Womaning Up

 Today we had a dressage lesson with Kelly Eaton. We were lucky and got to ride in the covered at Ashland. It was a 3 pm lesson and about 93 degrees with a feel of 101 or so. Ugh. It was supposed to be cooler today! Thank goodness for the covered. 

 

We parked at the showgrounds because I wanted a little hack and I figured it was easier to use that hose than have to go into the barn. So we got there and tacked up and took a slightly scenic route to get to the gray barn. Lyric was a good girl but felt a bit mincy and footsore, especially on the rocks. Which is weird because she actually has all four shoes on again. Odd, but... who knows? I did ride her with the half pad and she seemed comfy with the saddle and it seemed to fit fine. Actually better with the half pad. 

 

We got there and walked around the grass for a tiny bit before Kelly was ready for us. I told her that she had been doing well but that I had noticed that her "connection" was cheating. That she may have dropped her head but I didn't think she was unlocking and not bracing and she definitely wasn't coming through her back. I told her how we had done some lunging and plan to incorporate that back in more frequently to get her using herself. So she asked us to show her. Ha ha... Doh! I put her on a trot and did some figure eights, hoping to get some semblance of a stretch and reach and Lyric was not having it. She was way worse than usual. Inverted and hollow. Okay, well.. yeah. So Kelly called us over and put us to work. She had us walk a circle and then on the quarterline, halt.. and then do the one step of turn on the forehand. It was very much an instructional aid exercise vs actually expecting a correct turn on the forehand. The goal was to get Lyric to respond politely to my inside leg by moving away. And preferably with her barrel and hind end. So we had to do a little bit of shock and awe. And that got Lyric rattled. We were giggling because she kept shaking her head. Kelly said she had to roll her marbles around a bit to get them lined up again. hee hee. But we realized that she was stressing so we only did two steps total each time.. then we walked a whole circle in between. She just isn't ready mentally for a full 180 degree turn. But it was working because she was getting the hang of it. Sure, she fussed and anticipated and backed and jigged and wouldn't stand still at the halt. But she did start to at least move. Not always the haunches only, not always by moving the barrel first, and sometimes moving into my leg instead of away. But we made progress. And to remind myself.. the goal is not for me to work harder...the goal is for me to whisper with my inside calf and her to yield. So then we progressed to doing that, then doing a circle, then on half the circle, use my inside leg to push her into the outside rein. And I also often had to take both hands to the outside to give her somewhere to go. Even though she was falling out that outside shoulder sometimes. And lo and behold, it worked! She really stepped up and under into that outside rein. It was pretty cool. And after a bit... I had a nice honest connection in both reins with her having a light soft contact!! Not just hanging, or not without any contact. A legit contact. And yes, it was tenuous and bouncy and not there at times. But at times... it was legit! And it was off my leg and seat and not my hands!! SOOO COOL! And here's the other piece... when she does go there, I can soften, but only half of what it took to get her there. So don't throw her away. Don't give away what I just worked to get. Plus she gets lost when I just drop her. So hold her, but softer. I can open my fingers on the reins a hair OR I can push my elbows forward a hair. But I can't do both. Aha!  

 

We also worked on me sitting up tall and not letting her pull me forward. I had to keep my elbows at my side and post forward and back and let my shoulders be loose and swingy. And stop collapsing my right side. But yeah.. it was really quite nice. We took it to the trot and it works the same there!! Yay!!! 

 

So then we called it quits. I ended up doing one short canter to the right after Kelly left because I wanted to try it at the canter. But she got a little fast and squirrely and my brain had kind of melted so I tried it very briefly and then noticed that Kelly had come back and got all self conscious so I went back to walk. ha ha.. I don't know why. But then I realized that I didn't want to undo everything and it was hot and we still had to hack home, so we headed back. We took a slightly longer walk home but didn't bother going to the lake. We were alone and it was so hot and I figured she wasn't going to go in, so ... we just headed back via the scenic route. And she was a good girl! I'm so proud of her! She has come a long way. (I know... I know, I was just lamenting how we've come such a little ways in such a long time, but... really, given the circumstances - her age.. it's me... her prior training... she has come a long way, especially more recently). 

And... doesn't she look so pretty in the cafe pad!!!?