The Mushy Center

 It is ironic that in the winter bloggers write very little because very little is happening. In the warmer months, they also write less because they are very busy with all the things happening.  Or maybe that is just me.  Anyway, I am behind updating you on all that is happening with the horses. 

Carmen: you should go check that out Quaid. I'm 
right behind you. 

Last week I had two lessons with Jane. She's been very busy and, with one thing and another, I haven't had many lessons so far. Fortunately, she was able to accommodate me have back to back lessons on Quaid and Carmen on Friday the 16th.  Spoiler alert: both were excellent. It was a warm day with a mix of ominous clouds and blue sky. 

With Quaid, Jane was very pleased with our progress. She zeroed right in on me collapsing through the middle and not giving him enough support. In trying to be soft and fluid, I ended up collapsing my centre and not providing him enough stability to find his balance underneath of me. We did a lot of transitions at all three gaits and I was to be like a tree trunk not (my words not hers) 'a sack of mashed potatoes'. 

It was great to feel how stabilising myself allowed me to be clearer in my aids. Unfortunately, I had set the Pivo up wrong and I had zero video. You'll have to settle for this photo of a warm and tired Quaid: 

oh that face. 

Then it was Carmen's turn. And she came out loaded for bear. I was stupid, contact was stupid, half-halts were stupid and Jane could go to hell. Now, in all honesty, at some point every spring Carmen gets like this. What part is due to hormones and what part is due to being on grass I'm not sure. In previous years that usually meant spooks, spins,  bolts and generally intimidating behaviours. But I'm a better/stronger rider now so those I shut down pretty damn fast (the mantra's come in handy too). 

when the sky and the mare's mood match

Jane's approach was to keep my rein and half-halts and not let her pull the reins out of my hands or duck behind the contact. She told me don't try to make her light. Not because she didn't want Carmen to be light, (that is the ultimate goal) but because it was false. She wasn't taking the contact she was hiding and then couldn't really be in balance or on her hind legs.  I remember when I realised that a horse could be slow and behind the leg and also fast and behind the leg. I'm realising it's the same with contact. A horse can be heavy and not accepting contact, and light and not accepting contact. I don't know if this makes sense to anyone but me but there you have it.  

But it's a struggle for me. Because a heavy contact feels really wrong and like I'm being harsh. Yet when I looked at the video it didn't look like I was wrestling her or that she was in distress. Pissed, yes. Distressed, no. I was disappointed to see how collapsed I was in my middle so I've been trying to sit up better in my rides.  

This was a hard lesson. Physically I mean. I, again, found myself, collapsing through my middle and trying to hold with my hands. Which is not correct. I needed to take some firmness in my core and then I'm not just relying on my arms (hello centred riding).  It was also great timing for the lesson because it stopped me from backing off and instead we worked through it to have some really amazing work at the end.  Jane said that it was some of the best canter we have done. From there we worked on walk-canter-walk transitions that were actually half-decent.  And Carmen was no longer in a rage but actually working. 

leg actually reaching under and not just sprawling forward

I've been trying to get a video clip to upload but my iPhone is being really contrary so I gave up. Just trust me. It was great. Since those lessons, I've been trying to stay aware of what my core is doing and not let it be mushy.