So I figured out how to have the best lesson of Surya’s and my life on Tuesday evening. I started out by getting to the barn extremely upset. This was the result of stupid 20s-year-old girl stuff that they make sitcoms about and, unless you’re the one actually experiencing it at the time, inspires eye rolls and chuckling. After I tacked up my wonderful pony, we headed past the outdoor ring to the gate that leads to the trail around the barn property. My trainer, who is a mind reader as well as the regular kind of brilliant, asked me what was wrong as she gave another student a jump lesson in the outdoor. I shouted “I’m fine!” and launched Surya into a trot toward the trail. Sometimes it’s incredibly gratifying to act like a middle schooler.
Surya really does not like the gate and the portion of woods immediately after. She predictably spooked, but I was having none of it and smacked her with the dressage whip hard enough to inspire instant obedience. We made it past the woods and then cantered around the rest of the trail. We would have galloped, but it was lightly raining and everything was wet. (Do you see how this is a sitcom? I was upset, it was raining, etc.) We turned around to follow the loop back, and did shoulder-ins along the fence-line most of the way.
After the cold dark outside, the indoor felt warm and cozy with its bright lights and slightly dusty air. We warmed up for a few minutes, and Surya moved beautifully off my leg. When my trainer came in, we were standing quietly while Surya softly chewed on the bit. We picked up the trot, and all of a sudden, something connected. Surya was soft, round, on-the-bit, yielding to my leg. My legs were long and quiet, my heels were down, my hands were flexy but steady. It was beautiful.
Of course, then she got over-bent. We spent the second half of the lesson discouraging her from getting her nose behind herself and her poll lower than her crest. But I am very pleased, because this new problem is a wonderful one to have! The fact that she’s moving forward off my legs, bending in the direction that I dictate, and stepping through and straight is fantastic. Her head position is secondary to aligned shoulders and haunches.
Our canter work was also much improved. The canter to the left continues to be our better side, despite the fact that her paces are actually better to the right. However, I have mostly corrected the problem of her picking up the wrong lead to the right. As long as I sit up, put my weight on the left, bend her slightly to the left, open the right rein a little, squeeze a little more with my left leg than the right, and don’t collapse the right side of my body, she picks up the correct lead. I’m pretty sure I do all this automatically to the left; I just have to think about it to the right. I’ve also improved my seat in the canter. The less busy my legs and balance, the better her canter.
Ultimately, I learned three things Tuesday:
1. A longer, more varied warmup resulted in some fantastic dressage.
2. Insisting on absolute obedience when she was spooking translated to absolute obedience the rest of the ride.
3. My horse is ridiculously sweet when I am upset. She let me hug her nose, which she normally dislikes. She is one of my best friends. I <3 her. J
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