Balancing the Energy.




Random filler photo.
Mmmm slow cooker cinnamon buns I made.

Last night I was able to steal Mish-mosh away from her family for a couple hours so we could have a ride together. Of which have been far and few in between lately since our schedules seriously clash.


I flatly have refused to replace my 'tried and tested' riding buddy so I told her I would disown her if she did not get her butt in gear. But I threatened her with the idea of possible replacements for good measure, jokes. :P


We met up in the now dark, both feeling around blindly for our ponies.
I thought myself lucky that I have a white-ish horse, so surely I could find her. Eckham... not so much.
However, dear Paloma found me after I foolishly trekked out in the muck sopped paddocks in my Crocs and in turn lost my left shoe in my travels, sucked off from the deep mud. Damn you rain!
Normally, Paloma will stand soldier and watch me coming, this time I think she felt bad for her night-blind momma losing her shoe.




Forty minutes later....


I was hopping on my still dull, dust coated mare, thinking I did a terrible job of grooming when I noticed how brown her poll still was, but hey at least I got the chunks out...
We warmed up as usual but really focusing on maintaining a nice forward walk, over tracking if we must to really set the idea that saddle time means work time, no lolly-gagging evasions.


My most recently learned quirk about Paloma, and likely many other horses, is that she won't use her haunches unless you make her and somehow she still finds a way to make things happen that shouldn't happen unless you've got butt. An appy quirk!


One area that I have noticed a huge difference when I do manage to get the haunches engaged is in our shoulder in. Rather than feeling like I am riding down into the dirt, I feel like I am being lifted up from behind and on a mission. Lovely feeling when it happens, though maintaining it is another battle in it's own.




I incorporated a few new exercises that I have read about in my Creative Dressage book, that are supposed to give more incentive for the horse to step under as the task will then become easier to perform.
There were several different variations of this main exercise but the jist of it was going large, coming out of the corner, trot or canter a volte, being sure to instill inside leg to 'receiving' outside hand and not too much bend that you lose the shoulder. (I liked the term receiving). Coming off the volte, keep the inside leg/outside rein connection but allow the energy to flow forward just a bit to encourage straightness across the diagonal. Looking for that steady, slightly pulling, pressure on both reins to ensure we are generating from the haunches, flowing through the body, and recycling back to the haunches. Then, reaching the wall again, another volte.


The variations of this exercise encouraged transitions to toughen the exercise and to assist when you lose connection with the haunch. Ie; transitioning to canter for the volte then back to trot or walk. Ie.ie. VERY difficult.
The volte portion seems like it should be fairly simple and a great balance reminder, which it is, but Paloma and I have a nasty habit of over flexing and in turn we lose the outside connection. So, taking note from a dressage lesson a few weeks back instead of increasing the inside bend, I thought a little bit of outside flexion to make sure that inside leg was coming way.. under. It worked fabulously, but it was seriously hard. I haven't broken gait so many times in a ride in a loonngg time!


Moving on from this exercise, I took a tasting of what the exercise had done for Paloma and I.
I noticed right away that my outside connection was much more supple, which is a tricky area for us, and Pal was more motivated to push into the bridle. Except. I was feeling the sheer weight of that new energy.
Need more balance, recycle woman!!


Off we went to work on some quick succession and exaggerated half-halts. More or less almost walking or trotting, and then easing the pressure and pushing forward RIGHT NOW. Not in thirty seconds.




We ended the right with both Paloma and I sweating tears despite the 8*c chill in the air. Truly, a sign that we need more fitness.
*sigh* And all this time I thought we had forward.
I mean the nose reached the end of the arena before the haunches, that's good right?!