X Halt, Salute; Proceed Working Trot

So today was the big show, full of firsts, excitement, and nerves. This isn’t my first show, as I’ve done multiple little “schooling shows” at my old barn, consisting of six or so other riders and myself, trotting around in our arena, being graded on posture and the harmony between horse and rider. Today’s show was my first dressage show. It was Cava’s, too, so I think we were both a little tense about the whole situation.

I chose to do Intro Level this time, tests A & B. Although I have test C memorized and can run through it well enough, I decided to take it easy, and just see how my first test goes. When we got out of the trailer, I immediately noticed Cava was nervous. She didn’t eat the luscious grass all around her, and just went in tiny circles around me. I’m not completely sure if it was the bugs bothering her (she is extremely sensitive I’ve come to find, and acts out at SFS when bugs are bothering her) or if she was antsy about being in a new place. Maybe a mixture of both? Who knows. Once she had toured the new barn and gotten settled in, she calmed down considerably. I still led her with a chain on her nose, just to be safe.

I was one of the lucky ones, today. My first ride was at about 9:40 A.M., and my second was at about 10:30 A.M.-ish, so I was able to ride when it was still cool. Practicing for my Into A test was… frustrating, tense, and hot. Cava forgot I was on top of her, and was looking everywhere. Finally, our time came, and we entered the arena. Test A went alright, but she broke gait multiple times in the freewalk, stepping into tiny trots now and then. She didn’t want to stay on the rail, and she threw a little buck-like thing halfway through. But we pulled through, and I made my goal for that test: to (for the most part) get all the transitions, and make it a positive experience. I got third place on this test, with my major errors being lack of contact and suppleness, and the halts.

Test B was tons better. The warmup was better, too. Cava was stretching more freely during the test, and I got some nice stretches. She was moving out, but still under my control. I finished test B much happier, and Cava stretched all along the long side coming out. I (surprisingly) got first place in test B, and scored a 61%, verses my 49% in test A. The errors were the same as test A, and the strong points for both tests were the centerlines (woo hoo!!) and posture.

I’m happy with today’s results for many reasons, but one of the biggest being I now know how I act at shows. I’m proud to say I wasn’t nervous at all. I really thought I was some sort of robot, since I didn’t feel nerves or excitement the day before, or the day of. I was only nervous when it was my turn, and I started walking around the outside of the arena. But Cava stretched a let out a sigh, and that’s when I relaxed, too. I think why I kept my head during the whole ordeal was simply because I’ve been in maybe four or five other shows before. But like I said earlier, little shows without any challenging aspects. I would sometimes be up against girls my age, girls older, or girls younger (or way younger). I have many blue ribbons and grand champion statues from those shows, but I don’t like to really count them as winning, since I might have been up against little girls. But that really helped my confidence. After so many years of easy shows and wins, I just don’t get stressed about shows anymore.

I am extremely happy with my results today. It was our first show, and I think next time will be easier. I got a free mug for placing 1st, too! Bonus! Now that my first show has been taken care of, I know what to expect, and can be more prepared for it. And of course, we’ll do better with experience. I have my whole life to ride horses and show. I’m not worried one bit. I guess all those long, hot hours in the sun paid off after all!

One Step at a Time

Today Cava got a massage. I totally owe Liz, because she went out and grabbed Cava while I was running late. Cava had a few sore spots, especially along her neck. But Bonnie worked them out, and I think she really enjoyed it.

After the massage I tacked up and hoped in, excited to try out what I learned yesterday. She felt more willing to stretch in the walk, but if it was the massage or what I’m doing, I’m not quite sure. I picked up the trot and immediately did a lot of serpentines and leg-yeilds, getting her to bend both ways. We did a lot of spiral in and spiral outs, and some figure 8′s. I think I’m really getting the feel for when she’s using her hind legs, so I put my newfound feel to the test during some circles. Cava was really good today, and responded to me pressing my calf into her by stepping under herself. Without the spurs! I was so excited.

We then started to word some pieces of the tests. I’d do circles at A, then go across the diagonal and circle at C, then repeat. She was doing well, so I switched to canter circles, coming back to a trot before making a full circle, as you would in Intro test C. Cava was phenomenal, and didn’t race ahead or get jumpy like she normally does.

After that, I did more serpentines, and just random transitions and patterns, just to keep her focusing on me. We finally worked some tests after a quick breather, and I’m really happy with how those came out. I felt the really good quality trot come out like I got yesterday in my lesson, that ‘prepared’ trot that looked good and felt good, too. I ran through test A and B twice, and did a variation of the canter part of test C.

I was really pleased with today’s ride. I don’t have one thing to complain about. I hope our rides continue like this. Then after I show, we can get to the fun stuff. I defiantly think stronger contact is the key. Today’s ride was absolutely wonderful, and I have a new standard for my rides. Show season is coming up, so there can’t be anymore conversations with Cava about things such as bending, or turning, or even trotting. I am the rider, not the passenger. The ride won’t be fun for me or my horse if we’re fighting the whole time. I really felt today Cava give control to me. She was doing exactly what I asked, when I asked, and how I asked. That’s what partnership is. Working together to form something beautiful.

I’m super excited for my makeup lesson tomorrow. I’m planning on it being another good ride, no questions asked.

Strong Contact is the Key

So today was my lesson. My Aunt and Uncle from California were coming, so it was moved to 3:00 instead of my normal 5:00. I got out to the barn, brushed Cava off, tacked up, and headed outside to ride. The wind was blowing a little, so it was quite pleasant outside.

I stretched her down while I waited for Christy, doing some serpentines and circles. Then Christy came, and we began the warmup. Right away I had to get her on the bit, and after a while we had nice circles going both ways. We did some figure 8′s, then moved on to canter circles at A and C, trotting across the diagonal. The transitions were great, and Christy said we looked pretty good. So then we moved on to working on tests.

This is where it all falls apart. Though just minutes before I was sustaining a nice, round trot, when I went to do the test, she wasn’t over her back really, and I had to fight to keep her round. The pace of the trot varied dramatically. So I talked with Christy a little, and we decided that everything fell apart because my attention was divided. During the warm up, I only had to focus on Cava. If the circle wasn’t perfect, who cared? It wasn’t important. But when the time came to work on the tests, I had to focus more on where to go and what to do, and only half the time was spend worrying if Cava was round and bending or not. By the time it came to do a movement, I would rush to get her bending and round, then completely drop the contact and fret over where to go next. So I tried again. This time, Christy read the test aloud, and I tried to focus more on Cava. That test was better, but we did it once more anyway.

The final time was by far the best. The circles were nice, and at the end, I really set Cava up for the downward transition. She stayed perfectly round, and Christy described that trot as the ‘prepared’ trot. I could halt, walk, canter, leg-yeild, do anything from that trot. I halted at X, and took a breather. Chrity then said something that caught my attention: in my ‘prepared’ trot, when I went for the walk at X, I took stronger contact. Though it wasn’t pulling, Christy said it looked like real, honest contact. So we did another test. This time, we did test C. The trouble-maker of the three intro tests. I was sure to take stronger contact, and everything fell back into place. We stayed consistent in the tempo, Cava was round and using her hind legs, and over her back. It was nice.

So now I know. I would go into passenger mode during tests, and drag Cava around turns and such to get it done. But when I take stronger contact, she listens to me, and is prepared for anything. She’s focused on the task at hand, and there’s no more fidgeting in transitions.

Overall, I’m extremely happy with the lesson I had today. Cava’s getting massaged tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to going out and practicing what I learned today, and watching her be massaged.

And, hey! Two blog posts in a month! I’m on a roll! ;D

Making Progress

Well, blog, it’s been a while. I’ve discovered that I’m too hyper and fast-paced to be any good at writing in a journal, or keeping a blog, as most of you can tell. I have had many phenomenal rides so far this year, and hope to keep that up.

For a while I didn’t post, more because I was waiting for something to actually write about. And then I had a really great lesson. Since I started riding Cava last October, the only canter we’ve really done has been a nice, collected canter. No doubt it was easier for Cava when I started riding her, because she was Christy’s horse. She was used to higher level dressage, and working harder. As the months went on, I was getting some drama in the canter. Maybe a tiny buck-like thing when I asked for the canter, or maybe a bit of attitude in the actual canter. At the time, we sorta dismissed it. Maybe I was poking her, and not realizing it, or pulling at her mouth too hard. But in reality, since I’d been riding her, Cava had lost a lot of her previous strength and stamina. It was probably hard for her to keep up a collected canter for as long as I’d like. So during my lesson, Christy asked for me to try and go forward a little in the canter. Not super-collected, but not racing on the forehand, either. A happy medium. We settled into a nice canter, and went merrily along our way. I hadn’t posted in my blog for at least a month at this time, and I told Christy I was sure to go home and write about that ride. I just knew I would. Well, I forgot.

Since then, the canter has been a lot better. No more drama, and I’ve been working on waning off a circle, stretching more towards the rail. I’m happy to say this has been successful. The problem before with going on a bigger circle or the rail was that Cava would take moving out as a cue for faster. But I got stronger, and was able to control her more.

That ride was the first of the ‘a ha!’ rides. But so far this year I am extremely happy with the progress Cava and I have made. Coming in October with virtually no good training at all, I’m quite proud with how far we’ve come. Christy is a miracle worker.

Recently, I’ve been working a lot on trying to move Cava’s back legs around. So for the time being, I’m carrying a whip around, as an extra reinforcement to my aids.

I have a really good feeling that this summer will be a good one. It’s fun to watch Christy get Remy all ready for his entrance into the dressage world, and I’m looking forward to seeing Sarah and her gorgeous new steed Derby work together. Everyone is looking good, just in time for show season!

A Look at 2010

Well, the new year is here already. That was fast. This year for me has been, for the most part, average. Riding wise, every week I had my lesson… but that was it. Life went on as usual. But then, sweet ol’ October rolled around and everything changed. I attended Silver Fern October 12, and everything fell into place after that. Became a working student, learned the trade, leased a horse, PURCHASED A HORSE, and made new friends.

I am very excited to see everyone progress in the new year, and be able to accomplish things they couldn’t before. I am also excited to progress with Cava. I know our bond can only grow from here, and we can only get better. No matter how hard something may be at the time, I envision how beautiful it will eventually look. That’s what keeps me going.

For a recap:

We bought Cava Christmas Eve, and the day after Christmas we bought tons of stuff at Saddler’s Row to accompany her. New brushes, bridle, saddle pads, soaps, blankets, everything and anything you can imagine. I also got a new tack box, which is currently rocking some My Little Pony and happy bug stickers.

The next few days she was a little sore, so there was some fussing. But we worked through it.

Today I rode with Steph, Sue, and Christy. Steph and Sue were trotting on their own time, and Christy was working with her new baby, Remy, in the canter. This was my first time riding in my new saddle, and I loved it! It’s so wonderful to ride in a saddle my size, and it’s easier to find my leg placement and keep it there. Cava was fabulous, as usual, stretching unusually nicely. Maybe she was showing off to Remy, Dom, and Oliver…

Afterwards, I rode Maddie. It’s only the second time I’ve ridden her, but she was a saint.

Overall, it was a really fun day at the barn. It was warm, (50°!) and everyone was in a good mood.

But now onto my resolutions for 2011!

1. To learn more about being a horse owner and caretaker.
2. To become an owner Cava would choose to have.
3. To progress in my dressage training, and to feel fully confident in the tests I will be doing come show season.
4. To start to fully develop more of a feel for things, such as the precise moment when Cava will give, so I know when to stretch. Basically to know the correct time to reward, and when to correct.

Sold!

Super quick update to say…

CAVA IS MINE!

The fabulous Christy and my wonderful mother surprised me this Christmas Eve. I mean, who doesn’t wish for a pony for Christmas? And I actually got one!

Lengthening the Stirrups

Last night’s ride was one of the most eye-opening, challenging, and rewarding rides I’ve ever taken. Two days ago when I rode, I couldn’t remember if my stirrups were supposed to be on the third or the fourth hole down. I put them on the fourth, thinking that even if it wasn’t the right length, I was ready to move down, anyway. All was well in the walk, but in the trot, it felt like I was about to flop out any second. So I shortened them, and continued with my ride.

Last night, however, Christy moved the stirrups down again. She showed me how to stretch my leg down and lay it against the saddle that gave me maximum usage of my calf. She also told me how if I rolled my hips open and pushed my heels outward, that would snug my calf and knee into the saddle, but not above the flap where it should be.

For a bit while Cava stretched, I would drop my stirrups and hold my leg where it should be. Let me tell you, it BURNED. But it was so worth it! When we went into the trot, the stirrups didn’t feel any different then they normally do, even though they were longer.

Then Christy asked me to half halt. I know this has always been my weak point. Normally, I would sit way back and brace myself against the stirrups, squeeze my knees and calf into Cava, and hold/pull a little on the reins. Not only was that not all the way correct, it was hard for me, and I’m sure it didn’t look to pretty. Last night was a completely different story. I sat back and thought to rotate my seat-bones forward, and gave a squeeze with my knees and calf, while keeping my core tight. It was like magic! Cava immediately slowed, even to a walk at some points. For the remainder of the lesson I was grinning. I’ve been so used to struggling for something as simple as a half halt, it’s just one less worry now that I’m doing it properly.

For mostly the remainder of the lesson I sat the trot. I haven’t sat her trot for much longer than a circle or two when I would slow her to pick up the canter. Going around the arena multiple times like that is much harder. Thankfully, with my new half halt installed, the trot was smaller and easier to ride. I got some leg-yielding done, too. It’s much easier to do now that my leg is pressed fully against the saddle.

By this time, my legs were noodles. For a good long time I walked with no stirrups, listening to Christy explain the movement of my seat, and how to move my horse around my body. Once I regained my stamina in my new-found muscles, we picked up the collected trot, and went into the canter.

Right off the bat it was the very small and nice, over-exaggerated rocking-horse canter that Cava has. I found my seat quite easily, and tried to focus on keeping Cava round while pushing my hands forward. I also tried to maintain the correct position of my legs.

After what Christy says may have been my best canter yet, we walked and let Cava cool down. Guess which pony got extra apples and carrots that night? (:

 

I meant to keep today’s ride a little shorter because I was undeniably sore from last night, and I was due to ride Maddie since Sarah is out-of-town for the holidays. However, I had to leave the barn early today, so I rode Cava for a good hour and will ride Maddie tomorrow.

The magic half-halt is still there, but a little weaker because of sore muscles. It’s a relief to know I wasn’t imagining that. Today I got a pretty consistent big trot with Cava stretching down. I did sit the trot and go around a few times, but I had to take breaks often. Even though I was a bit sore, I decided to canter a little. I was still excited to try my new seat in the canter, and see if I could work on collecting it more.

The hardest part in the canter for me has always been the transition. Up until now I’ve been trained to simply run the horse into it. But after two and a half months of training, today I noticed it pay off. The transitions were quiet with no speeding off or bucking, and I thought the canter was very nice.

I walked her a bit, then hopped off and untacked, put her cooler on, and walked some more. I was very happy with todays ride, especially since Cava was a bit spooky and jumpy this morning when Keith was spreading salt outside the barn.

Earlier today, I also had the opportunity to try my new saddle on Cava. It was a perfect fit! I am very excited to actually ride in it now, all I need is a girth, stirrups, and the leathers!

I am so pleased with all the progress I’ve made at this barn, along with the friendships. I’m excited for show season to come around, and to finally be able to put everything to use.