What I mean with this is that in order to nail the advanced movements I have to start RIDING. It was clear last night, when we did the canter half pass from center line to the rail and then stayed in counter canter until I asked for the flying change. It doesn’t work if I’m just the passenger, with Saumur in the driver's seat. My aids had to be on, especially at C, when Saumur was flicking his ears and started to get excited a bit, asking “change now?, now??”
We also worked on flying changes through changing the circles, and they only were clean and expressive if I was very precise with my aids. Sandy had been schooling the changes with Saumur, and now he is ‘fine-tuned’ and doesn’t react to my half-hearted attempts anymore (uh, I guess thanks, Sandy!). The half-halt has to be there to prepare him, and then I really need to make it very clear with my leg and weight aids. Especially the ‘new’ inside leg has to come really forward.
It was a very good lesson and I truly felt like I was RIDING. It took me how many years to get there? Never mind. In the past I could barely put my legs on and the turbo kicked in so I backed right off to get Saumur into a lower gear. Now I can put my legs on and Saumur takes it as aid. This is a really a wonderful breakthrough.
It was a bittersweet day yesterday. Not only was it our wedding anniversary (the sweet part), JP and I both had great lessons (another sweet part - I mean, how many couples have dressage lessons on their anniversary??) – but it would have also been Crissy’s (my mare’s) 24th birthday. I do not have any regrets that I made the decision to have her put to sleep last December, otherwise she would have suffered terrible through the winter. In my heart I know it was the right and kind thing to do -- But I still miss her very much!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Other people were having Easter dinner - we spend time at the barn
A beautiful and sunny Easter Sunday, which we used to spend a relaxing day with the boys. Both got a really good grooming, which especially Chambord sorely needed. Why did we get a Palomino that thinks he's a piggy and grinds himself in the mud? Saumur is a dark bay, and loves to roll in the dust -- not much better. Time to bring out the horsey vacuum!
As Saumur had worked hard the last days I gave him a light work out on the longe line. Saumur wisely used the rest of the time away from his pasture buddies to charm treats out of Don. Don used to drive Morgans and he sure has more than a soft spot for Saumur. His wife Linda is a lovely friend that keeps my spirits up with encouraging notes and tips on relaxation (that I sorely need).
Chambord had to be measured for the saddle, it needs to go back to the saddle fitter in Wisconsin, and she asked us to send wither and back tracings with the saddle. JP earns his living engineering and designing cars, so he attacked the task with gusto and meticulously measured and drafted. We used an excellent guide that can be accessed on Colleen Meyer's website: www.advancedsaddlefit.com. It's called "Saddle Fitting for Smarties" and really is the best guideline I have found so far.
Saddle fitting sure is a topic of many discussions. I am very lucky, I have a saddle that I love and that was custom made for Saumur and me. I am literally riding on air (Flair), it gets adjusted twice a year and we go on our merry way. The issue is quite different for each and every person and horse, especially when it comes to used saddles. It's like buying shoes for somebody else -- so now we are hoping that Chambord's 'shoes' will fit when they come back!
As Saumur had worked hard the last days I gave him a light work out on the longe line. Saumur wisely used the rest of the time away from his pasture buddies to charm treats out of Don. Don used to drive Morgans and he sure has more than a soft spot for Saumur. His wife Linda is a lovely friend that keeps my spirits up with encouraging notes and tips on relaxation (that I sorely need).
Chambord had to be measured for the saddle, it needs to go back to the saddle fitter in Wisconsin, and she asked us to send wither and back tracings with the saddle. JP earns his living engineering and designing cars, so he attacked the task with gusto and meticulously measured and drafted. We used an excellent guide that can be accessed on Colleen Meyer's website: www.advancedsaddlefit.com. It's called "Saddle Fitting for Smarties" and really is the best guideline I have found so far.
Saddle fitting sure is a topic of many discussions. I am very lucky, I have a saddle that I love and that was custom made for Saumur and me. I am literally riding on air (Flair), it gets adjusted twice a year and we go on our merry way. The issue is quite different for each and every person and horse, especially when it comes to used saddles. It's like buying shoes for somebody else -- so now we are hoping that Chambord's 'shoes' will fit when they come back!
More on 'getting help from a friend'
Yesterday's post really made me think about friendships in general (not equipment related) and the different facets of human and equine friendships. I am very fortunate, I have had my two best girlfriends for over 30 years. Interestingly, neither of them is into horses, they accept my passion and support it with shipments of tack, my favorite German riding magazines, and last but not least, shop for the best bras for riding in my difficult to find size. Hey - if that isn't friendship?
Both women couldn't be more different, one is a sophisticated world traveler, the other one is the heart of her family and the parish where she works as secretary. The conversations and interests are different, but with either of them there is a bond that's very deep and they both complete me on different levels.
It's similar with horses, some relationships just 'click', and still there is something special going on. My first equine best friend, Crissy, was a fiery three year old Morgan mare that I got as a present for our first anniversary (anybody wonders why I love the guy??). She was so different from Saumur, no 'baggage', easy to train, game for everything. I could go for hours alone blasting bareback through the woods - not something I would ever attempt on Saumur!
The first time I sat on Saumur I felt like I belonged. He was hyper, jigging, I needed both hands to steer, the owners all but freaked out when I said I wanted to ride him in a snaffle down the road, but still... something struck a chord. And when I look at JP and Chambord and the bond those two have, it's pretty amazing. Chambord can be quite opinionated, but he really tries to take care of JP. He might throw a fit with the rest of us, but he somehow just tunes in to JP.
What I am trying to get at is that there are human and equine personalities that attend to our different and numerous needs and therefore are able to complete us in various ways.
Both women couldn't be more different, one is a sophisticated world traveler, the other one is the heart of her family and the parish where she works as secretary. The conversations and interests are different, but with either of them there is a bond that's very deep and they both complete me on different levels.
It's similar with horses, some relationships just 'click', and still there is something special going on. My first equine best friend, Crissy, was a fiery three year old Morgan mare that I got as a present for our first anniversary (anybody wonders why I love the guy??). She was so different from Saumur, no 'baggage', easy to train, game for everything. I could go for hours alone blasting bareback through the woods - not something I would ever attempt on Saumur!
The first time I sat on Saumur I felt like I belonged. He was hyper, jigging, I needed both hands to steer, the owners all but freaked out when I said I wanted to ride him in a snaffle down the road, but still... something struck a chord. And when I look at JP and Chambord and the bond those two have, it's pretty amazing. Chambord can be quite opinionated, but he really tries to take care of JP. He might throw a fit with the rest of us, but he somehow just tunes in to JP.
What I am trying to get at is that there are human and equine personalities that attend to our different and numerous needs and therefore are able to complete us in various ways.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
No two rides are alike - getting help from a little friend (called the curb chain)
It seems as Spring came overnight. The horses all have 'spring fever' and are anxious to get at as much -barely there- grass as possible.
Saumur was much more 'up' today, high in the neck and checking out everything around him. I certainly wasn't his main focus when we started out. I tried to relax him in the walk, which is not his best gait anyway, he tends to get short and choppy. The warm up in the rising trot was fine, but when we moved into the canter it was much more difficult to keep Saumur's attention. Our canter-halt transitions were something like: "Hmm, maybe?, nah - I'd rather plow through the half halt, and if you end on my neck it's your problem". Sandy reminded me that the curb chain, against what I might think, is NOT for decorative purposes. Sure enough, once I reminded Saumur that there was such as thing as a curb chain he became much more polite and attentive. That doesn't mean hanging on the curb reins, though, just a quick, sharp reminder was quite sufficient.
Another thing I noticed was that when the work got more demanding (collected canter and small circles) Saumur threw in one of his spooks. Now, in this case I knew it wasn't because some monster was lurking. What it did for me was that after that incident I rode with much more purpose "you will do this - it's a circle, for heaven's sake!".
We finished with really nice canter work. Saumur had barely worked up a sweat, not something I can say about myself. I started stripping my top layers off in a short time.
With Chambord we did an exercise I really liked and that loosened him up: Head to the wall leg yield, quarter turn on the forehand and then head to the wall leg yield the other direction. I'll have to try that with Saumur.
So, now I'm curious how tomorrow's ride will go and I am looking forward to it. Outdoors?? Better have my little friend with me!
Saumur was much more 'up' today, high in the neck and checking out everything around him. I certainly wasn't his main focus when we started out. I tried to relax him in the walk, which is not his best gait anyway, he tends to get short and choppy. The warm up in the rising trot was fine, but when we moved into the canter it was much more difficult to keep Saumur's attention. Our canter-halt transitions were something like: "Hmm, maybe?, nah - I'd rather plow through the half halt, and if you end on my neck it's your problem". Sandy reminded me that the curb chain, against what I might think, is NOT for decorative purposes. Sure enough, once I reminded Saumur that there was such as thing as a curb chain he became much more polite and attentive. That doesn't mean hanging on the curb reins, though, just a quick, sharp reminder was quite sufficient.
Another thing I noticed was that when the work got more demanding (collected canter and small circles) Saumur threw in one of his spooks. Now, in this case I knew it wasn't because some monster was lurking. What it did for me was that after that incident I rode with much more purpose "you will do this - it's a circle, for heaven's sake!".
We finished with really nice canter work. Saumur had barely worked up a sweat, not something I can say about myself. I started stripping my top layers off in a short time.
With Chambord we did an exercise I really liked and that loosened him up: Head to the wall leg yield, quarter turn on the forehand and then head to the wall leg yield the other direction. I'll have to try that with Saumur.
So, now I'm curious how tomorrow's ride will go and I am looking forward to it. Outdoors?? Better have my little friend with me!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Almost as good as ... (you know what)
I had a really amazing ride today. This quite surprised me because I spend all last evening throwing up due to a huge 'pissing contest' at work. (There is a reason why there are so few female executives in the automotive industry!), I can't let the guard down at work so I'll bring it home and then there goes my stomach... And I am still very upset that our sweet cat Tom died of suspected poisoning the day before. In addition, Saumur scratched his cornea and needs antibiotic ointment in his eye. What else? Oh yeah, Chambord's new saddle doesn't fit and I'm the one having to deal with the seller. With all that 'bagagge' I was wondering if I could keep it together in my lesson.
The beauty of dressage is that it takes all my concentration. I have to focus so hard on what's going on that all other worries take a back seat. Sandy had me warm up Saumur in the canter, with a focus on an even tempo, going all around the arena, paying attention to going deep in the corners. My focus lately has been on keeping my center of gravity low, and my stomach and thigh muscles relaxed. I'm a rather tense person to begin with (yes, JP, here you have it in writing) and back in the days when German riding instructors were military inspired they yelled for straight and straighter. That can backfire (at least for me) because in all the effort to be 'straight' the muscles tense.
After really good canter work we moved into shoulder in at the trot, half-pass right from D to B, 10m circle at B, and then half-pass left to G. Same on the other side. It felt really effortless. To loosen it up Sandy asked us for medium trot from K to M, collected at M and also medium from H to F. She wanted me to get the medium feel in the collected trot, and it really helped me to think 'passage'.
So why did I title this post "Almost as good as... (you know what)"? It's because our medium trot, especially the one from K to M, felt absolutely incredible. It was harmony, pure and simple. We were floating, and we really moved as one. Do I need to get more specific than that??
The beauty of dressage is that it takes all my concentration. I have to focus so hard on what's going on that all other worries take a back seat. Sandy had me warm up Saumur in the canter, with a focus on an even tempo, going all around the arena, paying attention to going deep in the corners. My focus lately has been on keeping my center of gravity low, and my stomach and thigh muscles relaxed. I'm a rather tense person to begin with (yes, JP, here you have it in writing) and back in the days when German riding instructors were military inspired they yelled for straight and straighter. That can backfire (at least for me) because in all the effort to be 'straight' the muscles tense.
After really good canter work we moved into shoulder in at the trot, half-pass right from D to B, 10m circle at B, and then half-pass left to G. Same on the other side. It felt really effortless. To loosen it up Sandy asked us for medium trot from K to M, collected at M and also medium from H to F. She wanted me to get the medium feel in the collected trot, and it really helped me to think 'passage'.
So why did I title this post "Almost as good as... (you know what)"? It's because our medium trot, especially the one from K to M, felt absolutely incredible. It was harmony, pure and simple. We were floating, and we really moved as one. Do I need to get more specific than that??
Sunday, April 17, 2011
There is a day for everything - and today was the day for longeing
Michigan April weather at its finest - the storm today was so heavy that I had a hard time keeping the car on the road while driving to the barn (it's an one hour commute each way).
I decided to longe both boys. If they were to act silly they could always get rid of the energy on the longeline, without me aboard. I like longeing from time to time, and especially for days like today it's perfect. Now, there is longeing, and longeing. I don't believe just chasing a horse around in a circle serves any real purpose, and it's very hard on the legs.
Chambord's patience was tested yesterday with saddle fitting. If done right, saddle fitting is a quite extensive and often exhaustive process. Especially when trying to find a used saddle to fit both horse and rider. Chambord had to go through a lot of saddle on, saddle off, JP on, JP off... so I thought he deserved an easy day today, which I believe he truly appreciated. It was dinner time, after all.
I only put the longeing cavesson on Saumur (no bit, sidereins, saddle) and took him to the indoor. He was quiet and relaxed, despite the howling winds outside. Longeing gives me a great opportunity to really observe him: How are the muscles in his back moving? Are the hind legs tracking up or overtracking? Is he even? How does he carry his head? How are his transitions? Is he listening to my voice commands? To me, these are all very important observations. What I really noticed today was how fluid and supple he moved, but most remarkable was his underneck muscle: it was 'floppy'. When I first got Saumur he had this huge underneck that was hard as a rock, and I had to turn him with both hands -- Now seeing these well defined and supple muscles is really amazing.
And yes, I admit, I also longed him because I wanted to ogle him a bit. After all, he's quite stunning :-)!
I decided to longe both boys. If they were to act silly they could always get rid of the energy on the longeline, without me aboard. I like longeing from time to time, and especially for days like today it's perfect. Now, there is longeing, and longeing. I don't believe just chasing a horse around in a circle serves any real purpose, and it's very hard on the legs.
Chambord's patience was tested yesterday with saddle fitting. If done right, saddle fitting is a quite extensive and often exhaustive process. Especially when trying to find a used saddle to fit both horse and rider. Chambord had to go through a lot of saddle on, saddle off, JP on, JP off... so I thought he deserved an easy day today, which I believe he truly appreciated. It was dinner time, after all.
I only put the longeing cavesson on Saumur (no bit, sidereins, saddle) and took him to the indoor. He was quiet and relaxed, despite the howling winds outside. Longeing gives me a great opportunity to really observe him: How are the muscles in his back moving? Are the hind legs tracking up or overtracking? Is he even? How does he carry his head? How are his transitions? Is he listening to my voice commands? To me, these are all very important observations. What I really noticed today was how fluid and supple he moved, but most remarkable was his underneck muscle: it was 'floppy'. When I first got Saumur he had this huge underneck that was hard as a rock, and I had to turn him with both hands -- Now seeing these well defined and supple muscles is really amazing.
And yes, I admit, I also longed him because I wanted to ogle him a bit. After all, he's quite stunning :-)!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Setting the stage with the right warm up - the trickle down effect
This time we tried something different - Sandy warmed up Saumur to show me how her warm up routine differs from mine and how Saumur feels afterwards. As Saumur was turned out until just before the lesson the walk period was fairly short, but centered around LOTS of transitions. Sandy does not allow Saumur to be heavy in the hands, lots of half-halts take care of this.
The big difference was in the frame, though. When Sandy started the trot work, Saumur had to be right away in a 3rd level frame. I, OTOH, warm Saumur up long and low, and then of course it takes quite a bit of time going from Training, through First, Second to our current working level. It really makes sense to me to ask to work at a higher level right from the start. You wouldn't ask student in a masters program to go back to first grade either.
It sure was another 'wow' moment as soon as I got on Saumur. He was light, on the aids, ready to work. We had some of our best haunches in and half-passes ever. The key really is to keep my aids light, "Whispering - not Shouthing". And of course, for the millionth time: relax my back!
We finished with the most amzing canter ever, light, supple and 'lofty' (lots of suspension). Rides like this remind me what's it all amout. Harmony!
I also now understand much better why often the professionals warm up the horses for the amateurs at shows. It makes the students life much easier. For us it is also quite the 'trickle down' effect - I warm up Chambord for JP. If Chambord is warmed up correctly, on the bit and ready to go it makes a much easier ride for JP -- and we all are happy :-)!
The big difference was in the frame, though. When Sandy started the trot work, Saumur had to be right away in a 3rd level frame. I, OTOH, warm Saumur up long and low, and then of course it takes quite a bit of time going from Training, through First, Second to our current working level. It really makes sense to me to ask to work at a higher level right from the start. You wouldn't ask student in a masters program to go back to first grade either.
It sure was another 'wow' moment as soon as I got on Saumur. He was light, on the aids, ready to work. We had some of our best haunches in and half-passes ever. The key really is to keep my aids light, "Whispering - not Shouthing". And of course, for the millionth time: relax my back!
We finished with the most amzing canter ever, light, supple and 'lofty' (lots of suspension). Rides like this remind me what's it all amout. Harmony!
I also now understand much better why often the professionals warm up the horses for the amateurs at shows. It makes the students life much easier. For us it is also quite the 'trickle down' effect - I warm up Chambord for JP. If Chambord is warmed up correctly, on the bit and ready to go it makes a much easier ride for JP -- and we all are happy :-)!
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