Re-establishing Foundations

This is an example of the arena dust that graces my tack despite how much I clean.
Now we are shedding... I am admitting defeat.

I am so sorry everyone for being so inconsistent and boring with my posts as of late. Life has been, to say the least, interesting. But that is a story for another post.

Luckily, I have still been able to get my hiney to the barn just the same but I have found my motivation to be waning lately. Which is so odd since the weather is progressively getting better!
If I could curse this would be a good place for a 'what the **** comment', but I will not waiver from my resolution!


I will recap my rides as they went.

Last Thursday.... Pretty sad that it has taken me a week to blog this...
Michelle joined me at the barn for a little jump school after Pal and my fail last Tuesday over the oxer. I am bound and determined to school oxers more now that we have painted a true picture of what happens when you don't practice. Eep!
The ride went very well. Pal, again, was sticky off my leg, so I came packing a dressage whip today. You know the saying... when you march into battle don't forget your sword!
The little tune-up was well worth the discomfort I feel holding a whip in my left hand. I honestly do not know what it is but swapping the whip right to left when we swap directions is the most uncomfortable thing! I never have issues navigating it or holding the whip in my right but left... all coordination is out the window and my hand cramps.
Anyways... Pal was nice and loose after this and was really sitting which was great. Today, the oxer posed no problems, though I did notice I was doing something a little funky with my hands over the fence.
I am partial to crest releases for Pal, and typically long at that. I just feel it invites her to use her neck more. With the slight pressure of my hands resting on her neck and the slack on the rein, it is great for horses who like to jump flat. Thankfully, it is starting to really help now that we are on to larger fences. But for some reason this day, I felt the need to lift my hands and keep a connection with her mouth in my release. I don't know how it looked but it felt I was doing this...
Ah well... just add it to the never ending list of 'equi-fix it's'.





I know this person is grabbing mane, but this is what my hands
were doing. Ugh.

Sunday...
After going to my niece's 1st birthday party and watching her shampoo her body in cake. (Exhibit 1256 as to why I am never having children.) Ha. I headed to the barn by my lonesome, :(, and decided to work on my leg over poles and teensy x's sans stirrups. I was dedicating today's workout to me, while Pal got to lumber along tolerating. Good pony.
After warming up over poles and the small x's I realized another addition to my 'equi fix it's' list. Pal is really relying on me for proper hoof placement through canter poles. I have to half halt and hand pick the spots otherwise she picks long and breaks through the poles.

Dropping my stirrups and running through the small fences proved my leg isn't lacking as much as I thought. I am guessing my few days of lower leg swinging must have been from soreness or lack of circulation with the cold weather. Or at least I hope it is over...
While I was a bit sore and didn't love enduring her canter without stirrups, I found my leg was quite tight and secure. None the less, I am going to make it my goal to do more without stirrups and closing my eyes to develop more feel.



Tuesday...
Last night was a pretty fun ride.
I really didn't have much motivation, yet again... but this was quickly changed with a funny 'Pal moment'.
Now that the time has changed when I ride about 5-6pm the sun is setting at the back of the arena just past the paddocks which encircle the arena. This causes shadows to be cast on the tarp arena walls.
Today, the cooky arab, which is in the paddock right outside the arena, decided it was dinner time and spent 20 minutes spooking and sprinting back and forth. Of course, Pal can hear her... although she is used to her crazy ways but the addition of the freaky giant worthy horse shadow into the mix was just too much for her brain to process. So we spent those twenty minutes spooking but if we were spooking, it was going to be on my terms. Though, I have to say, any excuse Pal gives me that she is stiff and cannot figure out her hooves is proven to be a joke now.  She can half pass, shoulder-in, haunches in/out with the best of them. I enjoyed this a bit too much I think.

After our beans were exhausted, we had a pretty good ride and are really starting to have some good canter moments and canter-walk transitions. Woot!
One thing I have to take away from this ride though, I really have to work on keeping my eyes UP! and not allowing my body to cave forwards.
While we were working on shoulder in's and transitions within the gate, I felt we were having some trouble so I made a point to look up to where I wanted to be, instantly problem solved. After nit-picking the differences, I came to the conclusion that since I have been riding alone so long, I have a habit of watching Pal's reactions rather than feeling them. This has been causing my shoulders/body to drop forward and put more weight on her front end, making it THAT much harder to lift her own shoulders. Total ah-hah moment of a bad habit. *sigh*

By the end of the ride, Pal was so soft and round it was heaven to ride her. My position felt so natural rather than fighting a tide. I proclaimed to myself that 'this' is what I am striving for in my rides. Anyone else ever have these feelings?