Friday polework sessions

First the good news! Small brown went out on grass yesterday AND KEPT HIS SHOES ON!!! Wooohoooooo.....progress indeed!! One happy,muddy pony....

10 days until 4 wheels on the wagon...so he had better continue the good work or words will be had!!

We have settled into a good routine now my work is more predictable: Saturday is day off as I work all day, Sunday is hack, Monday stretchy school day, Tuesday lesson day, Wednesday practice exercises from Tuesday day, Thursday hack, Friday polework and recap on one or two exercises from lesson...and so it goes on...he is happy, fit.working well, I am without a doubt getting fitter and more supple :)

Trainer has suggested polework, for many reasons...he loves it, variety and thinking exercises are so good for him, he is short backed and can have difficulty using his muscles correctly in order to truly swing through the back, it helps with his self carriage, strength and is brilliant for engagement and collection as well as useful for practising those pesky extensions....

Fabulous little article here which explains it much better than I ever could:

Dressage Polework

We always begin with our stretchy walk and trot work, today as it was so bloomin cold we also did a stretchy canter, before picking him up and doing a little canter exercise on both reins which involved counting strides on a 20m circle....began in a working canter....little legs took 24 strides to get round the circle at A, transition to a medium canter...18 strides...and then onto a collected canter 28 strides and back to working canter.....great exercise for me to think about the stride length and not the speed....he is so much more balanced now, although it will always be his weakest pace bless his little shoes!!

I am lucky he is such a good boy and will just stand while I organise poles and leap on and off to reorganise them...

Today we worked through poles on a straight line, last week we worked on them on a circle so I could aim for the inner part to begin with and gradually move out to the outer edge to work on a bigger stride. 

Key for us is a forward active trot, that is balanced and not speeding round the corner. I have to make sure his is listening to my outside aids, up off the inner leg and round over the back...easier said than done to begin with as he does like to rush in his enthusiasm....usually get a great rhythm and sense of lift and roundness after the 2nd or 3rd attempt...both reins and then a quick break. 

Have experimented with the polepods on alternate poles, which was really, really good for getting him to engage those hocks, lift and power through...

When I have a willing helper we will be moving onto canter poles as that is REALLY exciting!!!

The aim being to begin grid work in the spring and for his general education get some jump schooling in when the weather is better....

He is a fabulous, honest little chap and the one who has given me back the confidence to leave the ground once again...we miss Uncle Kevin and his oceans of patience...

Exciting times ahead Small brown wonder pony...

Onwards xx

Collecting and 'sitting' fun

Tuesday beasting booked...weather warmer,stiller...pony worked yesterday, weekend off, so all good to go.
Handy thing about having trainer on site is she can glance over at our general 'work' and make the odd comment, but also help us with things as they crop up...when people ask what we want to work on I always (perhaps a bit glibly) reply: pick something...we need to work on it all!! ;)
This week it is the halt....something everyone does at least once in every test, twice or more higher up the levels, but how many people really take their halts apart and put them back together...do you really RIDE them or half halt and hope for the best?
Guilty....
 So..the FEI definition:

122. THE HALT

a) At the halt, the horse should stand attentive, engaged, motionless and straight, with the weight evenly distributed over all four legs, being by pairs abreast with each other. The neck should be raised, the poll high and the head slightly in front of the vertical. While remaining "on the bit" and maintaining a light and soft contact with the rider’s hand, the horse may quietly champ the bit and should be ready to move off at the slightest indication of the rider.
b ) The halt is obtained by the displacement of the horse’s weight to the quarters by a properly increased action of the seat and legs of the rider, driving the horse towards a more and more restraining but allowing hand, causing an almost instantaneous but not abrupt halt at a previously fixed place.

Our main issues: engagement and collection....

Firstly then, the preparation: Being mindful of the quality of the walk is so important, really riding the rhythm...not taking the opportunity for a breather!!! Collecting the walk through the seat by really thinking of a long leg lifting his core, my engaged core raising up through the torso, thinking of lifting of the shoulders and poll and therefore rolling the 'ball'back towards the hind leg, whilst maintaining a soft, even contact...NO PULLING BACK, soft giving hands at all times.
Little monkey is so good at having a little shuffle off balance as he finds it hard to truly halt with his hinds engaged and under him...he is pretty good at square halts....engaged and square a true challenge!!!
Trying to get him to step under without shuffling forward is an interesting challenge...great exercise is to halt, take a step forward, legs on girth, halt and repeat...
Trainer wanted to try some work from the ground with him....schooling whip introduced, I worked on giving an aid for left hind while she gently touched his left hind, and repeated for right hind...wow! The collection and feeling of 'sit'was incredible....once he had it we jogged a couple of steps maintaining the uphill outline....felt AMAZING!!!!
The challenge for me is not to block the front, holding on for grim death does not a harmonious picture make!!!
Then we tried it by ourselves...he is such a quick learner....I am under no illusions that this is a work in progress, but my goodness the halts are unrecognisable....to the point the feeling of being able to move into any pace from it is definitely there!
After each bit of hard work....off into a stretchy and forward trot so that he doesn't get 'stuck' in the collection....but so utterly chuffed with the progress already!!

Progressed from halt to rein back, then a direct transition to canter....such an improvement here too....super transition and no diving on the forehand...even our left canter is improved, has definitely helped thinking of keeping the hands slightly wider this way, and 'allowing' the outside of the neck so the inside flexion is possible....to the point that in terms of relaxation it is actually better than the right at the moment, however it is not as adjustable as the right, so we worked on the transitions to medium,working and collected without the little monkey grabbing the reins and poking his nose.
Great mental picture which really helped me was brushing the saddle with seat bones in bigger, longer (not faster) movements without throwing the reins away....again the lifting 'up' from long, engaged, supportive legs(mine) keeping the outside leg there to engage the outside hind, thinking tall from the torso and bigger not faster REALLY made the world of difference....less motorbike, more dressage pony!!

Long stretchy trot on both reins to finish with and big pats for my clever SmallBrown

Next step, some hind shoes to support his heels now the work is getting a lot harder.....onwards!! xx

Frosty lessoning

-5
Frost, sunny, bright, beautiful day for an 8.30 lesson....West Sussex is the most stunning place...we are very lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful countryside:

Started with the walk, the usual focus on quality, pace, footfall, draped soft neck, longer strides not faster...little exercises which included a very definite and focused turn...arrow straight up the
3/4 line,  straight then  leg yield  back to the track focusing on softness, no change in rhythm,all in long outline.
Repeated on both reins, always ensuring there is a quick and positive reaction to leg and weight aids.
Then the tricky transition into trot, maintaining the softness,energy, and forward into transitions up and down. We always struggle with this to begin with....more to do with my preparation (lack of it) and the fact that my lovely Small Brown pony is quite happy trundling along humming under his breath without a care in the world and seems quite surprised to be asked to move up a gear!!! Sooooo, activate the walk, make him aware something is going to happen, as much needs to be happening in the walk from me as in any other pace....too easy to sit and plop along ;)
Real lightbulb moment from trainer....feeling of lifting hands up into rein, therefore weight into elbows and down into seat, remembering at the moment to exaggerate the elbows by my ribs, almost welding them there until it becomes a more natural thing forme...all of a sudden there was a better connection, no pulling back in transition so pony HAS to take contact forward into an upwards and downwards transition. Woooohooooo!
Questions then asked  in trot...is he forward, is he listening to outside forward aid, is he responsive but not leaning on inside aid,can I collect with seat without additional rein, can I lift him Up and into the walk?
played with counter flexion in trot to focus on whether I am riding the outside properly...yes we are
Can we make the walk quality and active enough to do anything fromit? halt? canter, trot? Sometimes...man alive it has taken a LONG time for the penny to drop....its all about prep (not the bass...)
Canter work...right rein is really coming along nicely, self carriage consistent and good rhythm and the ability to shorten and lengthen strides, move to a stretch, back to collected, give and retake inside or outside rein..., left,  not so much
We looked at a really useful exercise for us: walk on 20m circle, traver on circle, straight, collect, one step forward and ask for transition up to canter...really thinking about the quality of that first stride and then maintaining it.
I must remember not to hold the outside rein which blocks the outside hind.... had to make a concious effort to soften outside but not give it away....all of a sudden, a much softer, rounder canter...not perfect,but definitely getting there
Lots of lovely stretchy trot to finish
We always have lots of walk breaks in between all exercises....focus on pick up to medium walk and acitivation so he is expecting another exercise, instruction or movement
Can I place his neck wherever I want? yes we can
Good pony xxxx
Always such a delight to ride...tries so very hard and we can't ask any more than that.
Big love today...onwards xxxx

Stubborn or crazy....

I think I am possibly a bit of both

I was always taught as a child that you have 2 choices when things get tough...give up or try harder....
When it comes to dressage,there is no choice is there...not if you want to succeed....so we are trying harder...a lot harder...

Last winter we had the benefit of a fabulous indoor school....this year, not so much!! However, a good pair of weatherproof winter breeches, waterproof jacket and exercise sheet for the boy and we have braved it all...wind, rain, rain a bit more rain...consequently I reckon he is pretty much weather proof and certainly water on the road proof for sure!!

So lessoning....have decided to start writing down what we do as it seems we cover an ocean of things and if I don't, allllllll the little gems will be lost forever!!!

Its all about the neck....softness, flexibility, relaxation....it is becoming ever clearer how vital that is for us, in the warmup, in the training,in the arena, so as our mantra is now consistency in everything, the expectation now has to be to establish the softness and 'drape' right from the beginning, whether we are in a lesson or practising on our own. However what we worked on today was not allowing relaxation to equal slopping along without engagement or energy...the forward if you like! We made sure that we began with the energy coming from the hind legs into a soft receiving hand, without increasing the speed...easier said than done...I have to remember to keep my hips swinging loosely and rythmically whilst maintaining the lower leg consistency! The chiro and physio has definitely made the world of difference!

Walk pirouettes next....a new one for me, so ever patient trainer had to go through aids, expectations,do's and don'ts with me.Had read a fascinating article: http://dressagetoday.com/article/janet-foys-test-techniques-26657

Who would have thought there were so many things to think about in one movement....fascinating. So trainer had a look at where we were (nowhere...) and suggested some great exercises to get him stepping under not out.We were on a 20m circle, alternating between haunches in, straight, shoulder in...really focusing on the control of the shoulders an haunches, reactivity to the aids and relaxation of course!! Collecting the walk, whilst maintaining the energy is such a challenge for him, but one we need to meet! Thinking about a slight bend in the direction of travel helped, I have to make sure he doesn't throw me off his shoulder or ignore my aids...outside leg needs to be back, inside leg needs to be that supportive pillar, alternating left and right legs aids to engage the hind legs. We started with a large working pirouette and brought it down to a smaller competition sized piroutte...rest,then tried the other rein....lots and lots to practice and think about...good boy for trying so very hard.

Next the transitions...up and down. Always got to work on the collection before an upwards transitions, however, think that is coming...it is the prep before a downwards that we still need to perfect! So onto a 20m circle. Making sure his walk after a long rein rest is active and expectant, could we go into canter from it?Could we halt, rein back, are we prepared for anything?? Then mixing it up...all of a sudden he was full of energy, more reactive to the aids,listening....got some super upwards and downwards just by thinking about lifting up and forwards, or up and back onto those pesky haunches. Canter a million times better as soon as we had the relaxation through the neck....learning I have to want it and insist on it, firmly and clearly and more importantly quickly, not letting him go 4 strides like a giraffe, be equally quick to rewards and what do you know....feels fab!!!

Lovely long rein to finish and lots of homework...just how we like it!!!

The end of the 2014 season.....

What an incredible,amazing year we have had...
Totally beyond my wildest dreams.
We have learned so much about each other and he has finished the season sound, sane and happy...what more could I ask for?

So brace yourself...this might be a mammoth recap since our last entry so many weeks ago!

First bit of amazing news was we have qualified for the Sheepgate Championship, which takes place in Lincolnshire 1st-4th May!!

Preparation for the Area Festival went well...we carried on training hard, despite my Chiropractors protestations...he plays football....I think he thinks I do pony trekking!!! ;)

First job to seek out E45 test practices...easier said than done...however, find them we did and managed to win our first go.... only our second win, following the life changing first ever win at Merrist Wood where I cried in the secretaries office...oh dear!!! Lots to work on, particularly our balance in halts...so off we went to practice ,practice and practice some more.

 Turns out I am crooked...who'd have thought it!!?? Both the sports therapist and Chiro have worked very hard to straighten me out, supple me up and strengthen my body....really beginning to see the results. Six weeks of 'clean' eating,swimming and targeted strength work has seen me lose 9lbs and gain some mobility back in my left hip. So now I am straighter and stronger we should be able to crack on with some more of the lateral work...

Had a couple of sessions with List 2 judge, who ripped us to bits (in a positive and encouraging way of course) and made us look at every single fine detail...downward transitions need a lot of work, had to really think about the collection, and lifting up and forward into the downwards...riding positively into the new pace, thinking about the footfall, control, submission at all times.The key for us is the control of the final couple of strides of trot when making a downwards to walk, and the same with the canter to trot....very, very interesting...apparently our 10m circles are 'pretty good' which is high praise indeed in my mind!!!

We were the most excited to be setting off to Warwickshire at the beginning of November. Boy has never had an away stay, I have not driven a lorry for a very long time....the littlest bear was the MOST excited bout the road trip....packed games, books...wine for me of course and what seemed like a years supply of stuff for the wonder pony. We had a WHALE of a time...was totally and utterly brilliant! it took a good 3 hours to get there as traffic was poop, but the boy travelled quietly, looked out of the window, munched some hay and arrived at the other end calm, happy and very intrigued. A year ago a new venue might have prompted an eyes on stalks meltdown, but wow, has he grown up. Got off lorry, went straight into his box for the night, had a wee and got on with the all important job of eating. We had our novice class late on the Friday evening- we were last on at 7pm...took him out around 6.30...it was lovely and quiet by this point...and gave him our standard warm up...he didn't bat an eyelid...not once....went into a strange indoor that he had never been in before, banners, 2 judges, mirrors....lots of potential for spooky silliness....total focus....bar the rider who had to make an error of course...of course...he was foot perfect. Was lovely to be judged by 2 male judges who had never seen us before, had no preconceptions and actually smiled!

Utterly and totally delighted with 66.3%...our best score at a Championship and definitely a confidence giving ride for the Elementary the following day...we would have been 5th had we not had to be H/C (long and complicated story) so definitely, definitely not last...chuffed to bits!!

We were on at 8am the following morning,with the arena walk at 7am, so late supper for the boy, lots of cuddles and kisses and off we went for supper in the lorry and a glass of vino. Was so lovly to be able to catch up with an old school friend who was also competing....hadn't seen her for 20 years, but was like it was yesterday on the school bus....

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. We were the only ones crazy enough to be arena walking under the floodlights, but it did him the world of good. Great outdoor surface and not too many flowers to spook bust. We had a wander at will on a long rein, both inside and outside arena, before the world started to wake up....back for breakfast and then back on again at 7.45am!  He felt tired, but calm and relaxed and with it being so ear;y the warm up was quiet....great for us...for once I didn't mind being first in...

Started so well...centre line, halt 2 8's....trot, trot, trot...mother forgets her way...judge doesn't notice!!Sometime later (3 moves to be exact) I stop as I am on the wrong rein...judge still hasn't rung bell....she calls me over, neither of us know where we have gone wrong (know it was early but...) she tells me to carry on, me in my flustered state doesn't challenge the fact that we have missed some moves out entirely...finish test, halt, salute (another pair of 8's) and wander back over to judges car...she apologises...I remain mystified how it went wrong and wan't corrected....idiot me for throwing a perfectly good test away...blooming judge for not stopping me straight away.Much confusion form 2nd judge and a rather muddled 63.53%to finish, which sadly left us in 11th and out of the rosettes....but to be fair, I was still chuffed to bits...absolutely bloody over the moon actually...Had we not gone wrong we would have been 9th, more than I could have dreamed of...and 11th out of 20 in a hot class with some huuuuuge horses and masses of talent...well couldn't wipe the grin off my face to be honest:

He is the most incredible boy who tries his heart out for me and I wouldn't change him for the world....watched my pal do a stonking test for 3rd place on her beautiful, beautiful boy and headed for home, having had the best weekend ever!!

And that, my friends is that for 2014...finished on a total high and looking forward to the next adventure, whatever that might be...

Onwards Small Brown, onwards xxxx