Teddy at Centerline

Relax your butt and sit on it

 

Today, Teddy and I had our first lesson since his injury in late October. It was good to go back to work.

"Forward" was his mantra. "Relax your butt and sit on it," was mine. We chanted these phrases together (I wish) as we whipped smartly (I wish) around the arena. It was so early that we woke the birds, who worked themselves in to a deafening frenzy. With all the noise, we were still able to concentrate (I wish). Even the tractor did not distract (well, maybe after I lunged Ted, it was no trouble).

In mid-December, I got the go ahead from Teddy's vet  to begin cantering. At first this was no more than 3 minutes total for both directions. It was fun trying to time this with a watch. It was also increasingly harder to ride him as it began to rain and riders from across our large complex began to fill the arena.

Ted finally began to melt down. He began to buck and bolt with no real control at the end of December. This happened just as we increased the time for canter to 5 minutes. I got bucked off even though he was given a long-term tranquilizer. My trainer felt we had to press ahead to get him back to normal work and I finally had to let a more experienced rider take over.For a week and a half, she worked to get him under control and more mentally stable.

Finally, the weather broke and he calmed down. I began to ride again, but with some trepidation and a little bit of pain (the last buck-off has put my hip out of whack). I had to keep him forward and let him go forward and not lose control. I am not a brave rider, so this was a real test.

I tried to do most of my riding early in the morning to avoid the crowd, but not so early that I was riding alone. Steadily we increased the time for canter. Soon we were up to 10 minutes.

Finally, mid-January my trainer suggested we begin lateral work. This appeared to be no trouble for him, so I increased the time for all work. I also continued with long walk breaks.

Last week, I asked if we could take a lesson. I signed up and got ready. I practiced sitting the trot again (ouch). I also asked him to pick up the pace, which he resisted. I could see that we both were getting back to our old habits, so I tried to stay aware of what I was doing. I got quiet. I got relaxed. I worked hard to keep him in front of my leg without overworking (fusing with my hands and kicking, kicking, kicking).

We are not back to square one. We may be on square two (when I'd like to be on square 10). But I got my boy back to work and things are looking up again.

Editor's note: I wanted to show the before and after film of Teddy's break, but I found the CD my vet gave me only had the before pictures, one of which you can see here. This is an old competition picture of Teddy shot by Ruth Lake.

Get her in front of your leg!

Riding in the winter is no fun. There are more riders than usual in the indoor ring. Tractors and birds distract. Mirage is a 12-year-old Holsteiner mare. She's been getting behind the leg lately. Third level in dressage is hard work. Organizing the half pass and achieving a flying change with a horse behind the leg is difficult. All of these factors together makes for a hard lesson for my friend Wendy.

Valentino doesn't like tractors

Riding early in the morning in an arena filled with shadows, Valentino,  a seven-year-old Dutch horse, and Stacy Zwergel, assistant trainer, work on fourth level moves.  Valentino is a level-headed horse,who can be behind the leg, except when there is a tractor in an adjacent arena.

Developing more feel and subtly as a rider

This year I went to the California Dressage Society/USDF state championships.  I found the competition was very stiff. The were a lot of great riders with terrific horses at first level. The biggest barrier to placing was my inability to remember the tests. Of the four tests I took, I made at least one error, if not two -- that dropped my score a lot. The judges who watched my rides also suggested that an independent seat would increase my score (and make me a better rider).

At age 55, I am not completely brittle, but I not particularly flexible.  My underlying fear of going to fast on anything, plus a terror of hitting the ground, shows. I grip with my thighs and balance with my hands. This is a problem I must solve if I ever hope to rise through the dressage levels.

Since I started riding as an adult (age 40), I have never had a real "feel" for sitting on a horse -- not like a rider develops as a youngster.  I am also not athletic and my aids are quite crude. I yank, kick and can move with a rhythmic spasticity that sometimes alarms my trainer.

I decided to do my horse and myself a favor by taking lunge lessons in an attempt to develop more feel and hopefully more subtly as a rider.

I thought that those who are in the same situation might like to see the process. The horse in this video is a 20-year-old thoroughbred. His name is Beau.  The scariest part of this lesson, I chose not to show. My trainer asked me to close my eyes with reins and then without stirrups as well.  The sound level is low on this video, so crank up your volume.

Axel Steiner Clinic

Axel Steiner is a very quiet clinician. While many popular teachers will keep up a running patter during a lesson, Steiner watches quietly and then offers a few words to help the rider improve the horse. The rider is Christine Rivlin. The horse is a12-year-old Holsteiner mare, Larissa's JAZ. She was ridden by Chris to Prix St. Georges last year.

Rapallo learns the canter piouette

Rapallo, an eight-year-old Hanoverian, is ridden by his amateur rider, Michelle, as they work through the mechanics of the canter pirouette. Michelle is an amateur rider. She and Rapallo are showing at the fourth level in dressage. The voice on the video is that of trainer Christine Rivlin.

Flying changes with Dave Brubeck

Larissa is an 11-year old registered Hanoverian (Larissa's JAS). She was imported from Germany. Her sire was Lanthan; her dam was Flicka; and her dam's sire was Falkland (all are registered Hanoverians). Christine Rivlin is showing her at Prix St. Georges this year. Nora, her amateur rider, is showing her second level. Their debut at second level is this weekend. This mare is very easy going, yet sensitive. She does not usually misbehave, but someone was on the roof of the arena next door making an explosion imminent. I thought the music suited her flying change work. I love Dave Brubeck. Chris is riding.