When I got there for my lesson on Saturday, the trainer was out at the far dressage court giving another lesson. I tacked up, struggled my way on (we need a three step mounting block BAD) and realized I didn't have time to take a stroll around the cross country field before my lesson. The walk from the barn to the front dressage ring would do for a proper warm up.
Mare is ready to go!
When I got to the ring, trainer was just finishing up with her Prelim rider on her new horse. First time I had gotten a look at him, and I think they will make a formidable pair. I worked on some lateral movements at the walk around the outside of the arena while they finished up. Just a little haunches in-straight-shoulder fore-straight at the walk to get the girl listening and loose. She seems to go better and be less tight in the straight if I work on that a little bit in the beginning. Trainer finished her lesson, Prelim rider and I talked a little as we switched places and trainer ran to the rest room. When she got back we got right to it.
She stated that she was very pleased with the state that Violet was in when she got there, as far as the work goes. She is listening well and the only thing she really had to work on with her (because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be fixed) was the canter transitions. But she was very very pleased that she was going as well as she was, and it was obvious that I had continued what I could at the farm. Makes me feel good to know that she could see that I had been working hard at it, and to know that I haven't broken my pony and that we are continuing to progress. Anyway, the canter would be the issue, because it is where I have an issue myself. You see, Violet is a pony. And pony canter is short-strided and FAST. I get nervous. I don't get nervous cantering on a large strided big horse, but on the pony? Yeah, kind of feels like she's flying, which means I try to keep her slower than she needs to go, and to do that, I drop my hands. Especially my left. So that is our issue. I pull down against her when transitioning to the canter.
So we started with the trot work, and didn't do too much at that. Trot around the ring (been a long time since we had walls and real corners!) some circles, all the time concentrating on keeping my hands UP. I am definitely worse about it with my left hand. Violet's right shoulder likes to bulge and she bids me into pulling down on the left to help drag her around to the left. Anyway, working on it. Constant work in progress. We did some trot-walk-trot transitions. We didn't do any lateral work this time, really. We then went to the trot on a circle, established the bend and impulsion and then put my legs where they go when asking for canter, without actually asking. This makes Violet tense. She is one of those mares that wants to anticipate. So then I have to work on holding my legs there, continuing the pressure on the reins until she relaxes. Only then am I allowed to ask. Of course, after you ask the first time, every time I move my legs, she wants to go into the canter. So it takes longer to get her to settle with the legs, and I can actually move them less to get her to do what I want. We did two transitions one direction, then she got uptight so we switched directions, then went back to the first. At one point we had to do a couple of transitions down to walk, and a couple of tear drop changes of direction in walk and trot to get her to listen instead of trying to anticipate what I wanted. By the end, we had a couple of really nice uphill trot canter transitions. And we were both a sweaty mess. Temps down there are still 85+ and Violet was starting to sweat on her neck before we were done walking. And I start sweating while I groom. Can't wait until it gets cooler.
After my lesson, I talked to trainer a bit. She said she had only had one true flat schooling on Violet, had hacked her around the property once and done some pole work with a couple of jumps and that she was actually the best of all the horses. And she was happy to be out hacking on the property, until she saw the cross country fences. Trainer did take her for a cross country school and said she was good, but she does pick a fence and just decide she doesn't like it. Usually about 5 or 6 in. Trainer says they had a quick discussion about how she was going to go over it anyway, and then she was fine the rest of the time. But other than that, she was great. Driving the boys crazy as usual. Charlie in particular is very happy to have her back.
She also told me that the first thing she did clipping wise was her ears, and that it was obvious I had been working with her with the clippers, because she did most of her ears without a twitch. Just the tips bother her, apparently. Oh, and by the way, did you see she popped a splint?
Wait...What? Oh yes, first thing she saw when pulling off her shipping boots.
See the bump below her knee? So yeah, now there's that to deal with. Probably happened when she wrenched off that shoe. I think she was trying to get away from the horses in her paddock, who have made it clear that she is the bottom of any kind of herd list.
So I hacked her on the cross country field, going down and up through the sunken road/bounce steps complex. She was very chill, but ready to go back to her stall and get her bath and her apple.
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| Sweaty girl is ready for a bath |
She's such a good girl, and I'm happy that she is back at Rocking Horse enjoying the sand.
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| Pretty girl |
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