Help! I’m in a nutshell!
I'm talking about a horse that has twice gotten 7's on submission here, in her most recent dressage tests.
I've been getting ready for Kingsbury this weekend, mostly by working on flatwork. I'm puzzled and frustrated by Clover's unwillingness to stop bracing and give in on the left side of her poll/jaw. Whether Emma or I get on, she resists giving in until either of us has had it out with her, then she goes just fine, even very nicely at times. But until then, she tanks around on her forehand, bulges the right side of her neck against the rein, and gets very heavy in the rein. It's been going on for a couple of months now, and while we're usually able to ride through it, we haven't gotten to the end of the problem, which makes me wonder how much of it is stubborness and how much may possibly stem from physical causes. Maybe she's “stuck” in the jaw/poll/shoulder/hip, and could benefit from some body work from Laurie.
I get in the tack and feel like I'm committing the gamut of riding sins. I'm too stiff, I lack an independent seat, my hands are too hard, I lack sensitivity, the timing of my aids is off, I punish too quickly, I reward too stingily—you get the picture. I rode very poorly on Tuesday night, I let frustration get the best of me and it came out in my riding. Any capacity for patience that I'd developed over the past couple of years had been worn away. I felt very discouraged. and thought long and hard the rest of the evening about what I was doing up there. I have no one to blame but myself—I let myself go over the summer, I was content to let everyone else ride while I dealt with stress and burn out, and now I'm trying to scrape myself together again. Unfortunately, Clover bears the brunt of my actions.
Last night's ride was much better attitude-wise for me—it was still frustrating in the submission department, but my trainer said that it's just a stage of the process, and at least Clover was less argumentative than the night before. But where she was less resistant and heavy in the rein, she was also not coming through to the aids, either, which is the next step between leaning on the hands and being light while maintaining the circle of aids. Thankfully we're riding Novice C in our final outings, which is very basic and I can focus on the quality of the gaits and transitions without worrying about new movements. Maybe I've gotten over the burnout hump and am ready for the next phase. Maybe if I get my seat back over the off season I can think about moving up to Training later next season. I don't know. Competing is still stressful and expensive, but some part of me would like to be comfortable with the Training heights and speeds.
We have a jumping lesson tonight, I'm just going to focus on riding forward to the fences, staying off Clover's back, not jumping ahead, and riding in between the fences—just try to keep my wits about me and focus.
Emma wound up taking Clover to the second Kingsbury. My grandmother passed away, and I didn't compete again until UNH fall.
I've been getting ready for Kingsbury this weekend, mostly by working on flatwork. I'm puzzled and frustrated by Clover's unwillingness to stop bracing and give in on the left side of her poll/jaw. Whether Emma or I get on, she resists giving in until either of us has had it out with her, then she goes just fine, even very nicely at times. But until then, she tanks around on her forehand, bulges the right side of her neck against the rein, and gets very heavy in the rein. It's been going on for a couple of months now, and while we're usually able to ride through it, we haven't gotten to the end of the problem, which makes me wonder how much of it is stubborness and how much may possibly stem from physical causes. Maybe she's “stuck” in the jaw/poll/shoulder/hip, and could benefit from some body work from Laurie.
I get in the tack and feel like I'm committing the gamut of riding sins. I'm too stiff, I lack an independent seat, my hands are too hard, I lack sensitivity, the timing of my aids is off, I punish too quickly, I reward too stingily—you get the picture. I rode very poorly on Tuesday night, I let frustration get the best of me and it came out in my riding. Any capacity for patience that I'd developed over the past couple of years had been worn away. I felt very discouraged. and thought long and hard the rest of the evening about what I was doing up there. I have no one to blame but myself—I let myself go over the summer, I was content to let everyone else ride while I dealt with stress and burn out, and now I'm trying to scrape myself together again. Unfortunately, Clover bears the brunt of my actions.
Last night's ride was much better attitude-wise for me—it was still frustrating in the submission department, but my trainer said that it's just a stage of the process, and at least Clover was less argumentative than the night before. But where she was less resistant and heavy in the rein, she was also not coming through to the aids, either, which is the next step between leaning on the hands and being light while maintaining the circle of aids. Thankfully we're riding Novice C in our final outings, which is very basic and I can focus on the quality of the gaits and transitions without worrying about new movements. Maybe I've gotten over the burnout hump and am ready for the next phase. Maybe if I get my seat back over the off season I can think about moving up to Training later next season. I don't know. Competing is still stressful and expensive, but some part of me would like to be comfortable with the Training heights and speeds.
We have a jumping lesson tonight, I'm just going to focus on riding forward to the fences, staying off Clover's back, not jumping ahead, and riding in between the fences—just try to keep my wits about me and focus.
Emma wound up taking Clover to the second Kingsbury. My grandmother passed away, and I didn't compete again until UNH fall.
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