Counterbend to Bend

 Lyric was ready to work today! We had Liz lessons this morning and it was a bit chilly! I rode Funny first and pulled their clothes before I tacked Funny up, but by then it was warming up quickly. When Funny and I got near the arena we saw that Jean's interns and trainer were in the arena. I told them that I had a lesson in about 10 minutes and would need the arena. I then offered to let them continue to use the arena, but they had to let me in too. Thankfully they said they would leave because "this one is crazy". So I heard! Apparently she launched the trainer good the other day. I continued on to warm up in the field while they finished up and then two minutes later Lyric went GALLOPING up to the arena gate! Dan wasn't too far behind her. Oops. So sorry!!! Of course that got Funny riled up too, but she managed to keep it together. Luckily after that Lyric settled and went back to grazing.

 

When I finished with Funny, I had grabbed my halter and taken it up to the arena because we were short on time with Dan's vet visit. So Lyric came down with me and Funny and I tied them both to the trailer while I untacked Funny and tacked up Lyric. I tried to turn Funny out before I finished with Lyric but Lyric got upset, so... Funny just had to wait til we were all tacked up and ready. 

Lyric didn't seem to mind that Funny meandered off once we got in the pasture though so phew. We headed up to the arena and said hi to Liz. Other than her being stuck in her cranial ribs and poll, so felt decent. 

I told Liz how we had been struggling to bend left again. So we started out and she told me to counterbend her to get her into my inside/left leg. So... just like I would bend her to the inside and leg yield her into my outside rein...  I was doing the opposite and counter bending her so she was pushing into my inside leg. Then, when I felt her "on" my inside leg, ask her to bend around it. oh.... OHHHHH! How does that work?? Granted, she wasn't super bent, but it was a correct bend through her barrel, not just a neck jacknife. Oooh, nice! Of course she didn't hold it very long. So we would go back to counterbend and then back to true bend, back and forth. But over a few circles, it got quicker and she held it longer. So then we went the other way and it was like "wait.. now what's happening"?! She bends more easily to the right, but... she also falls in hard to the right. Like... she wants to fall into a ten meter circle instead of a 20 meter circle. Ugh. So... we had to work through that because I am not feeling what is actually happening. I feel like she's very haunches in, but in fact, she's almost haunches out. So I kept trying to fix the wrong thing. Liz had me focus on riding her straight and getting her haunches lined up behind her shoulders instead of pulling her shoulders over to match her hind end. Okay... ugh. To do that I focused on my body being straight instead of trying to fix things. I had to sit on my outside (left) seat bone and lift my inside hand and almost ask with my outside leg. And it got nice... but it's hard because she needs a nice firm outside rein to support her, but then I also need to follow her into a bend with the outside rein, but if I soften it too much, then I'm not supporting her and she gets hollow. But we got some REALLY nice correct work. I can feel her struggle to get her body lined up and then suddenly, it clicks into place, and she's like "THERE!! That's where my body goes" and she suddenly is moving lovely. Again, tracking right it takes a firm but elastic outside rein, a little outside leg bump, sitting on my outside (left) seat bone and sitting upright, with a little bit of half halt to the inside to encourage flexion. But man, it felt nice. She softens right into the contact and then lifts her back. We got such a bouncy powerful trot today!

We went to the canter and both ways were soooo much better! Tracking right she wants to fall in a good bit still, but she's so nice and soft and powerful even with the little bit of lean. She'll get stronger and it'sll get better, but even now, it's quite nice! Both ways were quite nice. Except our transitions suck currently. We decided that I have to keep that firm hold on the contact in the up and down transitions. I tend to throw her away because she's so hesitant into the upwards that I am afraid it's because of my hold on her mouth. But it's not. We played with getting a nice walk, then collecting her a tiny bit, keeping the firm steady connection and asking for the trot. And then we did the same thing from trot to canter. She still took a few steps to make the transitions but they were much smoother in her topline and more connected. So... don't throw her away. And don't stress about the fact that it's not "instant". Give her the time she needs to organize her body, but be there with support. The downwards are much better as I can prepare and then I don't feel like I"m contradicting myself by keeping the firm contact in the down. Except I do need to then make sure we're marching in the walk. A nice trot to an energetic walk! (But don't try that on Funny!!). 

We got some great work today and Liz was excited about how powerful but collected she was today. Yay!!! Good girl

We managed to get her untacked and back out and then I even had time to grab a quick sandwhich and get Dan for his vet appointment without being late. Yay