Lesson #174: It ain't pretty, it just looks that way (for now)

Ariel seems excited to work this evening when I arrive because she's standing at the gate when I go out to her paddock to get her ready for the lesson. And we all know, this mare would rather be eating. I have a good feeling about things so we quickly get ready and hop into the arena to get started. The garage door is open so I ask if we could do some stuff outside (I'm itching to get out on a hack). J walks out with me to do a brief warm up in the outdoor arena. The outdoor is larger than the indoor so getting a 4 loop serpentine is very doable and because there is only a couple poles and a set of standards, there is plenty of room to get going. Immediately, Ariel is on high alert when we step outside and I see that she's looking every other which way. J says Ariel is not a fan of going out in the dark so it's my job to get her to recompose her horsey brain and relax.

What was that?!

My riding is definitely improving because it doesn't take long for me to calm Ariel down and get her brain back in check with being focused on what we're doing instead of being paranoid about every single rock, tree, rustle or corner. Once we're good there, I move into the canter around the arena and on the right rein, I experience difficulty balancing and keeping myself in check even though she's going at a good pace and just calmly moving forward. When a video is taken, we see that my lower back is just going against the motion and I seem to be "leading with my chin". I just need to recalibrate a bit more so that I'm not leaning forward as much and (surprise) relax my lower back. Although I knew I was struggling, it was helpful to have the video footage to see what I was doing.

It still isn't bright for as long of the evening so we return indoors and start on jumping. We waste no time and get right into it. I'm told to start on one jump at a time until we build up to 3 jumps. My main focus at this point is to keep my heels/weight down, especially upon the approach and remaining in a half seat. The rest of it doesn't look pretty, I'm sure but at this point, I know it's the main thing that I need to work on. The rest is details that will come together with more practice and refinement.

There is one thing that seems to give me trouble, during this lesson: I am coming off a jump towards K and I need to make a turn towards A then F but can't seem to get Ariel to ride straighter towards K and then make the appropriate turn without falling in. I suspected it is my seat that is becoming unhinged and causing her an inbalance that causes her to fall in. We know when I've done it wrong because she doesn't get enough space to get the balance to do the flying change in the corner. Sheri says, in the hunter ring, riders are expected to use the space so they can keep their horse balanced in corners and all that fun stuff--setting them up for success.

I try repeatedly until Sheri just gets up and becomes the barrier to the falling in. It is successful in the literal sense but not good enough for me because I needed an aid. I get off for the night remembering that I need to use my seat better to rebalance Ariel and myself when we are coming out of the jump.

Lesson #173: Mind Over Matter

Spring is here! Or at least we're getting real peeks into it. I was tempted to go on a hack on Sunday but when we got there, we're told J is teaching... usually J is the one we go on a hack with anyway but we discover that he broke his hand and is probably pretty sore from a bad fall during one of his jumper lessons with his coach. It sounded pretty messy and has reaffirmed my desire to keep things low key. He basically went left when his horse went right.

J's lessons are much different than Sheri's because he's just not as technical as she is. He's more about feel and experience. Both have the basics down but riding dressage for Sheri has her mind-set in a more technical area just because that's part of what is required to ride dressage anyway.

The objective today is course work. I have been starting our walking warm ups with loosening my hips and alternating my legs with Ariel's movement and I find that this helps and is certainly becoming more second nature. I wanted to get into a normal posting trot but Ariel decided she was more comfortable with a long and low trot so we started there instead.

We also rode with another young student who rides beautifully. I love to see when the more capable younger kids ride because it's such an inspiring thing to see. We all get into canter and go round several times and then get straight into our jumping. The course work is set up so that we build into the final course by taking one jump at a time to ensure our position is good and we are comfortable with the height. As I said, J's not as technical. This gives me the opportunity to aim for what he has asked but remember all the "tools" that Sheri has been giving me the last few weeks about seat and weight shifting. I am also becoming better at feeling when Ariel's pace is slowing or speeding up. And I certainly have to ride her body more than anything else because she's all wobbly and will bend and flex as she feels comfortable.

At least Deb is aware of what's going on now... --Ariel

The first jump was a ground pole with 3 strides into an X. I was our test guinea pig and was asked to do it at the canter. Usually Sheri works up to the canter because I continue to have the same faults about riding too far on Ariel's forehand so it is beneficial to take it slower. But it wasn't miserable and so I have to remember to focus on all the things that are my faults.

We work on adding more jumps and it goes from a ground pole with 3 strides into an X to a line with 2 Xs, then adding another X on the other side and then the second X in the line changed to a vertical. Finally, it became an X into a vertical and ended on a X. My faults remain the same... but this time, I do realize something... that the curling over onto Ariel's forehand is something that is actually second nature and if I don't consciously think about it, that's what I end up doing, instead of sitting up. It's not a matter of capability... but it literally is mind over matter.

This is very evident when I approach the first jump riding while sitting up but as soon as I land, I'm already curled over. It then becomes tricky for Ariel to gain balance appropriately and I notice we zoom around the arena coming out of it. It makes sense that she's trying to compensate for my balancing on her front so we both don't go over her head!

And here's a first for +ADW! He was asked to canter the line for the first time. Not to shabby considering he's never done it before. Hooray for firsts!

Lesson #172: More Jumping Progress

Although it's nice to have Thursday night lessons all to myself, it was a welcome change to have another rider in the class. This student rides her own horse and their focus this year (from what it sounds like) is jumper. The course that she was working on was pretty tough... the turn into one of the lines was really tight and she had to collect as she was coming into the line. Her position over fences is beautiful. It flows and she looks so effortless over the jumps.

I start my warm up and remember that in order to make use of my walk, I need to loosen my hips with Ariel's movements and flow with her while opening up the walk with alternating legs. Sheri asks me how I feel today and I mention that I feel tight--which is not a lie. Specifically, my calves are feeling tight, even though I shouldn't have a reason to have tight feeling calves. That said, I just think about keeping my heels down and loosening my hips and lower back. Sheri tells me to take my feet out of the stirrups and just relax and drop my weight down through my heels and just flow with Ariel's movements.

A few rounds and I take my stirrups back and start trotting around with the aim to have Ariel long and low and me: relaxed. This exercise has become far easier than it used to be when it was a struggle just for me to stay with her through my seat and body. Tensing up always made the situation worse, even though I tried not to.

That was fun but man am I tired now... --Ariel

Next, we're doing jumping today so a quick canter around and then I trot into an X. The X's are becoming less of an issue and so I add in a vertical. The vertical isn't high, but it does enough to cause me some grief. I am not sure if I'm not releasing enough, or if my heels are falling back, thus causing me to tip forward. Continuing, another X is added so that this mini course is becoming a sort of twisty loopy route. I am only relatively successful and I continue to have the same issue of curling forward and not being able to sit up between jumps. I seem to anticipate them and upon the approach, actually lean forward.

After a few more rounds with some degree of success, I am asked to complete the course by taking a vertical with some narrow fillers. I really had a good time with the jumping even though there is a bit of apprehension just before I get into it, each time. I still have the same vices where I tend to lean into the approach and my heels don't always stay firmly down but it is slowly improving since I"m not being thrown as much or getting left behind as often. It isn't pretty, but it is at least successful in making it over.

We cool out with lots and lots of bending and turning with the horses with their necks long and low to stretch out their backs after doing so many jumps. I take this opportunity to test my seat turning again.

Lesson #171: Simple Change for the Win!

Another intense lesson. I expect that with show season starting and many of the riders looking to get into showing either hunter or jumper this season, even my lessons will incorporate a lot of the same elements. After all, I did say I wanted to be able to successfully jump a 2'3" course this season!

This lesson started with the usual flat work at posting trot and seated trot... even alternating between the two. We also add in some trot without stirrups and focus on pushing our weight down through our heels to keep balanced. I find trotting without stirrups still easier to ride than bareback--which easily unseats me.

The 3 jumps from the previous lesson are still up so we use these to work on the same exercises. The lesson starts with the same exercise as last time where we trot over the figure 8 by going over the pole in the middle of the arena. This exercise is cleaner than it was last time... my turns were flowing and smooth. Next, we increase the difficulty by including the other 2 Xs and it is the figure 8 going over 3 of the X jumps. My "jumping" is becoming cleaner and I'm not having as much trouble with the landing... however, these are still on the low end of things so mastering these are imperative to move forward and up.

I'm as stunned as Bucky is, that I was successful this time around!

Now comes the biggest accomplishment this season, so far, cantering the figure 8 at the canter and using a simple change at the trot, over the X in the middle. The last time I tried to do this was last summer and it was impossible for me to accomplish the simple change over the middle. First, Ariel doesn't like to transition down into the trot b/c she's already not really a fan of the trot. I have to really get her ready as we're coming around the corner and approaching the middle pole. Despite the flashback of last year's outcome, I was successful and we were able to mostly achieve what we set out to do! I certainly feel pretty good about my progress because last year this sort of thing was still a struggle to do.

Lesson #170: Leading with my Behind

During the warm-up for my lesson I focus on swinging my hips and alternating leg pressure to follow Ariel's body as she walks, to open up her walk. The arena is set up with 3 Xs lined up at D, X and G. The first exercise is trotting a figure 8 over the middle X. Since the exercise has us changing the rein on each loop of the 8, I really am forced to assess what's happening when we turn. Immediately, we noticed that as I am approaching X and pushing onto the right rein, Ariel does a funny drift with her shoulder; she's counter flexing as if she's going straight and drifting into the right turn as opposed to flowing into it with slight flexion. It happens again and Sheri tells me to step into my right stirrup just a smidge as I am going over the X. That works. We discover that I am myself, unbalanced going over so even though my eyes and head are turning, my seat isn't telling her that. She takes the middle X down and leaves it as a ground pole.

We continue and the exercise is made more difficult: I get off the rail and go over the two Xs at each end. The exercise is the small jump while turning and changing lead. I have to continue to push my weight down on the right side when  making that right turn. Sheri adds that I have to include the proper preparation with my legs too. We went through this exercise for the better part of the lesson with the focus on getting the turns to flow at the trot, as well as the jumping position over the Xs. Easier said than done! It's pretty rapid fire going like that and I have to keep Ariel at the trot and not speed off into the canter.

The last exercise is to get on bareback and continue the same exercise. *ugh*. We start at the walk... and then move into the trot *gulp* over the middle pole. At the walk, I was able to discover that I actually grip with my left butt when I turn right--which gives Ariel incorrect signals! I had no idea.... So now it's a matter of not doing that even though it's become quite second nature.

Oooo shake what yo' mama gave ya!

That exercise is finished up and Sheri tells me, finish the lesson on a completely loose rein and guide Ariel only by your seat. Ariel and I zig zag around the arena with my seat bones dropping into the seat, to tell here where we want to go. I use little leg and zero hands and focus only on dropping the appropriate seat bone. There is a fine balance here... because my hips and legs need to be in the maximum open relaxed position, to actually cause an impact. When my legs crawl forward a bit and I start "sitting more" on Ariel, she completely ignores me (more like has no idea what I'm asking of her). I literally have to shift my weight back down my heels and re-drape my legs over her back.

With some more practice, I end the lesson with the ability to turn Ariel at the walk, in a 10m circle with just my seat. Definitely learning so much!