Lately it seems that I've been on this strange desire to delve into dressage in a big way (for me anyway) and especially collection.
Today Max and I took our customary weekly lesson and naturally the focus of the training was on various aspects of collection at the walk, trot and canter. Also, attention was paid to transitions between all three gaits with the focus on SMOOTHLY making those transitions and maintaining a seat on the vertical- I sometimes have a tendency to shift forward.
While working on collection at the trot and especially at the canter, for the first time I REALLY felt/experienced what it means to have a horse shift their weight onto the haunches. It's a weird feeling and if you didn't know what was going on, you would think something weird/bad is going on- in some instances it almost feels like the horse is literally falling apart.
The think that never fails to blow my mind here is that Max and I are getting to the point where in many instances Max VOLUNTARILY begins to collect up with little urging on my part. I can guarantee that NO amount of muscling on the reins or other force on my part is going to force Max to do what he's doing- it's all coming from him.
Now this by no means absolves me of my responsibilities as a rider and in fact, it demands even greater attention and physical effort- the rider cannot just sit and ride their way through- they have to actively ride this. What's also key is that I have to constantly ensure that my seat is correct- most of the time this means being on the vertical (i.e., I'm sitting perpendicular to the horse's back)and allowing my body or legs to swing forward (it's so easy to do), especially when collecting at the canter.
While collecting at the canter, as the horse collects up, the front of the horse seems to grow a little taller and the haunches drop down (duh!) and my tendency is to follow the horse's front with my body so that I'm leaning forward of the vertical. Naturally, this may seem to be the right thing but it's not and I have to constantly remind myself. Moreover, because the half-halts require "tucking" your pelvis underneath you (the best analogy, and it's a bit crude, is imaging having a hard bowel movement- yeah gross, but it's it the only analogy that works, at least for me). By allowing yourself to move forward, your actually lifting your rear off the saddle and thus you can't engage in complete half-halts.
As a final note, I've also begun to be more aware of just what my body is supposed to be doing in half-halt- it's almost like coiling oneself a like spring in the shape of a "c" with the pelvis being one end and the diaphragm being the other. You really learn to use those muscles!
Although I don't pretend to be any sort of an expert and I'm sure that I've missed a lot of technical points, I do find it amazing, especially since most of the people who do this started at a very young age and I started WAY later.
Finally, I also think Max is getting better at this and there's been times where he's now collecting spontaneously while trotting and cantering (at times when I don't necessarily want it)- very interesting! :-)
Today Max and I took our customary weekly lesson and naturally the focus of the training was on various aspects of collection at the walk, trot and canter. Also, attention was paid to transitions between all three gaits with the focus on SMOOTHLY making those transitions and maintaining a seat on the vertical- I sometimes have a tendency to shift forward.
While working on collection at the trot and especially at the canter, for the first time I REALLY felt/experienced what it means to have a horse shift their weight onto the haunches. It's a weird feeling and if you didn't know what was going on, you would think something weird/bad is going on- in some instances it almost feels like the horse is literally falling apart.
The think that never fails to blow my mind here is that Max and I are getting to the point where in many instances Max VOLUNTARILY begins to collect up with little urging on my part. I can guarantee that NO amount of muscling on the reins or other force on my part is going to force Max to do what he's doing- it's all coming from him.
Now this by no means absolves me of my responsibilities as a rider and in fact, it demands even greater attention and physical effort- the rider cannot just sit and ride their way through- they have to actively ride this. What's also key is that I have to constantly ensure that my seat is correct- most of the time this means being on the vertical (i.e., I'm sitting perpendicular to the horse's back)and allowing my body or legs to swing forward (it's so easy to do), especially when collecting at the canter.
While collecting at the canter, as the horse collects up, the front of the horse seems to grow a little taller and the haunches drop down (duh!) and my tendency is to follow the horse's front with my body so that I'm leaning forward of the vertical. Naturally, this may seem to be the right thing but it's not and I have to constantly remind myself. Moreover, because the half-halts require "tucking" your pelvis underneath you (the best analogy, and it's a bit crude, is imaging having a hard bowel movement- yeah gross, but it's it the only analogy that works, at least for me). By allowing yourself to move forward, your actually lifting your rear off the saddle and thus you can't engage in complete half-halts.
As a final note, I've also begun to be more aware of just what my body is supposed to be doing in half-halt- it's almost like coiling oneself a like spring in the shape of a "c" with the pelvis being one end and the diaphragm being the other. You really learn to use those muscles!
Although I don't pretend to be any sort of an expert and I'm sure that I've missed a lot of technical points, I do find it amazing, especially since most of the people who do this started at a very young age and I started WAY later.
Finally, I also think Max is getting better at this and there's been times where he's now collecting spontaneously while trotting and cantering (at times when I don't necessarily want it)- very interesting! :-)
4 comments:
Have you noticed any difference when you're riding rougher terrain? Once I taught Dixie to half-halt, then started half-halting her down hills, she got a lot more collected - not falling downhill on the forehand, but more balanced going down hills.
I have a very crude analogy to remind me how to post! I think the cruder they are, the better they "stick" in our brains. ;)
It's definitely been noticeable going downhill- Max seems to be a lot more "orderly" about the whole thing, especially when I do a couple of half-halts. :-)
Collection is very different than I thought it would be by just watching it. It's very exciting and definately a whole 'nother level of riding for me. The biggest difference for me is that she has been riding more off my seat than my reins, and when I do put pressure on the reins, her first reaction is to soften to contact, instead of resisting it. I also think collection, more than anything strengthens the relationship of trust and submission between horse and rider because (according to other articles I've read) they can't see as well with their head on vertical.
I definitely agree that it's a trust issue. I find that when I start to collect, there's a bit of resistance (not as much as in the beginning) but then he softens- it's sort of like "Hey buddy, collect!" and he replies "Oh yeah, I forgot, OK, now I have it!"
I've got to work more to soften my hands and left my breath control/pelvis pressure and the legs to the work. A dressage whip judiciously applied as you half-half also helps BUT you want to use this very sparingly (it's way too easy to use a crop as a substitute for better use of your leg and breathing aids).
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