Trainer Magic

My ride this morning was equal parts inspiring and depressing. EC put a training ride on Midge over the weekend and coincidentally worked on exactly the same things I worked on the day prior - tons and tons of transitions, asking pony to be straight and not drag her rider around. She said pony felt 'fantastic' and felt she has come along so much since the last ride she put on her, which of course is exactly what I wanted to hear!

Anyway, when I got on this morning there was still plenty of lingering trainer magic. Bridget felt amazing! So soft and light and swing-y. It felt like I could ask for pretty much anything and we'd just effortlessly float along in a cloud of awesomeness. So inspiring!

 Where the depressing part came in was as the hour went on, I could definitely feel B getting more braced and inconsistent. Since we were mostly doing canter/trot/canter transitions EC said not to worry, pony finds those hard and is still figuring out her balance. The consistency and balance through her hindquarters will come as she gains strength. (That's fine, but EC still has a magical way of making it all look far more put together than I do!) My job is to ride tall, keep my shoulders back, the pony straight, and make the transitions at appropriate times - down to trot when she softens and before she loses balance, back up to canter as quickly as possible. Walk to canter if pony made the decision to break to trot and/or drag me along. I am absolutely not allowed to keep my elbows tight or give in to my terrible habit of allowing my right shoulder forward when pony braces/pulls.

Homework = cantering everywhere, all the time. It should be where I spend the majority of the ride. Now that we have a canter AND steering, AND some adjustability, we need to focus on building Midge's strength and fitness. Also, all those tools we currently have in the walk and trot need to be brought along into the canter! Guess this means our weekly mileage is going to be bigger - Virtual California, here we come! :)

Overall, a great lesson. While I wish I had the talent and know how to make the magic happen on a regular basis, I'm really, really excited. How she feels after a trainer ride is usually where we'll consistently be at in a couple of months. The pony is starting to feel a little like a real dressage horse, and she's getting some pretty cool buttons. Now, I just need to up MY game :)

In other awesome news, Ginger continues to do so well. The regular routine and consistency of the program seems to really be suiting her. Stay tuned, I can't say too much for certain yet, but   there's a deal pending that will be excellent for everyone involved AND keep Ginger at our barn so Midge and I can still say hi every day :)