In the Dark

This last weekend was spent mostly talking about horses and watching videos about horses. Also eating a lot of food.

I've been thinking a lot about creating antifragility in TC's connection, something that Kate wrote about recently, and that coupled with the videos we watched on all sorts of different dressage theory made me VERY ready to go back and ride TC on Monday afternoon.

TC has been doing quite well back in work after I was sick. I'm finally feeling normal, though a muscle deep into my hip has been very tight on both sides. After sitting on Peony's foam roller and doing a bunch of exercises that Kate and L gave me, on Monday I felt totally back to normal.

I do like how green it all is in the winter

The ride happened late in the afternoon, and by the time we were done, it was dark. TC is not a fan of the dark. One of the best things I did for our relationship was to ride him in the mornings. It helps me because then I get enough sunlight to not feel crazy during the week, and it helps him because the night is dark and full of terrors. But sometimes we end up riding at night.

I was so determined to have a good ride though. TC was spooky walking around the ranch, but that's kind of par for the course in the winter when it's too muddy for him to run around in his paddock. He just sits there thinking about all the terrifying things the world has in it (I assume). But when we got into the arena at dusk and turned on the lights, he was on it. His walk felt amazing, it's been a long time to develop his walk because while it is a pretty high quality walk, he always walked very slowly. I've been on his case to pick up the pace for a while now because we're beginning to work on turns on the haunches and I need both energy and a bit of collection at the walk. We didn't have either for a long time.

I like that I've taken my time because he stays relaxed when I press on him a bit for a bigger walk. This horse was the king of jigging for a long time but now he really has a good idea of what I want. That plus the work in the connection and Monday night was immediately pretty dreamy.

Finally not so much mud that I can't wear my
super clean boots!

My main goal was to ride smaller circles, more transitions, and really focus on a couple of things that I remembered after watching a Charlotte Dujardin Masterclass video.

First, I want to add more energy to TC's trot in general. This has been really tricky to do because he can get really animated, but he is more likely to explode and more likely to get tight in his back/out behind with his hind legs. My main goals have been relaxation and suppleness with this horse to prepare him for impulsion. But impulsion also means increased energy. So I'm going to really push up against that line of positive tension.

Second, I wanted to "stay in the middle," which is definitely related to me wanting to tip off my right seatbone. I have been good about sitting down into it (shout out to TC who now refuses to turn left unless I'm plugged in) but I still feel like he isn't where I want him to be maneuverability-wise.

He is so dapper

Third, I wanted to try out an exercise Carl had her do- a leg yield at the canter. TC will move from the inside leg out at the canter all day long. I actually hate that exercise for him because he's the sort of horse who will just randomly run sideways around a turn or down the long side to get traction to buck or balk. So I'm not about a typical leg yield at the canter (from inside leg to outside rein). But Charlotte did it the other way- basically a half pass with counter flexion. And I do know that TC has never done that.

He's a good sport though, so after working on my sitting trot in the middle and adding more oomph to it, we went into canter and I asked him to leg yield off my outside leg.

To the right he's cool with it- this is typical of him, he's quite good at stepping off of my left leg. To the left, he was TERRIBLE at it. I haven't felt rigidity in this horse in a very long time and he immediately was like CANNOT GO THIS WAY NO PLS NO. He got very behind the bit like he used to and I tried to press him into the bridle again and he took off with me. We had to come back to trot and leg yield off of that leg from the rail to the centerline a few times before I went back into canter and kind of had to wrench him over once and then praise like I've never praised him before to convince him. He almost never says no, so it was kind of a shock!

It's just a tough movement for him, and really not one that I would expect a horse schooling First level to be able to do easily. But I'm glad I found that hole and we'll be filling it in slowly. It's good preparation for him for lateral work at the canter and will make him even stronger in the changes (because the second I put him into the left rein he changed instead of leg yielded, good pony!).

So many puddles, so many training opportunities 

I ended with some REALLY great trot work. I'm figuring out how to sit his trot, which like I've said before is the biggest trot I've ever sat in my life. It's becoming less bouncy, but it looked good in the mirrors so I'm hoping that this means that I'm actually sitting it better and getting used to it, vs killing the moment of suspension with bad riding. He certainly feels bouncy, it's just in a good way.

We played a bit forward and back, something I haven't been doing. He felt GREAT moving forward, didn't get too quick and didn't get flat or rigid in the contact. Just got more animated and covered more ground! Coming back was great too, though he did drop the poll sometimes. I'm riding him a few inches lower than I normally would because he's not the most fit right now and my focus is on throughness rather than creating an artificial uphill balance by pulling his face up. I can always bring his neck up, that's NOT a problem we have lol. But I don't want him to respond to collection aids by dropping the poll, so I sent him forward and this time kept my leg a bit more active. Perfect.

The horse is just a genius! We walked out after that, then went back to the cross ties and I put him away with just a little sweat under his girth. Phew, I was worried I had gotten carried away. It isn't cold at night right now but I do feel bad for him not being clipped this year. We kept it pretty short though.

I'm not terrible with my symmetry!
Except in the walk I guess

Overall he felt GREAT. I really want to get a lesson soon, though I'm having problems figuring out who I want to ride with and if having a lesson is even worth it this winter. I might wait until February because my entire lesson budget was eaten by the Mary Wanless clinic. Hopefully I'll get some great stuff to work on from her and then we can do a lesson next month! Until then, it's just more of the basics and *actually* enjoying my horse this winter, which is madness.