Chaos.... Classy chaos
Today was an interesting day. :) I had a lesson with Kelly. I was trying to get there early enough to do a 30 min hack and do hills but I got stuck at the gas station so I only had a 10 minute warm up. I did take her out on XC and we walked the banks in and out of the water and then walked up the hill and back to the arenas. We made it right on time, but I guess they finished early prior as Kelly was waiting on me. Ooops.
I put my headset on and told Kelly where we were at with Dan and then Lyric. She told me to go ahead and pick Lyric up and start trotting. We did and Lyric was fussy. Kelly immediately picked up on the fact that Lyric was also not wanting to take the right/outside rein. So, she had us come back to walk to and go to a counterbend. Then, walk a bit in counterbend and then slowly switch back to true bend. But it was to happen first with my seat, then with my shoulders, and then my hands followed. Really, Lyric should be bending without my hands doing anything other than following. Ahhh... once she pointed it out and I focused on it, it was better. And it works. I would shift to my *inside* seat bone (inside relative to the bend), then add my new inside leg, then turn my shoulders to the new inside and then my hands could slide over. And they should stay even, not one more forward than the other. And it worked! So we did that a few times, switching back and forth. Then we took it to the trot. Shortly into trotting, Kelly tightened up her noseband because Lyric was too fussy and chompy with her mouth and tongue. Shortly after that, one of the horses that was tied to the trailers got loose and came galloping up the path, streaking in and out of the woods. So we stopped and stared. Then he came runnning up behind the arenas. And then Emily, who was having a lesson with Leslie in the other arena, went trotting through our arena end to go try to catch the horse, which was with her group. Okay... we'll just sit here a few. Then Kelly had to go try to catch the horse and she finally caught him. She was just about to pass him off to Emily to pony him back when a second horse got loose at the trailers. This one was even more rowdy and ran amuck even more. Good grief! Lyric kept it together and was inverted and on high alert but holding her ground. Okay... we can do this... The one horse finally disappeared off in the XC field but then the owner kept popping in and out of the view. Then the horse that got loose first was being held by the owner and I guess he got rowdy because we heard he scream and then he was loose again. Sigh.. This time he came running towards us and ran through our arena. Lyric was starting to lose her cool at this point. Her heart was pounding away. And then the owner came down the hill from the jump arena out of the woods and poor Lyric was done. She started prancing and jigging and spinning. Oi! At this point, it's been about 10 minutes of chaos! Well that escalated quickly! So Kelly told me to put Lyric to work and make her change directions rapidly. Move her feet.. direct her. Send her forward, sit back and upright, and make her move. So we did a half 10 meter circle one way.. then a half 10 meter circle the other way.. then back the other way... then a full circle, then back the other way. It slowly settled back down to a walk instead of a piaffe. And she slowly started breathing and paying attention to me again. Kelly pointed out that this was a good exercise in obedience because she needed to trust that I wouldn't put her in harm and that I would keep her safe but that she needed to be paying attention to me. And we used that tension for good! She got kind of fancy!
So then we took a breather and she finally relaxed and we could carry forth with our lesson properly. We picked back up where we left off except it was obvious she was falling in hard core. So we went back to leg yielding. Quarter line to rail but as soon as I hit the rail, turn and leg yield her into the outside rein through the turn. We did that for a bit. It's definitely easier going to the right because she will go into the left/outside rein. But going to the left is soooo hard. Going right... her neck elongates, she reaches for the contact, I can push her into the outside rein and she gets kind of nice and lovely! Going to the left, it all falls apart. She falls in way harder. She won't go into the outside rein. Probably because I can't figure out how to make my body do what it does when we go the other way. If I use my inside/left leg, she squirts and gets faster. And still won't connect into the outside rein as well. And then because she's flinging laterally because she's over reacting to my inside leg, I get snatchy and hold the inside rein because otherwise "we won't keep turning left and we'll turn right". So then I hold that inside rein and end up desperately trying to get some sort of contact on the right/outside rein, so I shorten it.. which shortens her neck... and makes everything worse. And she still isn't in the outside rein, so then I try crossing over the neck, because I'm panicking. Sigh... So we worked on that. I had to try very hard but it's the same thing as the other side. Just harder. Use my inside leg. If she squirts and gets quick... then make my circle smaller. Yes, it starts out awful and feels like I'm just spinning her in a circle, because I have to guide her nose in or she won't turn. But if I stick with it... and remember to use an opening inside rein, not a backwards pulling inside rein... and use the inside leg... and keep a steady connection in the outside rein. I can bring my hand to the withers, but no farther. And keep pushing her. We talked about how my brain got all panicky and stressed, but... here's the thing. Yes... we are doing this small, tight circle, but... if I stick with it for a minute... she eventually balances herself and gets more upright (instead of falling in) and then the circle, while small, is at least correct. So we're building. It's a step. As she gets stronger and more correct, we can start making bigger circles. So.. don't panic Holly! Just remember, I have to let go of the inside rein. So yeah.. basically.. inside leg to outside rein. Use my inside leg to stretch her barrel, which then pushes her into the outside rein.
The other thing Kelly noted and told me to stay aware of... once Lyric gets lovely... she slows down. She uses that as an evasion in ways, so... when she gets nice, make sure she stays in front of the leg. Luckily, it only really takes a cluck and a small leg tap at times.
We went to the canter and it's the exact same problems in the canter. So we did leg yields in the canter. And it helped balance her. We did the same thing as far as leg yielding to the rail and then turning once we hit the rail.
So afterwards Judy had arrived to take Teller for a hack so we joined her for a loop around the fields. We finished up in XC and I walked Lyric over the banks in the water again and up and down the regular back. We also walked a log or two and trotted another one. And we did the hill once. I definitely didn't do as much hill work as I had wanted, but... she worked hard in the lesson, so we quit with that. It was such a pretty day I didn't want to get off, but... it was a long enough ride. So I did. And, she did lose a leg once or twice today but it was that short, quick catch for one stride only. There was no three legged moments. Yay!
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