The awful weather trend continues, but I’ve settled in to my easy winter work schedule and am motivated to ride. I got Sophie out for 3 rainy rides and one longe this past week.
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| She doesn't love hanging out in the rain (the stalls at the arena aren't covered) but she's not dramatic about it at least. |
She’s currently so hairy. I don’t know why she grows such a horrible winter coat. I think it seems more genetic than management related. Imagine your fine haired TB had the quantity coat a Shetland would and that’s where we’re at...despite our mild winters it’s super long and fine and prone to matting and nastiness under her belly and between her legs. I was hoping to not have to clip this year given she’s not in daily work and living outside (with a blanket and a shelter) but I think I’ll have to.
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| Pictures surprisingly don't convey the amount of hair. You'll have to trust me. |
Rides are going well. I still struggle with her tendency to be a banana to the right. It’s hard work, but that’s standard baby stuff. She’s very good about keeping on the path I put her at the speed I ask, so we do have a couple of the basics solid these days.
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| Single longeing pic because it's too wet to bring out the nice camera for any length of time. |
She still feels happy to work and comes out relaxed and confident, which is again a huge improvement.
I’ve been adding in some trot poles and a bit of canter again. The canter transition is still very green and often includes a big buck, but it’s getting better. Trot poles are a piece of cake, so I’ve started moving them in and out and putting them on curves. She’s getting great about going forward or coming back in balance.
Walk/trot/walk, walk/halt/walk transitions are really coming along. I’d say I’m very happy with what she offers 50% of the time, and the rest is always a “me” thing, solved by setting her up a little more or riding it more accurately.
Lateral work basics are all there - leg yields, spirals, moving front and hind independently, changing bend. It’s just a matter of practice and putting the pieces together now so it flows better and the tempo doesn’t vary.
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| From a couple of weeks ago, sorry I am short on media :) |
I actually feel a little guilty when I write out these little progress updates. She finds things so much easier than B and is naturally so much more agreeable, balanced, and forward that I almost feel like I’m cheating somehow. Don’t get me wrong, we are still decidedly average and I’m putting in hours of work, but it’s not nearly the level of effort or dedication I’ve felt was normal up to now. To be fair, perhaps as a rider I’ve learned a little and am better at explaining things these days, but S still picks things up at light speed and finds them easy compared to poor B. Lateral work with B was literal years in the making to get to where Sophie is in a couple of months. Sophie already is much simpler to keep together and softer than B in all gaits and transitions too.
The obvious gaping hole right now is the canter, but that will come. Her canter is huge for such a small horse and the slow progress is a strength/confidence thing rather than a mechanics or willingness thing. I actually backed off completely a few months ago after she had a time out to mature, and only reintroduced it regularly a couple of weeks ago. I’m going to loosely follow what we did with a Bridget and use walk and trot exercises to build the strength and coordination. For now we canter only for short periods and focus on quality over quantity, quitting well before it falls apart. Unlike B, she’s got a really nice canter naturally and a big desire to please, so I’m happy to not mess with it.
Upcoming: we finally have a saddle fitter coming next week and I’m hoping to get the dressage saddle sorted for us (if I go custom that obviously means she’s never to be sold and staying forever, lol) plus some ideas for a used jump(!) saddle. Two weekends from now we’ve got a weekend dressage clinic. I’ve booked private lessons this time in hopes of getting plenty of winter homework.
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| Attempting photos for saddle fitter so she can bring some samples that might work |
In short, it’s going well, and I’m happy!
Yay, I'm so glad to hear it's going well! I had a similar struggle adapting to how much easier dressage came to Ruby than the two green mares I had before her, I always tell people she makes me look like a genius but that they should probably reserve judgment on my training skills until they see ALL my horses 😂😂 fingers crossed for a successful and hopefully not prohibitively expensive saddle fitting!
ReplyDeleteSo true! There may have already been a comment or two re: Bridget on a couple of more difficult rides ("I thought she was the one that you can do everything on?") LOL, but I never said I could ride her well ;)
DeleteDon't feel guilty about it being easy. I'm sure there will be a time that it won't be easy. :)
ReplyDeleteWe're in for a week of wet and wind. Ugh. I'm not ready.
I think anything requiring collection is going to be very hard for her, our struggles will come. I feel like she's going to have some serious mare opinions when it gets harder too :D
ReplyDeleteThe gov't where I work just declared a state of emergency, the weather this year has just been insane! Maybe we could all just have some moderate weather for a bit?
Bucking at the canter transition. 😁 Could be sooo many reasons … but does it happen when you just ask her for a big trot and she canters without you asking?
ReplyDeleteBig trot and let her kind of fall into it isn’t a guarantee, but it’s normally the least dramatic way. We went through this with walk to trot as well - she’s very fussy about leg and a little backwards thinking at times but she needs to go when I put leg on. Also is prone to extra dramatics if she ends up unbalanced, which can make the bigger trot method tricky too. Basically, she’s a mare 🤣(But I’m getting saddle checked again next week as well - just in case!)
DeleteFunny to read this after my clinic this weekend. Speedy is so good with the voice cues, on the ground and under saddle, but if you sweep a leg back for a canter transition he kicks at it a little. Not so much if you put it on to move a haunch around, but he's not confirmed in that. The clinician this weekend said he kinda tunes you out and then overreacts, so we need to work on getting him more tuned in all the time so he doesn't need to overreact to reasonable requests.
DeleteI have no idea if this is Sophie's situation as well, but what you said reminded me of it!
I'm thinking it's very much like what you're experiencing, definitely puts me on ignore then gets super offended when I don't give up. I'm hoping it's partly a green pony lost in translation thing too, because the whole kicking at the leg thing and bucking isn't overly endearing ;)
DeleteSophie is growing up so cute. REmus used to kick out when he started cantering (and then later when he was sore) But as a baby i think she will outgrow this. If not send her south :) I can just add her to my little pony collection :)
ReplyDeletebridget was TERRIBLE, so I have hopes Sophie will get there once we figure it all out and compromise ( with B I ended up not using the leg behind the girth thing and just asking with inside seatbone forward and inside leg, outside there but not touching, and she's way happier)
DeleteHeard about the flooding and mudslides, stay safe out there!
ReplyDeleteThank you! We're fine - I feel guilty for how lightly we got off here, just some minor inconveniences with fuel shortages and groceries/supplies getting in. My barn flooded a little. Just south of us it's heartbreaking, so many people and animals impacted and we've got more big storm systems coming in this week :(
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