Flatwork - Counter Canter

So first of all, I would've put money on the fact that I would be riding Prelim Test A...thank goodness for some reason I printed the omnibus listing and saw that it is actually Prelim Test B which I haven't even looked at. But easy enough I looked at it and learned it tonight. It's mostly canter work with trot leg yields...no circles, but I think it's a good test for us. It will tell us a lot about our canter, which I know we need to work on. We had a decent workout...this is the first flat workout since Danny had him and he was definitely tuned up. His lengthenings were awesome!! I definitely need to continue focusing on the counter canter and keep him moving forward through the counter canter. He was a little sluggish tonight considering it's 85° out and it's June 3!! It's going to be a hot summer I think. I'm starting to get nervous/excited again...at least I made it part way through the week this time...and no weird dreams yet :). Off to finish packing for the weekend...we are headed down to walk the course tomorrow afternoon and then early rides on Saturday morning...I'll be glad to get another one under our belt!!

Canter Work

We had a great lesson with Danny tonight. Worked on a looooot of canter. I was happy that Legacy came back from the weekend perfectly sound and with energy...he's ready to go. So we worked quite a bit on counter canter. Doing a 20m true canter circle and then a 20m counter canter circle. First of all, I need to learn to play with my fingers and the reins to keep him soft and not lock against him, because then we just get tenseness. I always need to be working on getting him rounder and more supple at every gait all the time. In the counter canter I need to keep him straight and get him balanced. We really started to get the feel of it and it got a lot better when I would push him with my hips and not hold him up with my hands. After doing the counter canter, his true canter gets so much more balanced, so that will need to become part of my daily workouts.

Next we worked on the medium canter (of which we don't have one yet). Legacy just falls in when I ask him to lengthen his stride. So we worked on getting him up and using my hips to control the length of the stride. The exercise I need to work on is lengthening for a few strides and then bringing him back with my seat and then lengthen again....and then I need to really push him down a long side to get him to really stretch his stride. When doing the medium on a circle I need to allow him to stretch over his back as much as he wants as long as he doesn't fall in. In order to keep him from falling in, I have to keep my outside shoulder back and use my outside leg and rein to keep him straight. Also, when going to the left, I have to ride with my inside leg back and my outside leg at the girth, but keep my hips going with his motion. I need to continually be asking him to move his hind end under him. I need to start pulling everything together and use all my legs independently. It seems that often times the key is straightness...so that's our focus.

~Kelly

May?????

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!! It can't be May...the weather is terrible today. Thank goodness Seth's show was yesterday because it would've been miserable today...45° and very windy...blah. We had a nice mother's day brunch today and then I napped (that is the first in a long time). I finally got motivated to ride and I was going to jump, but the wind seriously would've blown down the standards...that would've been an interesting twist. Anyway, I did some flat work and he was great. His canter work was really good...I find that if I work counter canter for a few circles each direction and really get him soft and supple, his canter gets so much more balanced. He's also getting so much better with transitions within the gaits. His lengthened canter still isn't where it needs to be because he's still not using his hind end enough, but I'm able to get him more collected on the downward transition which is a step in the right direction. I worked a bit on the sitting trot again, it's getting there...I'm starting to feel it and allowing him to move forward. Making him go a little lower and deeper really helps to get him to lift his back and make the trot more comfortable. I just have to keep training him that anytime he gets tense that no matter what cue I give him, leg, hands, seat, he lowers his head and rounds his back. It was definitely a positive ride considering the conditions and I'm feeling confident. I need a few jump schools this week and we should be good to go...I was telling Seth today that I'm nervous, but I don't know what else I could do to be more prepared...I have to keep telling myself that all week ;). Tonight when we came in the cutest cat in the world, Legend, had made an igloo from our comforter. She's just like her Mommy, cold all the time...I'm definitely not one of those people that pretend it's summer when it's 45° out. I saw someone in shorts today...umm, I rode in a winter coat and hat...and I wasn't hot. Seth thinks I should just keep my summer clothes in the basement...whatever he's just jealous because he wants more closet space :).

~Kelly

Lessons Learned

I am a bit crazy, which I guess is why I'm drawn to three day eventing. Luckily, my laid back husband balances me out and keeps me sane (sort of). I am approaching my first Prelim event in 3 weeks and I'm already nervous, actually I've been nervous since February when we set up my show schedule. I evented through Traning in high school, but it was so different, it's a whole new world now. Legacy and I are more than ready, which Seth has to tell me every time I have a melt-down after a crappy ride. I've had 2 wakeup calls this week...1) conditioning for upper levels is going to be intensive and 2) I have no idea how to ride a collected canter, my hips just don't work yet. 1) I went for a trot workout on Friday with Danny Warrington and his Prelim and Intermediate horses. Legacy was fine and kept up, but it's time to step up our workouts and it's going to be a time commitment since we will have to trailer to get to some hills since it's flat around our house. Luckily Seth has some flexible hours with his job (which I do not) and he can condition at least once a week for me. 2) After our trot workout I rode one of Danny's horses...let me just say that Legacy and I have a lot of work to do with our canter. It was really good for me to feel how a horse should respond to your seat and hands. I think I may have to start to do pilates or something to open up my hips and try and get more flexible.

~Kelly