Circle, circle, circle

Saturday's lesson was a 2.  I was dragging some serious ass getting up and out of the house and to the barn. The boy basically pushed me out the door saying I would hate myself if I didn't get out there and do it, which is oh so true.  Unfortunately, on the weekends I often run into this, where I would so much rather be lazing around on the couch than doing basically anything.  Probably because I run so hard during the week.

Anywho, I got out, got there and pulled out the pony, who was lounging in her stall in her blanket.  Actually, it wasn't even her blanket.  Her blanket is incredibly heavy, and while it was cool, it was not cold enough for that, so she is borrowing one from Marcy.  It's a Rambo and fits her pretty well.  That QH butt and shoulder always make for a difficult fit.

This is the one.

So I got her ready, strapped on her brushing boots, mounted up, and away we went.  We started to walk around the cross country field, but I realized even with her walking like a big horse, it would take forever and make us late, so I headed back up to the ring, where we were early.  So I dropped stirrups and worked on getting her to move off my leg as I walked around the ring, even doing some serpentines using only legs.  

After the lesson Marcy was working on was over, we headed into the ring, where we started at the walk working on getting the outside shoulder on the track that I wanted.  I had to work constantly on picking up my left hand (as usual). Marcy said to think of it as a box, or a plate that I have to carry.  I oftentimes picture the exercise I've heard some people talk about doing where you ride with a crop bridging both hands.  It seems to help me raise my hands and bring them closer together.  I always want to drop that left hand and straighten my arm away from her neck to kind of drag her around to the left, but that pisses her off.  When I raise my hand and bend my elbow, she raises her poll and gets lighter in the front.  

We also worked on me being sure what it is I want and not allowing her to tell me different.  Violet is not an easy ride.  She is different every time you ride her.  At times, she will change in the middle of a ride.  Some days she gets offended by the left rein, some days it's the right.  Some days she doesn't want to move off the leg to the left, sometimes she's perfect.  I have to work hard at riding the horse I have every single day and every minute, and I have to not let her convince me that I've done something wrong.  Even when I have done something wrong, I have to be able to tell her that I didn't so that she gets over it.  Mostly what happens is she grabs the bit at the same time I go to move it, and that makes her mad.  

We also worked a lot from beginning to end on moving the bit.  Like I say above, she grabs the bit.  Actually, she chews through the Nathes so fast that we have switched her to a single jointed baucher.  

Looks a bit like this.  But dirtier.

There will be no time that she will not chomp on the bit.  She has done it from the beginning.  That's why she's in a figure eight noseband.  A flash hits her wrong, and in a regular cavasson, she crosses her jaw.  So, she will grab the bit, usually on the left side, and try to ignore me.  Fortunately, it doesn't take much to get her to let go, as long as I don't pull.  If I pull or brace, then she gets stronger, and I long ago learned that I will never win that war.  All I have to do it slightly move the bit side to side.  We are not talking sawing her mouth.  We are talking such a slight movement that if I just think of moving my shoulder blades, it's enough to move the bit and get her to drop and soften.  So there was a lot of that, in transitions from walk-halt-walk, trot-walk-trot, etc.

When it came to the canter, we worked on walk-halt-walk to a light sitting trot to the canter, working the bit the whole time to keep her engaged into the upward transition.  She did great.  We did this on a 20 meter circle each way, combined with some other trot circles and transitions when she tried to get ahead of me.  She was really listening quite well.  Then we worked into the corners, concentrating on keeping her light up front.  And keeping my inner hip lifted.  This was really quite interesting to me, because I was able to feel her be light in the front and almost pivot on the hind end in the corners.  Marcy says that is what it is supposed to be like, because it puts you actually into the corner and gives you another 2 or so strides on the short wall in front of the judge.  Violet also stayed much straighter on the long walls when we went down those.  

All in all, this was a great lesson.  I felt like my body position was still pretty good, able to sit the canter much better, and actually use my legs independently from my arms.  Still working on the left arm/hand, and still working on keeping the inner hip lifted on circles, putting a little more weight in the outside stirrup.  Violet was very good, even though the wind was blowing so hard past my ears at times that I had to turn my head in order to hear Marcy.  It was a great lesson, and gives me more to grow on.

Because she's just so cute.