S-L-O-W D-O-W-N my brain

So we had a really good lesson tonight with Danny....I guess I should say I learned a lesson about my thinking (a lesson that's not new to me, but I need to be reminded often). First of all, the mini-boot camp worked...his canter felt awesome. And as long as I keep him straight using my right leg and right rein (both directions) he goes straight and stays soft. I need to learn to get him off my right leg and not let him bulge against me...I just can't tolerate it and have to realize when it's happening. Well all that prep work was supposed to set us up for XC...as soon as I saw the combos that were set up, my mind and heart started racing and of course it transferred right to him. I couldn't get him to walk...we tried to just calmly go up and down our small bank and it was like the devil was chasing him...then he had a slight hopping fit...and then I got my ass kicked. I need to slow down in my mind and not make such a big deal of new exercises. After we had the runout at Fairhill off the bank to the corner, now in my head corners are terrible and I try and micro manage...ugh. At this point I'm thinking we aren't even going to get to the exercise since we can't even calmly go through the small banks. At this point I'm pissed that I've lost my mind and I'm causing the problem...I'm overthinking and just need to reset my brain. So we go to the exercise. We start by coming up the ramp of the bank, turning right, dropping off the bank, one stride to the skinny coop. We get through it and then we move onto dropping off the 3' bank, right bending line, 3 strides to the corner. The first time we drop off the bank and he hops to the right and we never even get close to the corner....second time, same thing. So the next time, Danny says, "Just open your right rein and go to the corner", well what do you know when I got out of his way he soars over the corner, no hesitation, no problem. I need to trust him...he likes his job and he wants it to be his decision...he doesn't want to be forced. So turns out I was micromanaging and trying too hard to yank on the right rein and right it to perfect instead of just letting in happen....sometimes I need to stop thinking and use a bit of instinct. I need it to be more routine and not be a big deal. It started to feel not so rushed...the first few times we did it it felt like it was a bounce instead of 3 strides, it started to get less and less hectic in my mind and I started to feel like I had time in between. I need to school that enough that it becomes second nature and I don't have to think. It was definitely a good lesson that was needed.

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

Danny Lesson - T minus 12 days until Prelim debut

So Legacy and I had a great lesson tonight. Did some work on my sitting trot, which Danny explained to me will take the next year to feel comfortable, so I just need to get used to being uncomfortable. At this stage in the game, my dressage scores will have to suffer because I need to teach Legacy to engage his back, and to do that I have to make him go deeper and rounder and perhaps behind the vertical (oh no, all dressage people are cursing me). Magically, when Danny got on Legacy and showed me how to do it, it got much easier to sit. So after I get Legacy relaxed and using his back, (and learn some rhythm), we will be ready to kick some butt!! Then we jumped a bit...I feel like a lightbulb went off when Danny told me to get taller and keep my shoulders away from the jump as we are approaching instead of throwing myself over the fence. When I did that on the third jump we did tonight, it was a drastic difference...I mean it was like a different horse. I actually got out of Legacy's way and he was able to use his hind and and had a beautiful round jump...I felt like we could jump the moon. I definitely try to do too much and help him out, but I'm slowly learning he doesn't need my help...he knows what he's doing. He doesn't need me to carry him around the ring, or throw my body forward over a jump so he can make it...he's got it all on his own. So I think the less I do, the better. I need to guide him instead of force him to the jumps...I'm not doing the work, he is, so I need to let him. It's been a process to get to this point and it's so interesting to see the progression. First, he rushed through all the fences, so I had to pull and hang on to try and slow him down...then I had to teach him how to go round in his head and neck no matter what cue I gave him....now, I'm pulling it all together and making him smooth and relaxed. If I can get him round and have more of an up and down canter while jumping, it's so easy. So, hopefully I can use all of this momentum and knowledge and have a positive experience next weekend. We are ready for Prelim!!!

~Kelly

Rideability - Satan's Exercise

So there are a few holes that I need to fix to continue progressing through the levels. You see, since Legacy is kinda talented, I got away with some things up until this point. So last week in my lesson with Danny we focused a lot on this bending line exercise...let's call it's Satan's S-Curve Exercise. Let's just say that it was a mess and I will be spending the next few months of my life perfecting this. The intent is to jump in quietly, soften the horse's jaw and take a bending line to the next fence (see the black s-line in the diagram). Now, you won't see this detailed exercise in a stadium course at my level, but I WILL have to drop off a 3' bank and bend to a skinny solid fence on cross-country. Up until now, I've been able to "cheat" and take the straight line (blue line). Those days are now over and I need to fix this... Anyway, last week I just kept rushing and thinking I had to do so much to get him to bend and I would end up hanging on his mouth and fighting with him and we wouldn't get to the next fence. There were run-outs and just ugly, ugly fences. I basically have an intermediate exercise where after each fence I do a 10 meter circle to recompose myself and then proceed to the next jump. So...tonight it was time to attempt it again. So I started with my silly circle exercise so I didn't freak out and rush to the next fence. That went pretty well, so I decided to go for the bending line....it actually went really well!! I still had trouble getting to the 3rd fence quietly, but it was a huge improvement from last week. We also struggle going from a left bend to a right bend since that is more difficult for him to change leads...that's a whole other workout :). Then I had the pleasure of riding Cody. Let me tell you, riding that horse is the ultimate upper body workout. My body aches from my bellybutton up. He is such a massive tank of a horse...I swear he has extra muscles. It's like one of those cows that are fed too many hormones...that's Cody>>>
So needless to say it's tough to ride him and I always feel bad for Seth because he is a beginner dealing with a beginner horse who doesn't make it easy, but at least he has nice arms from it :). So we're working with Cody to try and make him rounder...well I think he has too many muscles in his body to carry his fat head in a nice round frame. He does try though and hopefully it will click. There are moments where he is ok, but his dressage will never be strong. Considering he wouldn't even pick up the right lead when we bought him, he's come a long way. And he and Seth have a blast when jumping, so that's all that matters. Ok...time for a glass of wine and American Idol...

~Kelly