Super Ride!
Today was fun! (well, this part was!).
Liz came today and taught me a lesson on Lyric. We started off walking and she told me that I was working way too hard and if she didn't respond to my leg and I was nagging every step, I needed to use my whip or whomp her with my leg. Shock and Awe. Yep... you're right! So I did that a few times and she was much more forward and engaged and her walk got way better. Not just because it was quicker, because it wasn't. It was just forward instead of meandering. She also dropped my stirrups a hole because she told me I was gripping with my knee and asked me to turn my toes in and I couldn't. Like... those stupid thigh blocks were blocking me and holding me down. BUT... luckily, once we dropped my stirrups a hole, I could move better. It actually felt better too. Cool!
So then we went to the trot but I got yelled at again for just shimmying up the reins instead of going with her movement. (Ha.. I didn't get "yelled" at). I swear I was going with the movement too, but I tried again and was a little more "listening". I stopped when she started to get anxious/fussy... and then to help get the last little bit, instead of creeping up, I just pulled my elbows back a hair. And it worked! She was much happier. Liz reminded me to move my elbows too. So then while we trotted she had me post much more up and down and less front to back. Which.. is hard, because I feel like Kelly E always has me post front to back. And... I could feel myself posting front to back to try to encourage her to "GO" more. BUT... when I went back to posting up and down, she got more balanced and softer and then she got more forward and more correctly forward. Cool! We played with counter bend for a few steps to true bend. And... when we got true bend, it was SUPER NICE! Like... really correct and lovely. She couldn't hold it for long, and it took counter bending 4 times on each circle. But it'll get better and it'll progress to 4 steps.. then 6 steps.. then 15 steps.. then a whole circle. And the counter bend will decrease and become more subtle. But, we're training. We played a good bit with that and got some really nice work. I have to remember to NOT cross my left hand over. I get stuck in my elbow on that side, so.. it helps to focus on bending my elbow and pulling my elbow back instead of over... and lifting that inside (especially when the inside is my left) hand. I also tend to collapse and curl on my left side, so... by riding to lift her left shoulder and rock her back onto her right hind, it puts ME on my right butt and lifts my left shoulder. We also talked about how I need to look straight ahead.. I look too much to the inside and it throws her off. I need to remember that if I lift my chest and sternum and point it straight... she lifts her chest and sternum and goes straight. Ahhh... duh! Liz reminded me to reward her too and tell her she's super and smart.
So then we cantered. She struggled into her right lead a little but not as bad. And no cross cantering. And then we did the left lead and I had to do the same things with my hands... and I also had to ride her shoulder fore that way. But it was a nice canter.
Oh, and.. the whole ride... neither of us really hung on the inside rein at all! In fact, I had a fairly nice soft inside rein in our canters! And a nice even connection in the trot. It was lovely! But Liz did say that if I felt her hanging... rather than throw her away.... bring my elbow back 1 inch for one moment, and then give my elbow forward 2 inches. That draws attention to it and encourages connection vs just throwing it away and "rewarding the hang". But I didn't really get to practice it because I didn't need too. Yay!!
So then... since I had mentioned the head tilt in the shoulder in, she had one more trick for me... to give me another tool in my toolbelt. Plus I think she just realized how helpful it would be... She had me pick up the trot and do a shoulder in down the longside... then come onto the far quarter line and half pass back towards centerline. She only wanted a few steps of half pass. Oooh, okay!! We've not really done half pass but okay! So we started tracking left and our shoulder in was icky and sporadic but we settled into it. And then we asked for the half pass. And oohh, that's hard. It's hard for me to GIVE that left rein and give her an open spot to move into. Which, was exactly why Liz wanted me to do it! It was exposing my stupid left hand. Okay...so when I don't use my left hand, it turns into a leg yield because I love the bend/flexion. So she told me to hold/take back (not really take back but kind of) when that leg goes forward (opposite of everything else) and then soften when it comes back. So it's a give and release but a biomechanically timed give and release. Ahhhh... okay, that's really hard but it works! We even got a few steps of actual halfpass!! Whooo hooo! The other way is way easier, but of course, because that's how my body wants to go all the time.
So we quit with that because she was a good girl and that was a lot of work. But so much fun and so helpful. And she got softer in her body and less fussy and definitely way less hanging and heavy. In fact, she was quite light in the connection but even in both reins. It was lovely. Liz did mention that she probably felt a bit slow to me... and maybe even a bit sluggish/earthbound... but not to push her past that tempo yet. She had to be forward and in front of my leg, but... let her stay slow for a bit because that will build her strength and is correct. Once she's more consistent and stronger, then I can start to send her a little.
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