I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but Mate and I have been sticking to arena work lately. And I'm actually having a lot of fun - who would of thought flat work could be this enjoyable?
And you're talking to a girl who used to exclusively jump everything slightly jumpable ever.. But thankfully I've since been sworn off jumping after taking quite a liking to all this dressage business and usually find myself having
more fun working on the flat rather than hooning around and falling off.
A (kind of) fun fact: The only times I've ever fallen off Mate is while we're either jumping or hooning around - although I think it's just the funniest when Mate plays up (read: bucks, rears or bolts) falling off is never a good thing...
Although I'm having a blast learning new things, Mate isn't quite meeting me half way... he's extremely lazy and doesn't try very hard. At the moment it's
me doing the hard yards while he's happy and content with dragging his feet around with his bum in the air.
Look at him - so freaking lazy!
So we get weekly lessons from probably the greatest instructor ever, who I adore very much, and she just so happens to be very familiar with training horses and dressage (her area of expertise!)
In my past
post, I mentioned that we had an epic lesson on Saturday. Of course, it had to be like 35 degrees and we just so happened to be doing very hard and strenuous exercises - but it was still pretty awesome.
*cough* heels *cough*
Anyway, so our main goal is 'collection'. Everyone's general idea of collection is different, of course.
Personally I see it as when (brace yourself) a horse can carry more weight on it's hind end than on the forelegs, the back is raised as the stomach muscles are engaged. Flexing at the poll and carried lightly - this makes the "spring" like step that comes from the hindquarters much greater and more present while the horse is traveling. Reaching further underneath himself with both rhythm and impulsion; moving forward in an uphill manner while still under perfect control.
And if none of the above made any sort of sense what so ever: Dressage is basically horse dancing, meets body building.
Those writs, Jessika. Staphhhhh!
So with alllll of that said, we've been working on getting him to sit on his butt and
push - surprisingly, he finds it quite easy (and, gosh, it's so beautiful he does) but being Mate he doesn't keep it for very long and tends to fall back on the reins and the forehand.
Yeck.
He's so lazy and is an overall butt-head. But those few strides are that gorgeous, we/I forgive him.
A few of the exercises we've been doing for a couple of weeks, and in our latest lesson, have mainly been focusing on that hind end (!!!)
It still always comes down to his laziness stopping him but the improvements that are noticed pushes me to keep going.
- Leg yield of canter depart - always a fun one!
The title says it all, really. I ask for a trot on a 20 metre circle (with impulsion of course), leg yield a couple steps in the corner then transition into canter, then a 10 metre canter circle.
Doesn't sound too hard, yeah?
Honestly... it's not very hard (for me or the horse) but I do a good job at forgetting to do other things at the same time, and I'm sure my instructor can preach for that!
Now enjoy a list of all the other extremely simple things I have to remember and do at the same time but always, always, always never do unless someone screams them at me:
- Asking for the correct lead in the transition into canter (read: lift inside rein an inch, twisting hips a smidgen ect.)
- Leg on to keep the impulsion but also there with the reins to blocking him from just rushing into it
- Then getting the impulsion back because he never can keep it. Obviously way too hard.
- Collecting him back up
Let's just say I spend
a lot of time apologising, okay.
- Lengthenings - my personal favourite.
Now, I am one of those equestrians whom also have an account on YouTube in which I spend some of my time putting cute little cheesy videos together, watch other people's cute little cheesy videos and "ooh and ahh" over their horses majestic lengthenings in a massive open field with the sunset in the background and wind flowing threw all types of hair..
So when my instructor introduced this to me, alls I could think was "Yes! Finally - A majestic lengthen here we come!"
So we ask for an impulsive trot on a 10 metre circle, leg yield a couple steps in the corner, open hips, let him stretch but also be there to block the canter because "it's hard" (says Mate.) Then reel him back in and collect him back up, still with the same energy, on a 10 metre circle. Fun, fun, fun!
- 50 cent exercise - a very, very, very, very hard but fairly simple one.
To be honest, I have absolutely no idea where the name came from. It never really turned out like a 50 cent piece? So?
Anyway, this exercise (I'm pretty sure) is to encourage a much cleaner leg yield which is to encourage bend and flex yadda yadda yadda.
So, a 20 metre canter circle (correct lead + correct bend and flex there) then ask for a counter flex and encourage leg yield to the inside of the circle, after a couple of strides, flex them back tot eh inside and ta-da, you're left with a
gorgeous leg yield!
This worked so so well, I couldn't believe what so happening underneath me. It was like something had snapped into Mate's brain and I didn't even have to ask for any more impulsion (I actually thought something was wrong - "A", my instructor, can also preach for that)
No ploddy trot is ever allowed ever again!
And I feel we should all just take a moment and
look at this picture! So majestic. Mmmm
