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clinic recap
Aug. 21st, 2007 09:06 amSo my goal for this clinic was to simply be able to canter Trudi away from home. I was planning to ride in the indoor, but a couple of people double-dog dared me to ride outside, so I did. I was worried because there isn't a fence enclosing the arena, but Trudi only looked around and held tension in her body- she didn't really spook or try to run off, so I was very proud of her.
The first day I coldn't get her to relax for much of the ride, and my own nerves brought out old flaws and even new ones. Bent had me go around with my reins dangling, and then had me take them back up, and told me I was riding with my left rein too long, and my right hand too far to the left, which puzzled me because I wasn't crossing over her neck, but he said I was holding my left hand farther out and it was upsetting her balance. Trudi, surprisingly, didn't want to turn left very well at the far end of the arena- normally she doesn't turn as well to the right.
We did do some canter work that wasn't too bad, and that made my day. We blew the right lead once but took it about 3 times, and the canter was a little fast at times but decent overall.
On the second day, I was a lot less nervous and had slept much better the night before. The person that was supposed to go before me didn't arrive at his scheduled time, so I went early, and Peggy and Val saddled Trudi for me. Trudi relaxed earlier in the session and we had some super trot work, just keeping a good connection and doing lots of circles and serpentines. I started to see what Bent meant about my left rein getting too long/right rein getting too short because I would see Trudi's left forefoot come forward farther than the right. We had a walk break, then trotted figure eights, and he had me make the circles smaller and smaller, till we were doing about 10 - 12 meters.
Trudi started getting tired, and we managed some good canter to the left, but we blew our first try at the right lead (Bent: "You know she did that because you lost the left shoulder." D'oh.). She picked it up when I asked again, but was really scrambling and uneven, and when she was uneven at the trot and fussing with her head Bent had us trot a little more till she was good and then quit. Overall it was a much better session though and he said she's really improved in her body and her trot has gotten much bigger.
And I have homework- right lead canter (ah, my nemesis) left rein (henchman for evil right lead canter). I have a couple to assign to myself- like the greatest struggle of them all- fixing my upper body (ok, Bent didn't assign this one, I did), and riding outside (preferably without walls, which give us support).
And here are the pictures. The weather was a little hot, but very beautiful. I'm really proud of my little mare.
The first day I coldn't get her to relax for much of the ride, and my own nerves brought out old flaws and even new ones. Bent had me go around with my reins dangling, and then had me take them back up, and told me I was riding with my left rein too long, and my right hand too far to the left, which puzzled me because I wasn't crossing over her neck, but he said I was holding my left hand farther out and it was upsetting her balance. Trudi, surprisingly, didn't want to turn left very well at the far end of the arena- normally she doesn't turn as well to the right.
We did do some canter work that wasn't too bad, and that made my day. We blew the right lead once but took it about 3 times, and the canter was a little fast at times but decent overall.
On the second day, I was a lot less nervous and had slept much better the night before. The person that was supposed to go before me didn't arrive at his scheduled time, so I went early, and Peggy and Val saddled Trudi for me. Trudi relaxed earlier in the session and we had some super trot work, just keeping a good connection and doing lots of circles and serpentines. I started to see what Bent meant about my left rein getting too long/right rein getting too short because I would see Trudi's left forefoot come forward farther than the right. We had a walk break, then trotted figure eights, and he had me make the circles smaller and smaller, till we were doing about 10 - 12 meters.
Trudi started getting tired, and we managed some good canter to the left, but we blew our first try at the right lead (Bent: "You know she did that because you lost the left shoulder." D'oh.). She picked it up when I asked again, but was really scrambling and uneven, and when she was uneven at the trot and fussing with her head Bent had us trot a little more till she was good and then quit. Overall it was a much better session though and he said she's really improved in her body and her trot has gotten much bigger.
And I have homework- right lead canter (ah, my nemesis) left rein (henchman for evil right lead canter). I have a couple to assign to myself- like the greatest struggle of them all- fixing my upper body (ok, Bent didn't assign this one, I did), and riding outside (preferably without walls, which give us support).
And here are the pictures. The weather was a little hot, but very beautiful. I'm really proud of my little mare.
