Hey everyone!
Not much has been going on lately. We have officially relocated to our indoor arena for the winter, and while it may bore the heck out of anyone, the situation is tailored for my dressage needs. We need to be able to be supple and loose in small spaces. Right now my strategy is to do some extreme bending exercises because Red is so stiff in the jaw. By bending him in a ton at the walk and keeping him on the track with my leg, it makes him wake up to my leg aids and also get him loose. Then, all the kinks are worked out at the walk before I even trot.
Another technique I have been working on is the ever popular going forward technique. When the horse is going forward at just the right pace, while your contact is extremely light, the horse will stay on the bit and all you have to do is hold your hands still and keep him going forward. Sounds easy right? Wrong. First they have to respect your leg which, for my horse, is like trying to learn Japanese from infomercials. My leg aids have become so blunt that there is no response. This brings us back to what I mentioned earlier about the bending exercises.
As for the canter- not even started. I have to master the walk and trot before I even make a canter departure. While this process is gradual, it will make my dressage 1000 times better for next year. The bad part is, Red has to relearn from years of unused leg aids and incorrect hands, so I guess I shot myself in the foot on that one. Oh well, at least there's something to do. I heard a quote once that said "There is no greater bore than perfection", and I'm sure then that I won't be bored for the rest my life in this business.
I guess that's all to report- I'm sure you'll hear when we make a major breakthrough!
Andy
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