Slacking, winter woes, and the new spring schedule.

"Donuts or we don't ride today"

I can't believe it's been over a year since I've updated the blog. Super bad of me!  I guess I should start with an update - Holden & I rode through the winter. Yes, you heard me - the entire winter! This is a girl without an indoor or a riding ring.. He had 2 weeks off in February when the temps got down to below zero but we rode 3-5 days a week, mostly hacking with some short stints of trot when footing allowed. I'm not even going to say it was easy - it wasn't -- but I am SO glad we endured the bitter cold because he came out in spring ready to work. Yes, I'm bragging about our accomplishment - sloughing through the slush SUCKED! Just so you know, Massachusetts had over four feet of snow on the ground at one point.. See the image left, for illustration.

We had our first lesson of the season in April. It was a DISASTER. We get about a quarter mile to where the barn is and our trusty old truck starts to splutter and dies pretty much  when we pull up the driveway. I was determined to have a good ride, but the fates don't play that way - I was nervous about the lesson and stressed about the truck - needless to say, my demeanor affected Holden who promptly became a wild and untrained pony.. we spent the lesson gluing his (and my) confidence back together, but ended with some good notes that I was able to apply to riding at home.. Good notes which resulted in a few breakthroughs in the way I ride.

1. Stop babying my horse. Expect more of him, and expect more of myself.

2. Ride the outside of your horse. Don't post off of your ankles, post from your seat.

3. Watch Jackie Brooks, emulate.

The 3rd is the most hard, as Jackie Brooks happens to be a few leagues out of my riding capability. By few, I mean one hundred. She is a beautiful and talented rider. I have to remember to ride with my shoulders back and my hands up (think: holding cups of coffee), otherwise I lose effectiveness and strength in my core.

His cuteness...

My breakthrough happened when my instructor diplomatically told me to stop babying my horse and ride the outside of his body. Once I stopped posting from my ankles (chair-seat, a defensive by-product of learning to sit the goosey horses) and tried to post from my seat using my inside thigh muscles and calf, I really saw a huge difference. Holden didn't immediately break into an uncontrolled trot anymore - he stepped into the upward transition. There wasn't as much resistance anymore, or a feeling that he was about to take off. I am constantly reminded how perceptive horses are to their rider's feelings and energies -- once I abandoned my 'defensive' seat and put some angle in my knees and posted more from my core than my legs I found a HUGE difference in Holden's way of going. He was more receptive, less quick, and best of all, seemed calmer.

We have spent the past month alternating between ring work and trail rides - with some trail rides ending in brief (~10m or less) schools where we plop over a crossrail or two. My goal is to continue to plop him over a jump after each ride - he is starting to jump better with his body but is still very ungainly O/F. Our trails are nothing to sneeze at, with steep hills long enough to get your horse's saddle back, but it is good for him to go out as he is not the bravest soul.

We have dabbled in a few small cross country fences (nothing over BN) when we venture over to the local pony club venue called HGP. Holden and I are getting braver at moving out in the open - Holden doesn't seem to like 'pioneering' the trails or open spaces, but is getting much better. Part of it is, I believe, a green horse thing. 

We have so far done some banks down and a ditch. We usually trailer to  HGP about 1-3x a week - I am trying to get him off property as often as I can to improve both his (and my) confidence alone. Our last "cross country school", which really consisted of a good dressage school out in the field punctuated with walk breaks over fences, was very successful. I worked on transitions and ratability, and spent the warm-up doing lots of transitions, changes of bends, 'pioneering' (which means we trot somewhere we haven't trotted before), and getting him to 'whoa' when I say so. We then schooled the ditch at the walk - the first few times I was left behind and that goosed him (sorry Holden!). He did the green-horse scoot after the fences, so I worked on bringing him back calmly. After repositioning myself in a more "driving" seat, he settled down and we finished the ditch question with a calm and fluid depart. We then did some trotting over a BN log - at first he scooted, so I worked on getting him back to me calmly. We still need to improve on quicker stops after the fence, but we ended the session spectacularly, including jumping the bigger (almost Novice) fence a few times with calm canter departs. 

Here is just a boring synopsis of our last week, I have been neglecting keeping track so need somewhere to put it..

THURSDAY 5/14 - Home - Hartwell trail ride with light school after - jumped crossrails, he was good but a little wiggly/unfocused to fence. Need to be more assertive riding him.
FRIDAY 5/15 - Home - Hartwell trail ride.
SATURDAY 5/16 - GPC - Dressage school w/ Kimmy attending. Holden was squirrelly & distracted, I didn't ride 100%. Heavy on bit, gaping mouth. Kimmy suggested switching bits.
SUNDAY 5/17 - TWO RIDES. AM - GPC 'show' in morning - was up, anxious - did W/T by shed but couldn't get him to settle. Hand walked to field, Holden got unnerved. Ended by hacking around premises. PM rode with Katie to Hartwell, did some light schooling in field, hill work, was good but a little goosey.
END OF WEEK SYNOPSIS: Need to improve bend in my elbow, pick up and roll back my shoulders, post from the outside and not with my heels. Improvement seen when using 'magic muscle' and sitting upright - think like Jackie Brooks, or Ingrid Klimke. Mostly flat and trail.
MONDAY 5/18 - Home - Ring work in new bit (HS Dynamic) was great, super soft, fluid - worked on some pole work, W/T/C and jumped.
TUESDAY 5/19 - GPC - flat & XC school, was good, worked on fluidity and tempo. Schooled bank down & ditch. Great on bank down but jumps off, scoots - needs to stop sooner.
WEDNESDAY 5/20 - Home - Ring work, very windy. Holden was goosey, kept it short - W/T unintended canter. Hacked out for warm-up.
THURSDAY 5/21 - GPC - XC school - worked on 'ratability', w/t/c transitions. Chism had a few up moments. Holden overall was good, had some issues setting up right lead canter. Does boogey after the fence the first few times. Needs quicker brakes. Beginning was patchy, settled into work - GPC had mounted meeting.

Oh yeah! Did I mention I switched his bit? I've been riding him in an eggbutt with a french link in the middle.. A friend suggested switching to something different (she wanted a loose-ring, but I started Holden in a loose ring and he didn't love it) so I went to the Dover Saddlery store in Plaistow and picked up a Herm Sprenger Dynamic RS eggbutt. I honestly cannot believe the difference. He is still green and goosey, but now he is just "there" when I pick up the contact. I'll have to snap more pictures and videos - especially so I can see where I need improvement. We have our second lesson on Monday.. wish us luck!