Today we had our weekly dressage lesson- it was good to back a break from the whole McClellan issue and use my nice, comfortable English saddle and get some serious work done: :-)
Max and I did more work on collection and it's interesting to see that as we've been practicing, Max has begun to develop his muscles to the point where he can hold a collected trot or canter for a longer period of time. More importantly, Max seems to be "getting it" more and more. This is not to say he's the perfect little horse- no- BUT he's making an honest effort in spite my mis-cues, bad seat, etc. (i.e., operator error).
Sometimes it seems that Max tries to collect even when I don't want him to do so- for example, I cue Max to transition into a working canter and he then attempts to slow down and collect. Excellent horse but it's not necessarily what I wanted. It seems to be a phase that will ultimately work out but it's kind of amusing to watch.
The other element that I've got to work on is using my aids to keep Max straight and to then bend him when going into corners/turning/etc. The key thing is that it's all about using my body to bend Max in the ribs and flanks and NOT using the reins (just maintain a light contact). If the body is pointed in the right direction, the nose should follow- it's not about pulling the horse around. Sounds simple, right? Well, sometimes it isn't so obvious and I know a lot of people who drag their horses around by the reins.
Anyway, this is a gradual process but I'm optimistic. Now my trainer wants me to read up on shoulder-ins and haunches-in because there are coming soon...:-)
Max and I did more work on collection and it's interesting to see that as we've been practicing, Max has begun to develop his muscles to the point where he can hold a collected trot or canter for a longer period of time. More importantly, Max seems to be "getting it" more and more. This is not to say he's the perfect little horse- no- BUT he's making an honest effort in spite my mis-cues, bad seat, etc. (i.e., operator error).
Sometimes it seems that Max tries to collect even when I don't want him to do so- for example, I cue Max to transition into a working canter and he then attempts to slow down and collect. Excellent horse but it's not necessarily what I wanted. It seems to be a phase that will ultimately work out but it's kind of amusing to watch.
The other element that I've got to work on is using my aids to keep Max straight and to then bend him when going into corners/turning/etc. The key thing is that it's all about using my body to bend Max in the ribs and flanks and NOT using the reins (just maintain a light contact). If the body is pointed in the right direction, the nose should follow- it's not about pulling the horse around. Sounds simple, right? Well, sometimes it isn't so obvious and I know a lot of people who drag their horses around by the reins.
Anyway, this is a gradual process but I'm optimistic. Now my trainer wants me to read up on shoulder-ins and haunches-in because there are coming soon...:-)
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