Feedback Loop: Lesson Recap

 I realise that the blog has been a bit heavy on the Quaid side of things. Not that I'm choosing favourites, it's just felt like he has a lot more going on while Carmen has been just been super steady and fun. 

I had a lesson last Sunday and it was Carmen's turn. In an ideal world I'd have a lesson on both of them each week (assuming that there's room in the day)  but, alas, the bank account is not bottomless so I alternate. 

I'm going to apologise for the media showing Carmen being really dirty. Normally I'd give her a quick wash before the lesson but we are in the middle of a bad drought and conserving water. I save the water now for the post ride rinse.  

the grass is pretty dead so I've been putting out hay

I had Carmen groomed and tacked up about 15 minutes before the lesson was to start. This gives me time for setting up my Pivo and warming her up. Carmen has been a ton of fun to ride these days. We get on, warm up, go to work and are done. There's little to no drama and when there is drama it's pretty short lived.  I've been playing with a new thing on my warm up which is to keep the reins loopy/no contact and let her walk while I work on regulating the pace and steering with my seat. It's getting better and I love that while she could take full advantage of this she chooses not to.  I'm not crazy though, if she feels really explosive I will pick up the reins. Here's a short video:  You'll see that I do pick up a rein if I need it but drop it right after. 

It makes me feel closer to my dream of riding with just a neck rope. And, even if I never get there, it's way better than the feeling that I had to have total control otherwise everything dissolved into chaos. 

We had a nice flow going when Jane showed up to begin the lesson. It was one of those nit-picky, detail oriented lessons that I love. Jane has been working on me learning to push the hind legs under but not allow the pace to speed up. Honestly, it's hard. Carmen's response to go faster makes total sense and I don't want to fall into the crank and spank error. That will piss her off in a hurry (and rightly so). 

The lesson was awesome. Carmen was right there trying her heart out and any errors were because of miscommunication or her doing what worked in the past. At the walk we worked on rhythm and alignment. Carmen really wants to look outside the ring and I've been guilty of not being insistent enough for the inside flexion. 

We worked on some halt-walk-halt transitions without letting her change the flexion and throw her head up. It required a half-halt in the transition, not a hold nor a giving away the rein. 

Then we went to some trot work. 

warming up, not quite tracking up but I'm really
happy with my alignment and hers. 

I've been working on a soft seat and it's really starting to pay off. I am noticing sooner when I tighten through my pelvis/thigh/knee but I'm not yet solid to prevent it. 

Carmen: trit-trot

I do like this moment, she's stepping under, her nose
is in front of the vertical, her forehand looks light
and I'm looking where we're going

Jane pointed out that she's going really well and I'm riding so much better. I agree and it's become a total feedback loop. The better I ride, the better she goes and the better she goes the better I ride. It's such a cool feeling to find my seat solid in the saddle and not flopping. Her rhythm is so much better.  Whenever Jane would remind me to soften my groin, she would immediately soften too. It was neat to see/feel. 

We finished up with some canter work. Unfortunately, my phone ran out of storage so the Pivo quit videoing. It's so annoying to not have video of it because it was really good. We started on the right lead, which has been our nemesis in the past. But it's so much more balanced now. I've been doing a lot of canter in our schooling, playing with transitions along the long side and it's really paying off. As is her responding to my seat to lengthen and shorten her stride.  Jane was super impressed with the improvement in her canter.  

She pointed out that she did not have to get after me to let go of the inside rein (yay!).  We did some counter canter serpentines (right lead canter circle at one end, ride the middle loop in counter canter (a left circle) and back to right circle. Then I had to a full circle of counter canter. It was hard. A few times she dropped out of canter and switched leads. But it was because I wasn't cuing her. Instead, I became passive and Carmen was 'okay, this is wrong, I'm just gonna fix it, 'kay? There, that's better'.  But when I kept my outside leg on she was able to do it.  We finished with some left lead canter and counter canter and it was exactly the same issues (me), but honestly it was such good work. 

The whole lesson was fantastic. 

Jane  'it was the best I've seen you ride' 

Me 'but that was last week' 

Jane: "I know. And you're better again'. 

I mean I know I'm riding better. I can feel it and my horses are going better. My homework is to continue to work on flexion and lateral suppleness, riding with my seat and balancing her. I'm going to end this post with a cute video from our trot work. I love how rhythmical it's become. Near the end Jane tells me to soften my seat and when I do Carmen completely half-halts and then stops. Jane laughs and says now we know what was tight! and I call Carmen a snitch (but laughing). See how pleased with herself she looks.