Winter Music

EEEEKKKKSSS!!! What was I thinking?! I signed Lyric and I up for BN at Chatt's schooling show this weekend. But... it's the freakin' BN olympics! Ha ha. I mean... probably. I'm assuming that they won't bother changing the course from the recognized show this past weekend since it's only a week apart. And my friend sent me photos of the course. And there's some big fences on there! That stupid stone wall.. the darn V wing fence... the giant wide low table... a big rolltop with grass on top... ACKKKKKK!! Just because we jumped the 3' stadium rounds..... does not mean we are ready for XC at BN. Heck, the last time we did XC she and I had a meltdown and we had to trot everything, even the amoeba stuff. Well.. the day before. The day of the show she cantered most of the course, but... it's unlikely I'll get up there to school before the show. Oh well. Guess I better make this XC lesson at Ashland count! We got there early and went on a long hack with ...

Today was Beths' cavaletti clinic! It was great timing after our lesson the other day. Beth had set up a bunch of poles in a square with long sides. We trotted through it first and it took a few tries but Lyric eventually got the hang of it. She's not always the most coordinated with the poles. But she learned! So then... instead of just trotting through the peaks of the squares... next up... we did a bendy line. She had us trot pernpendicular over the single poles, then bend around the corner and back out over the other pole. Which... sounds easy, but... it's NOT a lot of room! Especially for a big ol' lumberjack of a girl! But.. because Jacel had taught us how to use the outside rein and inside leg and follow our nose... we were able to make it happen. And then Beth was able to help us make it smoother. Well, as smooth as we could get it for where we are right now. The key was planning ahead and starting to make the changes way sooner than I was thinking. So we would ...

Oh yay!! I'm so glad I got to have another flat lesson with Jacel! It's just so helpful.  We added on to the last lesson. We decided we could move past the square, but remembered to keep it in the tool box if we needed it. So today we focused more on getting a better rhythm. She tends to sling herself forward and gets runny vs sitting and lifting and pushing. So we slowed it down. The calculated walk and trot and canter. (Canter is hardest!). When I slow her cadence down... she can breathe and think and use herself and doesn't get stuck in the momentum. If I slowed her rhythm with my body, and some well timed half-halts, but then ignored her face... she really could use herself better. And the twisting in her poll went away... as did the chompies. It's hard, but when she settles into her, she is really lifting her back and using herself. Even though it feels like a western pleasure jog, Jacel said she was actually tracking up. (Which... even when she's power trottin...

 Oh my! I don't know what set them off, but Lyric was WILD this morning. Maybe the fact that the storm was over and the sun was out. She looks so fancy running like a fool is the slip and slide mud! I'm so glad she doesn't do these moves under saddle. Her left "hook" cracks me up though. KAPOW! But dang... amidst the feral.. she looks so fancy! Like a freakin' warmblood. Do that under saddle love!!! The fancy part.. not the feral part. :)