Centerlines flummox me
Had a dressage lesson (semi with another student). We worked on corners, doublers, and centerlines. I asked my trainer to get on and “tune up” Clover a bit; what takes me a half hour to do, my trainer can get on and do right away. She gets Clover on the aids, moving forward, and following the rein.
We started by riding a square at the walk: ride a straight line, half halt, move the outside shoulder over a couple of steps, ride a straight line again, repeat. It takes me a while to coordinate my aids, plus I’m more discombobulated under scrutiny in the lesson. I understand the mechanics, but it takes me a while to get the feel, and how to ask correctly.
At the trot, we put the same principle to work, to ride a three stride corner, moving the outside shoulder in around the corner while maintaining the bend to the inside. Maintaining the bend is hard for me to the right—I have a hard time getting Clover to give in the jaw and poll. We rode doublers from E-B and back again, up the centerline, turn at X to B or E and so on. Centerlines still flummox me—I still have problems riding the corner and making the turn. Preparation problems—or lack thereof.
That lesson will come in handy, because as of yesterday, I am in Wentworth, taking another student’s spot in training 1 and 2. Training 1 is very similar to Novice A, but training 2 has doublers a half circle trot to canter circle. Lots of corners and turns. I will use the tests to get more comfortable in the dressage arena, as well as work on accuracy and keeping Clover on the aids, instead of panicking and making her dead to my leg.
Last night, had a less than stellar but enlightening flat school. For the life of me, I couldn’t get Clover to relax her jaw and give to the aids—my trainer was also riding at the time and told me to change the weight in my reins—to just keep changing it, in a conversation. So, a series of half halts on the outside rein, asking for bend to the inside, and what do you know, Clover’s there. Keeping her there required more conversation, and once she’s really there I can get it and keep it. But it took me so long to understand (feel-wise) what my trainer has been telling me since day 1 about rein aids—change the feel, have a conversation, turn up the radio—because I’m wary of just turning the aiding into seesawing on the reins. But last night’s attempts didn’t dissolve into seesawing, and the last part of the ride we did ok. It was another one of those a-ha rides, where I get another tool for the tool box (like after the last Pipestave, learning to not give up the contact by throwing my elbows away).
We finished up with a little canter work. Wow! I dunno how it’s happened, but the inconsistent (2-3 times/week) work we’ve done this summer has developed her to the point where I felt a big difference at the canter last night. More balanced, easier to keep her through the bridle.
We started by riding a square at the walk: ride a straight line, half halt, move the outside shoulder over a couple of steps, ride a straight line again, repeat. It takes me a while to coordinate my aids, plus I’m more discombobulated under scrutiny in the lesson. I understand the mechanics, but it takes me a while to get the feel, and how to ask correctly.
At the trot, we put the same principle to work, to ride a three stride corner, moving the outside shoulder in around the corner while maintaining the bend to the inside. Maintaining the bend is hard for me to the right—I have a hard time getting Clover to give in the jaw and poll. We rode doublers from E-B and back again, up the centerline, turn at X to B or E and so on. Centerlines still flummox me—I still have problems riding the corner and making the turn. Preparation problems—or lack thereof.
That lesson will come in handy, because as of yesterday, I am in Wentworth, taking another student’s spot in training 1 and 2. Training 1 is very similar to Novice A, but training 2 has doublers a half circle trot to canter circle. Lots of corners and turns. I will use the tests to get more comfortable in the dressage arena, as well as work on accuracy and keeping Clover on the aids, instead of panicking and making her dead to my leg.
Last night, had a less than stellar but enlightening flat school. For the life of me, I couldn’t get Clover to relax her jaw and give to the aids—my trainer was also riding at the time and told me to change the weight in my reins—to just keep changing it, in a conversation. So, a series of half halts on the outside rein, asking for bend to the inside, and what do you know, Clover’s there. Keeping her there required more conversation, and once she’s really there I can get it and keep it. But it took me so long to understand (feel-wise) what my trainer has been telling me since day 1 about rein aids—change the feel, have a conversation, turn up the radio—because I’m wary of just turning the aiding into seesawing on the reins. But last night’s attempts didn’t dissolve into seesawing, and the last part of the ride we did ok. It was another one of those a-ha rides, where I get another tool for the tool box (like after the last Pipestave, learning to not give up the contact by throwing my elbows away).
We finished up with a little canter work. Wow! I dunno how it’s happened, but the inconsistent (2-3 times/week) work we’ve done this summer has developed her to the point where I felt a big difference at the canter last night. More balanced, easier to keep her through the bridle.
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