Zori is a very nice mare; a bit witchy (typical) but very nicely put together, elegant, leggy, and extremely comfortable. the problem? she's a thoroughbred. this works both for and against me. she is very sensitive (plus!) but hard to slow down (minus).
i mounted her gingerly, fairly sure that i'd be taking the spikes off before we got to work, but to my surprise she didn't buck, bolt, jump or even flinch. in fact, they really helped me steer. i have a hard time steering Zori because at Mill Creek, we don't have a bar rein. this means i must loop the reins in one hand, and i have zero leverage to use the reins independently. as such, particularly at the canter, Zori will run through the left rein on the right lead. problem!
 |
| pretty girl |
Vivian trained me today. we went up in the hill arena, a 40mx20m ring overlooking the spread of the stable. it's smaller than a regular dressage ring, but perfectly accommodating. Viv set up a bunch of cones and we went to work on steering with my legs and body. we started with cones set to make one loop shallow serpentines on either longside; starting at the walk, and then the trot. it was difficult at first to get Zori straight, because i tend to turn the second half of the loop into a leg yield since my right side is stronger.
after that, vivian set cones to mark a 20m circle at C, with 2 cones set where i would ride between as if i was entering a dressage test. she told me the entrance in a show ring is one of the hardest moves because staying straight down the centerline is nearly impossible. horses always drift, or bulge to one side if you're not very insistent on straightness. we warmed up doing figure-8s between the markers, and sure enough Zori was all over the place at first! getting her to turn right was so hard, cuz your wrist just doesn't give the leverage needed to tilt her head that way. it was a lot of, "right shoulder back, Elle!" "right leg on," "right seatbone shift to the right, but don't get too unbalanced!" "right shoulder back further but don't collapse your ribcage."
riding is more mental than any of you ever thought!
once vivian was satisfied with my figure-8s, we proceeded to simulate a test entry. again, straightness on the centerline was iffy at first. but Zori's sensitivity off the leg really helped because she responded easily to my shift in weight and very slight pressure from my left leg.
canter work intimidated me. i've experienced Zori's speediness several times, with no spurs, and also steering issues at the canter. but we went to it, and to my relief, she didn't rush, even on the longsides. she stayed very collected and round. the steering to the right was a disaster. we cantered once around the perimeter, and then i was instructed to execute a 20m circle at A. instead, we continued sweetly on past A, then K, then E, without so much as an inclination to circle, even though i was furiously trying. poor Zor just couldn't understand wht i was asking of her. the fact that the reins slip right through my grasp didn't help my cause.
 |
| bar reins. this is what i desperately need! |
in the end, when i figured out how to exaggerate my body position toward the right, we accomplished a few good circles. the best part of the lesson were my perfectly executed canter transitions, even on a straightaway, always picking up the correct lead, even from a walk. it was like a one step move every time. perfection!
then we discussed my next show coming up in March, and viv said she's going to pull all the Training Level tests for us to perfect, as well as 1st Level 1 to school. if i'm good enough by March, i could compete at Level 1, which is ideal. until then, i SERIOUSLY need to get a bar rein from this tack place in the UK; there aren't sufficient adaptive tack suppliers in the U.S. unfortunately! so i'll be saving up to get a pair, because otherwise i can't work on more important things if my steering is shoddy! i'll leave you all with this quote from a sign over the tackroom at MC, which will give you a better idea of the life of an equestrian:
"Riding is the art of keeping a horse between you and the ground."
ENOUGH SAID!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment