternoon. She was in her late 20s, probably around 28, and had been losing strength and balance over the past few days. She was born and raised at the barn, never left it, and lived a great life. I know I spoiled her rotten when I rode her, and she was bought by a guy who took really great care of her. She had the most beautiful tail you could imagine, thanks to his careful grooming. She was comfortable up until her final days, thanks to his meticulous feeding and supplements; he even gave her injections for her joints, even though she wasn't being ridden. She got to graze every day (during the warmer months, obvs) and as she passed, he asked her if she could see all the pastures with all the green grass. I know she will be missed.

Ok so the blogging resolution has fallen a bit by the wayside...

I have good reasons though... Last weekend I was in Florida visiting my grandfather. He turns 85 next Wednesday and he is a wonderful guy. Of course, I didn't have internet access at his house. My internet has been wacky at work as well, and I have been super busy pretty much every night. But enough with the excuses!

I rode last Friday, after working with Henry all week on our shoulder-in and haunches-in, and we finished up with some very nice ones in trot! I was so excited for him because he learns so quickly and it's so nice to not have to do things over and over. It also lets me know that he is understanding what I want from him.

Over the weekend Henry got treats from some friends, and apparently "looked like he missed" me. I bet he wasn't too upset to not have to work all weekend ;)

I came back on Monday night around 7 so there was no way I had enough energy to make it to the barn before they closed up for the night. I went a little early on Tuesday for my lesson, just to make sure he wasn't covered in mud or missing a shoe or anything (he wasn't). It was cold, but the rest of the week has been much colder (as I write it is 7 degrees with a windchill of -11) - quite a difference from 75 and sunny in Florida!

I got on a little early as well, to warm up slowly while the woman whose lesson is before mine was finishing up. I tried to watch what she was doing but had a hard time seeing what my trainer was seeing. As soon as I picked up a trot Henry was amazing - soft, supple, bending through his ribcage, and best of all he stayed in a light contact and not behind the bit! It was a very promising start.

We worked on some shoulder-in and leg-yields both ways, and tried some haunches-in at the trot. He was a little rusty at first, but quickly picked up what I was asking (especially when I made sure my position was correct). I came around the end of the ring where my trainer was sitting at C and she said "and down the next long side you're going to do a half-pass". Just like that. Now, the last time I did a half-pass was probably ten years ago (and I told her so), so we went over the basic mechanics, I asked, and... Henry was AWESOME! He didn't hesitate for a second. I was so amazed! Here is this chunky little 15 hand QH who I never thought would get past training level, DOING A HALF-PASS the first time he is asked. I was in heaven. We did a couple more, though I still need to get clear on the precise aids and what to expect, and gave him a well deserved break. What a guy!

Next we worked on going from counter-canter to walk to canter to walk, repeating all the way around the ring. I got some really great canter and it forced Henry to really come up under himself. He got his leads 90% of the time and his counter-canter is to die for. It's so balanced and light that sometimes I don't want to ask for a down transition! This will definitely improve his canter as well as improving his other gaits. After a few times around the ring both ways we did a trot stretchy circle and I think it was the best one he has given me so far. As long as I regulate his trot with my seat and give my hands forward before I give the reins, he's okay. If I forget to move my hands closer to his mouth before I give the reins, he stretches his neck out beautifully, but ends up with his nose in towards his chest. A simple fix that I definitely need to remember!

After another break we did some lengthenings at the trot, which became much more fluid and easy when my trainer reminded me about the "back door" metaphor. By closing my legs but not moving my hands, I "close his back door", meaning bringing his hind end down and his hind legs up and under. Then, I either half-halt at the front end to collect and get him round, or give him a bit of extra encouragement to go forward, which got me some beautiful lengthenings. I have to engage his hind end first, and then the front does what I ask, bringing the trot either bigger or smaller. After two or three of these, they were great. My trainer commented, "boy, he's smart!"

We quit soon after that. He gives a lot so we are careful not to overwork him. My trainer said, and I quote, that "if he were a man, you'd marry him". Smart, laid back (she had asked earlier if he ever did anything like take off or buck... nope!), gives his all, and learns quickly? Yeah, that does sound like a great guy! "I don't know if I'd call him handsome though... cute definitely, but handsome?" My reply: "maybe if he was a bit taller, then he'd be handsome, but he sure is cute."

On that note I bundled him up in a blanket and a sheet, and took off for the GYM. I went with a friend who I have known since 4th grade. She is definitely the person who has stuck by me through the years, even when we were in college 500 miles apart. We work out at a YMCA that is a little out of the way for us, but is one of the nicest and most affordable gyms I have ever seen. Love it there, except that the awesome yoga instructor is no longer there... We did a half hour on the ellipticals, then I learned how to use a bunch of weight machines, and we finished up with 15 minutes on the treadmill. Nothing too strenuous, but enough to get me on the wagon again. We went Wednesday night as well, but I had to work late last night and she has to work late tonight. Bummer.

I tried to get out to the barn last night after I got out of work; I showed up around 7:30 but no one was there and the door was locked. Guess they thought no one would want to come out in the sub-zero weather! Hopefully I will get out there tonight, even just to clean his stall and bucket and walk him around a bit. I definitely think it's too cold to ride. My baby is keeping his blankies ON! Maybe this weekend will warm up a bit, at least enough to get on and practice those half-passes :D