Thursday Schooling Rides

  

Highboy was looking dapper in his new green dressage pad with a new green beaded browband.  I'm also pleased with how the kinesiotape helped with lengthening his right hind's stride during this ride.

 

Long video of his warmup, then another long video of practicing leg yields at the walk.  It can be a little tedious to watch, but it helps me tremendously to see myself riding and "coach" myself at the next ride with things I need to change in my own position.  Like today I had an "ah-ha!" when I was asking Highboy to shorten his stride a bit at the canter and then sit more in our 10m canter circles.  I needed to sit much deeper in the saddle to get him to "sit" with his hind end.  I also needed to turn and direct my shoulders and center into a smaller circle to get him to bend sufficiently that he could physically maneuver his big body into the 10m size.

Daisy got a ride today in preparation for a riding lesson in which I'll need to use her tomorrow.  She was great - like she'd had no time off at all.  We worked in her lesson hackamore, which is basically just a noseband with rings on it for reins.  She has such great jump form, largely because she's never been restricted by tack.

 

As usual, Rizzo was helping.  She assisted with Ferriana's schooling ride, too, jumping just ahead of Ferriana so she'd know which jumps to do.

Ferriana was sporting some new jewelry, too.  I've decided to take photos of the browbands and saddle pads.  They are definitely my guilty pleasure, and I think I'd like more photographic documentation when I stumble upon a coordinated ensemble.
 

I'm really pleased with how Ferriana figured out this grid.  It's four low verticals, set at bounce (no stride) distances.  Each of the jumps is about nine feet away from the next, so she lands and then immediately takes off again.  If you look closely you can see Rizzo leading the way through this exercise as well.  This grid is teaching Ferriana to jump more accurately, just at the height presented to her.  Big overjumping efforts make for fun photos, but aren't practical and can be dangerous on cross country.  So these gymnastics help her to realize that smaller efforts are still sufficient, easier, and necessary to get the striding right for the next takeoff.  I also have her jump it from both directions, but riding it towards the corner of the arena makes her slow down and think.  She doesn't know which direction I'll have her turn at the end until we're in the air over the yellow, or if I'll have her just halt in the corner without turning at all.  It's all about teaching her to think instead of just power through.