Weekly Lesson Neep, and Walkies Bud First Class

[dancinghorse]

Last night I took da Pook out for walkies--headed for the hills, literally. When we got to the bottom of the nice, long, steep one I had in mind, he was all for going on instead of turning back. So we ended up walking a loop of a couple of miles, complete with passing motorbike, cars and trucks, dogs, strange horses, and all the usual other delights of life on the road and trail. Pook only had one freaky moment, remembered I was there, and settled down. Otherwise he was the ultimate Explorer Pooka, Walkies Bud First Class. Pretty good for a horse who used to either spin in wild circles, plunge uncontrollably, or make a (sometimes successful) break for it any time he went out of sight of his mares.

Camilla is now exactly where he was two years ago, as far as excitement away from the herd goes--so there is hope for her, too.

This morning was unusually cool for the season--low 60s--and dry; the monsoon has retreated and we're in a very weird pattern, lovely to work in but we surely do need rain,, folks. Keed had a very good session of Teacher Torture, working on the aids in all three gaits, studying rounding up over the back, and reviewing shoulder-in. Joni said that with regular dressage work, he'll be ready to show training level fairly soon. He likes it, that's for sure--happy ears on throughout.

I rode Capria this morning because I need to chill on da Pook and stop fussing about being perfect. I've had a bit of a problem with that--actually avoiding riding him because I'm so lousy and he's so far above me, why even bother? This is bad thinking, and I've had to back off lessons for a bit, not worry about making mistakes, and just ride. It's been working well.

Besides which, Capria needs a regular dose of dressage. On her own she won't use her right hind properly--she gets lazy with it and it stiffens up: last remnant of the old problems. If I keep her in regular dressage work, she's perfectly even all around. So, today she got to be Lesson Pony. Joni pointed out that I turn into a wreck every time we get above basics--I get so anxious about advanced work that I lock up solid. Old tapes playing there, because really, I've ridden all the movements (yes, piaffe, passage, even levade) and I have the background to ride them properly. But I get overly excited and fall apart. I also have "rider's block"--bad confidence problems--which doesn't help.

Doesn't help that I insist on riding horses with zero idiot tolerance and extreme hypersensitivity to any form of rider error. They don't cut any slack.

Anyway, we are improving. We worked on fairly simple things: forward, transitions, position, hands. Feeling the horse. Keeping the contact steady. Maintaining rhythm. All the good stuff. Capria was on the aids most of the time--which was about my hands finally giving her the support she's needed all along--and we had no panic attacks on her part. Then, as usually happens when the basics are cruising along happily, good stuff crept in: half a circle of nice collected canter, notably, and much better canter work all around. Balance being a huge thing for a Lipp, canter is the last thing to get it together, and she's getting it. She had that lovely sit down and lift the front end feeling that collection is about, though not the power or throughness she'll have when she's stronger (or Pook has just moseying along--Pook is a mutant, after all).

So, a good lesson, and some good confidence work. Hips were working. Hands were almost decent. Feel was there, instead of getting dissipated in all the other distractions. Capria is pleased with herself. In the last canter, she told me to keep the outside hand where it was and move the outside leg back while asking the inside hind to come up and under (inside rein soft)--and lo and behold: balance! Finally, I actually listened to her. I have a habit of tuning her out and getting all control-maniacal, which with a schoolmaster of her experience is really rather rude.

I'm learning. Really.

Comments

[lynnesite.livejournal.com]

Cool image with the fire.

Congrats on the Joni-torture, and progress with Capria. Sympathetic to the feeling-like-a-lousy-rider thingie, which is part of why I haven't ridden Q except once since moving here! Though part of it was to allow time for his body to come out of the tense/hollow thing he'd adopted from the gal I let ride him while I was busy selling the house/moving. Well, it's Time. Peggy Cummings is trying to figure out how to fit a trip down to work with Q and me; I don't have a Joni, dang it. Peggy's Connected Groundwork booklet will be done soon and it's a good integrated place to start (photos by moi, Q is the cover boy). Twix knows half the CG stuff already, she's such a natural (of course). No schoolmaster (adult) horses here, we'll just have to muddle through.

Speaking of Pooka's Finest, she spent part of last night growing. I had a TWH mare purchased at 1 week old that went 16hh, Twix is the height that filly was at 4 months, and she's 10 weeks old today.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I have company in the "My Horse Is Too Good for Me" whine-and-sneeze festival. The trouble is, however lousy we are, they pick us and refuse to budge. Pook will not consider any other rider. Period. If he's going to be ridden, I have to ride him. Which has reduced me to tears a few times, but there we are. He doesn't care that Joni would be ever so much less clumsy and ever so much more talented. She's not Mom. End of discussion.

So Mom learns to ride him. Capria sure is a happy horse as a result--I'm finally riding her the way she wants to be ridden. And, with the aids I'm developing on Pook, because of her greater balance and experience and more mature strength, I'm getting fancier things--collected gaits, lateral work, like that.

All of which adds up to, basics are the hard part. The fancy stuff is simple once you have those basics. I've been told this forever, but it's finally sinking in. Was reading an article aimed at the competitor preparing for Grand Prix, which is the top level of competition, and realized that a great deal of it was aimed at filling in the basics that these riders are not assumed to have. Things like "put three reins in one hand and learn to steer with the seat"--that was my first lesson with Joni (minus a couple of reins since we weren't riding in the double bridle). And "collection is lowering the hindquarters and raising the forehand"--again, a very basic principle that is not apparently all that commonly known. There's a lot of riding the reins, kicking with the legs, and not understanding that there's a whole lot missing in between.

So really, I've got training many high-level riders don't have. I should be a leetle bit more confident about my ability to ride a young horse. Even if he is a very fancy Lippinzinger Studmuffin. Same for you with your Superfancy Ayrab Evil Genius--you've got Peggy Cummings in your pocket. I mean. Really.

[galeni.livejournal.com]

If you're insisting on comparing yourself to the top riders at Vienna, then maybe (only maybe) you could insist upon feeling inadequate. But crikey, you have years of training and experience and great horses. Trust their opinion. They tell you you're good.

Caryn (who feels the same way about parenting, however)

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

It is like being a parent--there's an ideal and then there's you. And your kids/horses are so extraordinary that you sometimes wonder how in the world you're going to be worthy of them.

I figure there has to be a balance between ideal and actual--you have to reach for the ideal, try to be the best you can, but not despair because you'll never be perfect. Backing off lessons with Pook was about losing the balance--forgetting that before he's The World's Most Amazing Lipizzaner Stallion, he's Pooka, mama's boy supreme. And while I'll never be the rider he could have had in Vienna, that's not what he wants. He wants me--being as perfect as I can be.

So we struggle onward.

[galeni.livejournal.com]

I came back to my cubicle from elsewhere in the office yesterday afternoon, and found a sweaty blonde Amazon sitting at my desk glugging from my water bottle. It honestly took me half a moment to recognize my daughter. Wow. She'd just finished up the day's Rugby camp and was waiting for a ride home.

And today I bit the bullet and paid for Ocean Kayaking lessons so she can visit an island off the west coast of Vancouver Island (off Tofino) with a friend's family this summer. It's like with animal training sessions, you have optimum windows of time to teach them stuff, and you can rest/pay off the charge card later, because it will be too late if you wait.

These are great lessons, though, and include a two hour session of rolling a single ocean kayak over until they can right them immediately on their own. And then practice that over and over. Survival skills. As my wallet quietly whimpers in the corner.

We're doing good, Judy. At least no one can rightfully accuse us of having a huge ego!