Dressage Lesson #3, Jump Lesson #1, Dressage Lesson #4

Friday- Dressage Lesson #3

No pics or videos this time...sort of lame, but sometimes you just want to wear the ugly t-shirt and not have to worry about a camera!

I had a really good lesson, we started to push her a little bit more, more sitting trot, more playing her neck back and forth in the canter, more straight lines in the canter.


Overall it was good!

Saturday- Jump lesson #1

So I take my jumping lessons with an eventing trainer, and since I'd only started with her in the spring (my other eventing trainer moved the prior fall) she had never met Lola! So I was looking forward to getting her opinion of her. I also had a young rider come to try her out the same day.

I started off the lesson, and warmed Lola up over a few fences. It was very strange to jump her again, she really sucked back and sort of "dumped" in front of the first cross rail. I never remember her doing that. She was so forward to the fence before that it was sort of a sit quiet, don't change, don't speed up feeling. A year of jumping can certainly change habits though.

We had a few really nice fences and I had forgotten how much I loved her jump!

Then the girl got on to try her out. It was so great to get to see a teen ride her and learn to figure her out. They really worked well together, and I feel like she was able to take the instruction, and then actually put it to use to make a visable change (more round, more balanced, more forward, not running through half-halts.) She had a great seat, and Lola looked fantastic jumping around with her! I think she felt like it was a lot of work to get Lola going really well- to be discussed in the next section. But good feed back to get.

AND the trainer thought she was brilliant. She said what I've been thinking. If for some reason I can't find a home for her, but I can find one for Bear, it won't be the end of the world. She's a fantastic horse.

Sunday- Dressage lesson #4 (Seriously busy weekend!)

I started the lesson out with some good walk work, and then a moving trot circle pattern (one at A, then straight, one at E,  then straight, one at C, and so on). The goal in our trot work was "minimal effort on my part to maximum effort on her part. I let my horses trick me into begging and pleading for every step. "Ride every step" should mean that I have control over every step, not that they stop trying the moment I stop driving with everything that I've got. So in the trot work I worked on using light leg in rhythm, and if she lost impulsion she got one quick correction with my leg to remind her that's her job. Same thing with the walk-trot transitions, I need her to be asking "When can I trot?" so that the slightest squeeze can ask for the transition.

I felt we made some good head-way, and it gave us a nice quiet warm up. Stacie has been meaning to get on her, but we've had such great lessons lately that we haven't stop my progress to allow time for the trainer to get on. Today seemed a good day. It was great to have her hop on to feel what's going on, and really fun to see Lola go with a rider that has higher standards! She looked great!

Stacie did a ton with her, lateral work, sitting trot, transitions, canter work, beautiful walk work, lots of bend and circles and straight lines. It really was a treat to watch her work.

She's decided that much of the issues that keep us from consistently going on the bit with correct bend stems from Lola carrying her haunches to the outside. That's what looses that canter in the back sometimes, that's what blocks her from lifting her back and really swinging in her gaits. So, new plan will be put into place, and we'll get trucking along shortly!

The fun thing is that Stacie also was raving about what potential she has to move up through the levels. Even if I kept Lola, I would still have a horse to compete with at 1st, 2nd, and (if I can ever get myself there...) 3rd!

Loving my little mare, and grateful for every ride that I get on her.