Captivated by the Journey

I can’t believe I haven’t written here in so long!  I guess I’ve been too busy riding both of my mares to have time to write about it! I have been loving my new barn and the training we are receiving.  All of the work has been focused on encouraging the horses to use their backs more – to lift them and swing them, with active and engaged hind legs and a round body posture and lowered relaxed neck.  

With Elena, at first we did a lot of flexing to each side & stretching downward . It used to take her the whole lesson to let go and relax and use her back since she was so used to a higher more braced neck posture. Luckily she had the right idea already and demonstrated it at times but the goal was to get her more consistently supple in her back and reaching down and out for the contact. After awhile, she would start to stretch almost right away and then we could proceed to a bit of more collected work.  Elena has improved her canter work dramatically – much rounder, more collected and balanced, as well as softer and suppler in her back and neck.  She’s also now doing wonderful shoulder-ins and bending leg-yields along the wall.  When my trainer rode her a lot last fall, he had her doing counter canter and simple changes through the walk and beginning haunches in.  Now that winter has set in, the bitter Minnesota cold and longer warm up time has set us back a little but it’s still exciting to see her learning to collect while staying round and soft.  With correct work, she has also discovered her inner fire and is rarely lazy anymore.  While still an opinionated dominant mare, she has mellowed and matured and I continue to learn how best to be her respected leader.

Meanwhile, my other mare Kaleidoscope is now shod on her front feet and is sound at last!  She’s still crooked naturally but regular correct work is really helping her to use her body more evenly from one side to the other.  I’ve also learned that she does better when I sit more than post in the trot and when I am careful to not tip forward. Additionally, she prefers a lighter contact with the reins. She is teaching me how important it is for me to release her tension by not holding too tightly to the reins and rewarding her frequently for good work.  Without this, she has a tendency to rush forwards in her misguided effort to please.  She too has softened in the canter work and is getting better and better at stretching downward and out without losing balance on the forehand. She has given me lovely collected canters and nice steps of shoulder-in and haunches in.  It’s great to be riding her regularly - her sensitivity and anxious nature continues to be an invigorating challenge for me.

I have developed greater steadiness in the sitting trot and better balance in the canter and in the canter transition.  I’m learning how to use my seat to instruct the horse, rather than just to follow the motions of the gaits.  I continue to work on keeping my lower leg further back, my upper body upright, and my hands in the optimal position – all of this in motion with the horse, not a fixed unyielding posture.  I’ve also learned not to nag my horse but to use a small aid and, if necessary, back it up with a big aid.  However I must be vigilant to keep my horse’s focus and roundness with quick small motions of my hands and I’ve learned how to hug the horse with my legs each stride in the canter to encourage impulsion and lift of the back.  Each of my mares brings their own particular needs and preferences and challenges.  They both have so much to teach me!

As always, the journey captivates me. I live for the moments when it all comes together, when I feel true connection and when correct work becomes almost effortless.  Slowly we build the right muscles,  flexibility, and habits. Though I am not by nature a patient person, I see over and over again that perseverance pays off and we are all blossoming!