We show at HHP in Edinburgh this Saturday - no ride time yet - this will most likely be our last show of 2012. Octoberfest and CAF shows in October conflict with Regionals in KY (daughter will be showing in KY). CAF has a November show - but I hate cold and battle Raynaud's syndrome. So, one more time at Intro C for this year.
How will we do? No clue as of today! Riva has been quite the 5 yr old, mare, green bean, diva the past few rides. She is one happy camper when we work on the galloping tract - but not so much in the dressage arena. When asked to work with contact in trot, she likes to avoid by cantering. When brought back to trot and asked again, she will kick out, buck, etc until she finally gives up? and gets with the program. Exhausting and back wretching, to say the least.
Alexis came out to give me a lesson yesterday and saw what I was dealing with. Time for a trainer ride! After some impressive bucks and attitude (of which Alexis can handle much better than her old mom), Diva became the nice sweet willing mare that she can be. It is like a switch has to flip and then the attitude is gone. Maybe when she turns 6 that switch will stay flipped - one can only hope.
We worked on a new exercise - Lex would have us trot in shoulder in on the quarter line half way down the long side, then ride across the diagonal to the opposite quarter line - changing the bend as we went (thinking leg yield) and repeat down the other side. After a few passes of this exercise, she had me trot a 20 meter circle then go back to the shoulder in / change bend on the diagonal. We ended by working on cantering big then asking for some contact at canter - once she gave to the contact, we did a trot transition.
Took a nice walk out around the pond - galloping track was still muddy from storms that came thru on Friday night. No pictures :( Hubby was re-grading the outdoor dressage arena - in hopes of getting a ride in out there this evening.
8 comments:
"Maybe when she turns 6 the switch will stay flipped"
Sigh...I hoped the same for Lucy and though as a 6yo she was dramatically BETTER than she was as a 3, 4, and 5yo, she still has some residual 'tude. I've heard the magic number is 7. I guess we'll see in January.
And that is why we have trainers. Seriously. So glad Lex is there for you. :)
Good luck this weekend! Austen will be there, I will be at home clinicing with Cathy Jones-Forsberg. I had forgotten that you battle Reynauds as well, I will make sure to pass along any new tricks I figure out this winter! I am already having problems, I honestly find the first cool days of fall worse than the cold days of winter for some reason.
Thanks Jen! Have a great time at your clinic. I know what you mean about fall...already wearing my gloves every morning on the drive to work!
Wishing you the best for this weekend. Enjoy and breathe!
Kate mentions that 7 is the magic #. I didn't know that, but my horse turned 7 this year and he is sooo much better than when he was younger. He didn't buck like your horse, but he just didn't want to work and would find endless ways to avoid it. Also, he was much harder to control.
Anyway, it sounds like you are doing great. Good luck at the show!
I like that new exercise! I'll have to try it on some of my horses.
Looking forward to seeing you at the show, I hope to find time to say hi to you and the diva and maybe even watch your test(s). (:
-Sarah
Wow, never heard of Raynaud's. Sheesh! I hope yours isn't too severe and doesn't bother you.
I may be paranoid, but how long has she been acting up at the trot? Seems weird to me that she's only acting up in trot, but has no problem cantering. Have you checked for soreness and saddle fit? I hope it's just attitude, but a lot of the time attitude means pain, so might be worth checking into.
Good luck at your last show!!
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