Monday, March 12, 2012

Dressage Bootcamp time!

So... both Fleck and I seem fine after our "attack on the ground".... hee hee.. Found this and thought of Fleck.
So anyways... today was a Cindy lesson as is tomorrow. We started off okay. But I have to remember it's not about my hands... it's about lifting his back up by riding inside leg to outside rein. But... it didn't take nearly as long to create that nice lifting stride. :) yay!
We worked on getting a nice trot and then worked on the canter some. We had some really nice counter canter loops too :) Yay!! But I MUST not tip forward and keep my butt in the saddle.
We then did another cool exercise... it was a 20 meter circle... canter one fourth of the arc, trot the second arc, then canter the third arc, then canter the fourth arc. BUT.. the key is to get the transition via my seat. It took a few times, but we eventually got it really nicely!
Then we finished with a stretchy circle. And this is where it kinda fell apart. I get so frustrated with the whole ping pong effect. Fleck starts out okay and then he starts running on his forehand. I can't figure out how to slow my seat to help slow him, so I post like a maniac up there.. then I figure it out and slow down, which results in him breaking to the walk. So then I get mad and boot him back into the trot which then means he runs... Sigh... So Cindy pointed out that I need to slow my seat... but keep posting. I'm smart.. I KNOW he's going to over react and walk... but I allow it by stopping the post. So I'm essentially asking him to walk. Doh... I should have known it was my fault. So... if I slow my post... half halt with my core, but then keep my leg on and KEEP POSTING... he almost breaks but doesn't and we get what we aimed for... a slower post. Now to work on stretch and bend while we maintain it. :) But.. it's working.

Yay... hope tomorrow is a good day too!

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