Brilliant dressage clinic on Sunday!!

[zoeshiloh]

Well, I have been trying to get a lesson with Ruth Hurst for ages, but she is so booked up at weekends, and I can't do weekdays

Anyway, she was doing a clinic on Sunday in Newmarket (organised by St Eds RC) and I decided to go along.

She was brilliant!! I haven't had a proper lesson for about a year, but she was amazing - I've been having a couple of schooling issues with Ben, and she looked at us, picked up on them, told me what to do different, and wow, what a change!!

Since using the pessoa he has come up off his forehand anyway, and now has a lovely bouncy canter (tended to get a bit deep). He has devloped some lovely muscle, and now just needs riding correctly to improve on that. Ruth helped us no end, and I can't wait to go back in a couple of weeks time!

She also explained diagonals fully to me - now, I have been riding for about 22 years, and although I knew how to ride on the correct diagonal, no one had EVER told me why you should! It makes so much sense now, and I will be super vigilant to continue riding the correct diagonal from now on!

Top marks and thumbs up from me! OH forgot the camera, which is a shame as Ben was going so nicely

 

[Jules19]

Arhh, I wondered if it was you when I saw the names up on the board. I was supposed to do it but the ginger one had a sarcoid off last week and is on 'box rest', otherwise known as a pen in his field to retain sanity! Will be doing the next one hopefully though, maybe will meet you then.

 

[charlie55]

Aw do tell the reason on the diagonal

 

[zoeshiloh]

Jules she was brilliant, I can't recommend enough! I'm hoping she might come up to ours and do some clinics in BSE as we have a 60x30 school and there are a few people at our yard who are interested too, but can't travel their horses for various reasons.

Charlie55 - you rise as the outside leg goes forwards, allowing the horse to take a larger step with their inside hind/outside fore (appparently this allows them to take a stride 2cm longer with that leg). On a circle this obviously makes more sense that when riding in a straight line, but basically it allows the horse to balance themselves easier. Horses that are regularly ridden on the wrong diagonal progressively show signs of lameness (often this is what a lot of people refer to as 'bridle lameness' - ie sound without a rider, but uneven with one). She got me riding the correct diagonal on a small circle, then changing to the wrong one, and it felt so odd and unbalanced! Yet, if you are constantly riding the wrong diagonal you get used to the feeling and don't notice it.