Review on the 2 last lessons of 2007

Closing the year with a golden key!

Christmas time inspired my trainer to award me with something different … some Piaffer and Passage work! YEY!

It was a after work evening lesson… not my favourite… got the horse from the stable and he looked at me with the most bored but cute horse look… “What are you doing here? Don’t you see that I’m already in my pyjama? “… poor guy!

Tacked him, mounted and started warming up… I almost immediately felt that it was going to be great!

I managed to get the horse a little more forward than usual… maybe because I was more forward than usual… who knows… but I got the trot / canter and walk / canter transitions for both leads at first attempt, and felt the horse pretty straight and forward in the circles, Voltes and transitions between gaits.

After warming up I was invited to do some work without stirrups… (great!) … transitions from work to medium trot and I think the horse got that pretty well, but I probably didn’t do very well in the transitions from medium back to work trot!…. (ouch!)

After this it was time for the “bonus track”… Piaffer and Passage… I was asked to slower the horse to foot-by-foot movement, and just keep the horse straight and walking forward using my back and shoulders and very light hand action. Trainer worked from the ground to achieve the horse leg elevation. First we worked the Piaffer… we even got a small Levade (don´t think that was suposed to happen) … and after it was the Passage… rewarding the horse as soon he got it right.

Wonderful sensation… loved it! Can’t wait to do it again!

Very Good ride!

One lesson only this weekend, after my disastrous riding in the previous week!It went really well and I got most exercises at first attempt! Glorious sunny day at 9 am with 10ºC, in the outside arena.We worked exactly the same things in trot and canter… keeping the horse straight and off the wall trying to achieve complete control of haunches and shoulders using the legs and outside rein.

I really felt that this time I got it much easier then any other time before, becoming almost immediately aware when the horse is not straight. Still some problems in the circles with the use of outside leg, letting the horse’s croup fall to the outside… but at least now I fell that happening and I try to correct as soon it happens.

We warmed up as usual with rising trot, circles, bending and counter bending trying to feel the horse releasing the bit on the inside rein. Work at sitting trot, circles, voltes, and strait lines of the wall and as everything went well, I was asked to do Shoulder In to Volte to Shouder In along the wall.

Got some really good Shoulder Ins… at least they were very pleasant to ride and the horse was relaxed. I enjoyed pretty much this exercise and it is a wonderful test to see if we are really in complete control of the horse or not.

At canter, we trained transitions and keeping a straight and steady canter off the wall and in circles, and closing/opening the circles. It went very, very well and in the end I was asked to ride canter to counter-canter to canter using the school diagonals keeping the horse strait and steady, and it was the best time ever I performed this exercise and that made me very happy!