Milestone Monday

Monday marked a milestone for the two of us, as we pulled into a solemnly adorned driveway flanked by trimmed hedges and a single spruce of cornstalk. Here, real Dressage horses resided -- and it reflected in every perfectly manicured blade of grass. The ring was scrupulously dragged, the mirrors that reflected its impressive surface clear and devoid of blemish. Even the mounting blocks bore no trace of scuffed boot or fleck of sand. And then there was Holden, ungroomed and dusty as he stepped out of a trailer swallowed by rust.

We walked the span of the ring while our new instructor finished her current lesson. She commented on his bone and substance, as if surprised to see a thoroughbred comprised of such thickness and quality. We set to work, and work it was.

"More bend", she urged, as I opened my inside rein -- "keep your inside rein off his neck, close your fingers" she chided. "Bring your hips to your hands and your hands to your hips - do not pet him!" There were many flaws in my riding and I felt each one laid bare on the pale and raked ring, plain as a hoofprint on freshly dragged sand.

We worked in a circle, focusing on bending him generously to the inside while pushing him equally generously to the outside. "More leg, tap him when he doesn't respond" - he scooted forwards, offended by the suggestion. "Think walk as you trot", "get the walk you want" "keep his inside hind engaged". We worked on walking and halting smoothly, each footstep carefully planted as she monitored our rhythm like a hawk. The trot, he tended to get quick -- she advised me to think sinking my hips down into the saddle to slow him, and thinking walk. When he became resistant to the contact circle him smaller, send him forward into an open inside rein.

At the end of the lesson she shared a few exercises, her favorite one employing a small serpentine on the short side. This kept him balanced and attentive, though the end of the ride I did feel an ache in my arms. Drawing from the lesson, I saw many things I needed to work on - my length of rein and insistence in maintaining the contact first and foremost. She was demanding, but in the good way -- and in the end, I felt she drew a good ride from the two of us.

We have another one next Monday.