Setbacks

For me, the most disappointing setbacks are those not in training, but in circumstance. On the Saturday just passed, I was entered for a local show. I was really looking forward to it! Lou was doing really well, and I had been working SO hard to make the improvements that I saw needed making since Nationals.
Of course, just to further build my character, she had a fat leg when I pulled her out of the paddock on Friday to wash and plait! grrrrrr. Had obviously banged it in the paddock. Iced and warm poulticed alternately for a couple of hours, but it didn't get better enough for the morning ridden classes. So frustrating!

A couple of days off, it seemed better yesterday so I had a ride. Mainly at the walk but very productive, worked on shoulder in and counter shoulder in transitions, got a beautiful forward fluid walk, and some lovely trot transitions.

Back from the National Show Horse and Pony Show

Totally exhausting yet rewarding week away with horse, child and friends. It really was the show I had been building towards - the two previous recent outings were a warm up and as I had said, gave me confidence that Lou would rise to the occasion. Putting ourselves up for consideration at national level showing was a little nervewracking in that I knew that no matter how much we improved afterwards, I was never going to live it down if she blew up! I know I shouldn't care what people think but hey, I'm human.

The good news is that she was GREAT. Hot and fiery and eyes popping out but overall happy and obedient and FUN to ride. A couple of minor placings but in my world, we won the title! I was just so thrilled that we pulled it off and did it the way I wanted to.

It was inevitable that I was going to be down the line from horses displaying their tension in more 'acceptable' ways - hollow backs, dropping behind the bridle, broken at the crest, open mouths so I wasn't disappointed. If that is what that judge wants - yay them. I'm happy to wait for our time.

There was plenty to see that horrified me, of course. Horses being lunged in what can only be described as rollkur with a drop noseband in the heat (and it was HOT), lame horses being bullied in double bridles, draw reins of course...lots of miserable looking horses and to be honest, miserable looking riders! The only thing that seems to get most of them smiling is a red ribbon or championship sash. How depressing.

Thrills!!

My first outing with Lou was everything I had hoped for! She was quite worried and wired to start with so I did about 30 minutes of in hand work with her, while people rolled their eyes, haha! However it did the trick and on I hopped. She did a bit of spinning and running and gawking at things, but she tried hard to listen to me and all in all, I had a GREAT time with her. It was incredibly rewarding to find that we were able to work through resistances and objections out in public as well as at home in the arena.

I was so, so proud of us both!!!

It was icing on the cake that the judge liked her and awarded her champion. I think this photo says it all!!!

so much...

There seems to be so very much to take in, and I am very aware that I am still paddling in the shallows of the knowledge I seek. Sounds a little trite, but it's all about the concepts, the whys not the hows, as I search out directions. The reality is that I don't have a classical dressage instructor at my doorstep - nor do I have the funds to just throw myself at coaching full on right now. I do, however, trust my own ability to absorb information, and have the patience to try new things without barrelling forwards so fast I miss the details. That doesn't make sense, but I know what I mean, and so far, no one reads this!! So, the internet is a TREASURE CHEST. I search and I read, and I slowly compile a list of people who I can refer to as I go down this path.

This week, I have been SUPER inspired by Manolo Mendez. I first of all found some very practical, informative articles on a site called Ozhorse, and further investigation led me to his own website. He is a beautiful, beautiful rider and I love his message. This is the first thing he has to say, and as every sentence resonates, I have to share it in full.

My style of training places emphasis on a soft, swinging back and making sure all the joints in the hindquarters are moving freely and evenly, making sure we have even diagonals in all paces. I will ask for this before I ask the horse to seek the bit. It is a conscious decision rather than an error of riding on my part. I am encouraging my horse to distribute the weight evenly, to become a partner. I encourage him to be free with his head and neck carriage level with the hip in those early stages of training so his muscles build from strength to strength. The horse learns to relax through the poll and jaw and can carry himself and me with ease.

This early work I use to develop straightness, balance, rhythm, flexion and regularity in all paces -- crucial basic foundations. I encourage the horse in-hand to make use of its entire body.
Before I ask a horse to work, I want to know its history. Has it had problems or an incident that would leave it mistrustful of people and resistant or defensive? If the horse does not like me at the start, I spend time to be a friend. Only when the horse trusts will it work in a positive way being relaxed in body and mind.

I only take the next step when the previous one is well established and the horse is physically and mentally comfortable with the work. Then and only then I ask for more. If the horse becomes confused, the rider must not add to the confusion, instead he takes a full step or half step back and allows the horse to re-establish confidence and balance before progressing to the next step.
I adhere to the principles of traditional dressage and Article 401, which preserves the horse's body instead of wearing it down, and gently nurtures mental growth, so that the physical and mental aspects work in unity.

Many horses today have become so far separated from their essence, or the harmony that comes from the mind and body working in synchronicity, that they suffer needlessly each day of their lives. I witness this damage as part of my work.

I wish to pass on the understanding of the importance of the partnership, the joy of the dance that can be experienced by horse and rider when body and mind are working in a shared partnership. I want people to understand that the horse is an athlete, a partner in dance and as such, should be treated with the greatest respect.
The purpose of such training should be to allow the horse to reach his full potential with his full and willing cooperation and without pushing him beyond his mental and physical abilities.
-Manolo Mendez


His full site can be reached at http://www.manolomendezdressage.com/#!__home

Reading his words today, and a conversation with a young friend of mine (who is hugely suspicious of 'classical' dressage, in fact, any 'quack' idea that deviates from Winning Ribbons - sounds awful, but she is a lovely girl, just young, and I am sure she will one day see the light!!!) led me to watching some You Tube videos. What an amazing resource! I watched, in delight, Klimke's gold medal ride at the Los Angeles Olympics. I enjoyed comparing the jaunty Ahlerich (sp?) with the extravagent, accurate dressage Uber Horses of today. I LOVED that his performance was so different from modern horses. He looks out through his bridle, his eyes are bright. His paces slightly vary at times - his balance and suppleness does not. He appears to be having fun, and I will never tire of his extended canter in that test!!! I compare him to superstars such as Tortilas - who, to my constant amazement, doesn't track up. This boggles me. All the international grand prix horses behind the vertical, poll NOT at the highest point - it is not only insane that this is happening, but insane that the people are are like WHAT THE FUCK are considering the minority.

Improving

Things have been going well, we have trot and canter and despite the surface wound on the hock still healing, the swelling that remains seems to respond well to a workout and her ice boots. So, have been working her! Has been a bit on the quiet side the past few nights as I was unwell myself, but enough to continue feeling positive even though we missed our projected first show on Saturday! Plan B has become a pony club show next Sunday. (Hopefully it stops raining! Forecast to be gloomy for ten days, typical)

Last night had a great, great ride. Starting to get some really nice shoulder in, and working so straight! Lateral bend is getting WAY more automatic, and when I ask for more on her stiff rein, she really tries to give it to me, and there is no head tilting or shoulder bulging to avoid the bend like before. She literally bends into her stiff side as best as she can, which is obviously awesome! Now that we have straightness and bend, am starting to get a really engaged trot, much more toe pointing and elevated than before. Am resisting all desires to try to push more out of her!!! She willingly is going up and down within the pace, and really sits back on her hocks and gives me some turbo at times, so I can be patient for what will come.

While she continues to improve, I feel that although I am def sitting taller and straighter, and my hand and arm position is much better, I have lost the feeling of exactly where my lower leg is. I have been doing some standing trot to check if I am at least aligned which I seem to be... but do suspect that my heels are creeping up again.

Revelations at the walk

Last week, my dear idiotic mare put her back leg through a fence. LUCKILY the damage was minimal compared to what it very easily could have been - rather than shredding and stitches and open gaping wounds, we had mainly bruising and swelling to deal with. A week later and she is sound at the walk, and the swelling seems to go down with a bit of exercise. So I popped the saddle on last night for a 15 minute wander.

It would have been a lovely night to go for a quiet hack - but, alas, the joys of living in a "Rural Residential" zoning, where you take your life into your own hands at the hands of speeding truck drivers by leaving the front gate! I settled for some arena work.

When all you can do is walk, and you don't really want to push a swollen hock with anything lateral or the like, there is LOTS of time to pay attention to things like POSTURE!

It was quite a revelation, playing with and pushing my basic posture at the walk. Slightly tweaking things when I concentrated on individual muscles, paying attention to how things felt when I changed them, and to how Lou noticed.

Upshot was, although my intention was to wander around on a loose rein getting the blood flowing to a swollen hock, that I sat astride the most glorious forward, fluid, silken walk.... I HAD to shorten my reins to meet the frame she rounded into... it was the most fun you can have at a walk, and it seemed awfully unfair that we couldn't test out an upward transition! I'm disproportionately excited about getting on my horse for a walk around the arena tonight!

In pursuit of Losgelassenheit

Over the last couple of days I have been thinking much of, and reading about, calmness. Of the horse that is!

"Calmness is a part of Losgelassenheit, but correctly understood, Losgelassenheit goes far beyond mere calmness. Some well meaning riders make the preservation of the horse's calmness under any circumstances their highest priority. They tend to back off as soon as their horse shows any sign of nervousness or discomfort without investigating thoroughly enough where the reactions are coming from. The horse in turn learns within a matter of days that he is rewarded with a reduction of the demands if he displays any displeasure at the rider's aids. One could say that it is the horse who is then teaching his rider to yield to pressure, rather than the other way around. Loving owners with the best intentions can train their horses to become veritable little monsters this way.." Dr Thomas Ritter

I wish I could pronounce Losgelassenheit so that I could use it more often to describe what I am in search of each time I get on my horse. Not only is it more technically accurate, in context, it allows one to more accurately convey ones understanding of it being a process, a journey, rather than smugly feeling as though I am doing the right thing and others are doing the wrong thing. The subtle difference between working with your horse so that they yield to your request happily and completely and all their energy goes towards their obedient response; and the desire to instill obedience to your demands. Thomas Ritter reminds us that a horse can be obedient without being calm, and they can also be calm without being obedient - Losgelassenheit is where the horse accepts your aids - your seat, your legs, your hands - without question. Classical dressage, in my interpretation, is the commitment to attaining this through an understanding of how your seat influences the horse, the biomechanics of the horse, and the psychology of the horse. A horse is no more dualistic in the connection between mind and body than the human, no matter how many people would like to remove the connection for convenience!

I have so much to learn from here but feel that I am in the best place to start - I have a true 'beginners mind' where I am open to this learning. I also have the confidence and relationship with my horse as I have, through trial and error, muddled my way through with the best intentions, come to this place with both of us ready.