Finally back into the swing of things with Saumur, he had
some days off as our outdoor arena resembles a swimming pool. The rain lately
has been rather relentless. During the week Saumur and Remy had appointments
with the chiropractor; Saumur was pronounced to be in “great shape”, whereas
Remy’s left hip/right shoulder needed alignment. No wonder after the long trip
and the ‘airs above the ground’.
Saturday both JP and I had lessons with Judy. Chambord
showed up ‘half-dressed’ – he had lost a shoe (again!). Luckily in the soft
indoor footing it didn’t bother him at all, and he worked really well. With
Saumur we worked on the trot section of the freestyle, Judy ‘trotting’ the
pattern for us while JP threw in some smart-a.. comments like “more collection!”.
Saumur felt really good and I figured out how to correctly do some of the more
challenging parts, like half-pass from quarterline at F to quarterline at B,
and then back to quarterline at M. Judy reminded me to think “Haunches in on a
diagonal”, that way I keep the correct angle and don’t have the haunches
leading. All in all, it felt really
good, and astonishingly not once did it get reminded to keep my weight in the
saddle and shoulders back. Judy asked me what changed, and I had to admit that
Remy’s antics at Lamplight really drove the point home on the importance of
sitting deep. Hah! I sure paid a lot of money for THAT lesson!
Remy’s school things are packed, and he’ll be off to Judy’s
tomorrow morning. I do have mixed feelings about this. Do doubt, it’s great to
have Judy’s expert help and we DO NEED it, but on the other hand I feel like
I should be able to handle it. In my
entire riding life I’ve never had anybody else compete a horse for me, not even
when Saumur was at his worst. JP keeps reminding me that homeschooling doesn’t
work for everybody, and I have to (albeit grudgingly) admit that he might be
right.
Just the other day I received the USDF Connection magazine,
and wouldn't you know it, Maryal Barnett (the judge who witnessed our “leaps
and bounds” performance) co-authored an article on: “A Proactive, Positive
Approach for the Spooky Horse”. I wonder if she thought I should have read the
article BEFORE showing up at the her arena?? It really stressed what Judy is
trying to instill: Keeping the horse round and bendable; therefore lots
suppling and bending exercises, like shoulder in, which will help the
relaxation. The rider also has to become the “go-to person” for the spooky
horse, and provide the security to deal with the scary things. Along the lines
of the rider being sort of a human security blanket… I guess it means Remy
didn’t feel his blanky was up to the job. Too much fabric softener, perhaps I should have used a bit of starch instead?!?
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