milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
Got an email from my mother last night: "I hope you had a nice rest over the bank holiday."
...erm, nope, resting is for wimps!
Started out with a lesson with Kira on Friday. I was really looking forward to it because (a) the last one was cancelled as trainer had the lurgy, and (b) I had 2 friends tagging along so I could get some video!
Trying to nudge Kira up from being an elementary horse that can go sideways & do a change, to a horse that is really working Advanced Medium, with the associated increase in engagement, responsiveness, balance etc. At home we've done a lot of work on infrontofthelegness, answering the aid immediately rather than whatever the welsh version of mañana is
Plus lots of work on being adjustable - accepting the compression required in collection without just having a meltdown. I feel like we're getting there so it was so nice to see on the video
Started out looking at the trot work - getting her to tuck her hindlegs underneath and then stay engaged when ridden forward into a more working trot. This makes her feel much more uphill - quite an ask with those short front legs! Then we did the same thing in canter - a short canter that is quick off the ground, moving into a bigger canter that stays engaged and balanced. Alternating between the 2, little look at the changes and half passes while we were at it.
trot (sorry can't embed them all, will only let you do 3!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uRE8-Ss1fM
canter
[video=youtube;G4B2YCgtoCk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4B2YCgtoCk[/video]
I don't have a lot of early video but this was her third time in the school, in Oct 2014
This footage doesn't *quite* illustrate how awful the canter was, but I think she's quite a different ride now
[video=youtube_share;futSBh9TSr4]https://youtu.be/futSBh9TSr4?t=1m50s[/video]
Top cob!
Saturday was Millie's first "proper" showing outing, for a SSADL veteran class. Ohhh, how weird it feels being a numpty again. There were RIHS qualifiers in the morning so the lorry park was full of people who Do Showing Properly and there was I, trying to pull myself together in my bodged tack & grubby dressage breeches.
Miscalculated the timing - when it said the afternoon classes would start after 2, I didn't expect them to mean after 3.30... so Millie and I were a little bit switched off by the time we went into the ring as they had closed the warm up arena to run the inhand classes in there. Another error, I lined up so I was last to do an individual show which meant she was *really* switched off when it was our turn, plus I didn't really ride very well so we fluffed it a bit. However, still placed 2nd overall and the first place had already qualified, so we are through to second rounds. I was also given a talent spotting card thingy which seems to let us through to another show in the autumn... I'll figure this all out at some point. Apparently I should have picked up a sash for that (a sash!! They are like gold dust in dressage land!) but being a newb I didn't know. Ho hum.
spoils
Link to pro pic https://www.facebook.com/HAPPAMilli...838185953388/1389182047785663/?type=3&theater
I had hoped to do another class but as it was getting so late I had to just dash home to get to Hartpury for the gala evening
Useful day out though, I feel like I learnt a few things which we can apply to the next show next weekend - Veteran Horse Society spring festival - good to not be going in there completely clueless! We're booked onto a TSR showing clinic but it's not til the 5th May so we will just muddle along until then
Sunday was a day of hacking and riding other people's horses...
Monday! and a trip out for Kira to a long arena, for us to run through a freestyle floorplan. It's one I had for another horse but I thought I'd see if she could do it, to save me the brainache of devising another one. I tinkered with the music a bit on Sunday so Monday was the debut. Sadly no video, i was all set up on the tripod but the damn thing turned itself off. I could have wept after an hour of practicing what is a slightly challenging floorplan... but that's life!
Her canter speed is a tad slower than the last horse so whereas the original plan was to have 2 lots of simple changes, there's really only time for 1 set... the others will have to be flying changes or we'll run over time. Which means Kira will be dancing at Advanced Medium :eek3:
pooped cob
This is more than a little frightening, there is no nice safe bronze section at AM music, not even Silver, it's gold or bust apparently :eek3: Nevertheless, at least one leg is thrust into the brave pants, and we are entered for Burrows Court next week. Trying to schedule another practice later this week so we will be a little more prepared.
After that revelation, I should have just gone home and put my feet up as i was more than a little weary (having also been teaching and ridden YOs horse over the weekend), but Millie had been in the box all day and needed a run so I cleared the school a bit and decided to have a bit of fun. She's feeling really well and we've been having a laugh teaching each other tempi changes. It's been the best thing for her rehab from surgery last year, it was apparent at last vet check that there were still some adhesions catching now and then but doing loads of canter work has just helped so much, she is totally sound.
Just for giggles, we had 4 twos in the rain yesterday afternoon - only second attempt at this so I'm really pleased with her & can overlook the wobble. Having to react this fast has really helped with the 3s and 4s, which are now almost rideable :lol: and looking more through, and it's also made me ride in a more committed way. I've booked her in for a lesson next month with the trainer who gave me the idea... hoping she will be more established and I'll have stopped leaping up her neck Had a little go at a canter zig zag which had me in fits of giggles as too much to coordinate, but after a few attempts we were nearly there. Life in the old dog yet.
[video=youtube;vAxxJ_C0p3Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAxxJ_C0p3Q[/video]
...erm, nope, resting is for wimps!
Started out with a lesson with Kira on Friday. I was really looking forward to it because (a) the last one was cancelled as trainer had the lurgy, and (b) I had 2 friends tagging along so I could get some video!
Trying to nudge Kira up from being an elementary horse that can go sideways & do a change, to a horse that is really working Advanced Medium, with the associated increase in engagement, responsiveness, balance etc. At home we've done a lot of work on infrontofthelegness, answering the aid immediately rather than whatever the welsh version of mañana is
Plus lots of work on being adjustable - accepting the compression required in collection without just having a meltdown. I feel like we're getting there so it was so nice to see on the video Started out looking at the trot work - getting her to tuck her hindlegs underneath and then stay engaged when ridden forward into a more working trot. This makes her feel much more uphill - quite an ask with those short front legs! Then we did the same thing in canter - a short canter that is quick off the ground, moving into a bigger canter that stays engaged and balanced. Alternating between the 2, little look at the changes and half passes while we were at it.
trot (sorry can't embed them all, will only let you do 3!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uRE8-Ss1fM
canter
[video=youtube;G4B2YCgtoCk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4B2YCgtoCk[/video]
I don't have a lot of early video but this was her third time in the school, in Oct 2014
This footage doesn't *quite* illustrate how awful the canter was, but I think she's quite a different ride now
[video=youtube_share;futSBh9TSr4]https://youtu.be/futSBh9TSr4?t=1m50s[/video]
Top cob!
Saturday was Millie's first "proper" showing outing, for a SSADL veteran class. Ohhh, how weird it feels being a numpty again. There were RIHS qualifiers in the morning so the lorry park was full of people who Do Showing Properly and there was I, trying to pull myself together in my bodged tack & grubby dressage breeches.
Miscalculated the timing - when it said the afternoon classes would start after 2, I didn't expect them to mean after 3.30... so Millie and I were a little bit switched off by the time we went into the ring as they had closed the warm up arena to run the inhand classes in there. Another error, I lined up so I was last to do an individual show which meant she was *really* switched off when it was our turn, plus I didn't really ride very well so we fluffed it a bit. However, still placed 2nd overall and the first place had already qualified, so we are through to second rounds. I was also given a talent spotting card thingy which seems to let us through to another show in the autumn... I'll figure this all out at some point. Apparently I should have picked up a sash for that (a sash!! They are like gold dust in dressage land!) but being a newb I didn't know. Ho hum.
spoils
Link to pro pic https://www.facebook.com/HAPPAMilli...838185953388/1389182047785663/?type=3&theater
I had hoped to do another class but as it was getting so late I had to just dash home to get to Hartpury for the gala evening
Useful day out though, I feel like I learnt a few things which we can apply to the next show next weekend - Veteran Horse Society spring festival - good to not be going in there completely clueless! We're booked onto a TSR showing clinic but it's not til the 5th May so we will just muddle along until then
Sunday was a day of hacking and riding other people's horses...
Monday! and a trip out for Kira to a long arena, for us to run through a freestyle floorplan. It's one I had for another horse but I thought I'd see if she could do it, to save me the brainache of devising another one. I tinkered with the music a bit on Sunday so Monday was the debut. Sadly no video, i was all set up on the tripod but the damn thing turned itself off. I could have wept after an hour of practicing what is a slightly challenging floorplan... but that's life!
Her canter speed is a tad slower than the last horse so whereas the original plan was to have 2 lots of simple changes, there's really only time for 1 set... the others will have to be flying changes or we'll run over time. Which means Kira will be dancing at Advanced Medium :eek3:
pooped cob
This is more than a little frightening, there is no nice safe bronze section at AM music, not even Silver, it's gold or bust apparently :eek3: Nevertheless, at least one leg is thrust into the brave pants, and we are entered for Burrows Court next week. Trying to schedule another practice later this week so we will be a little more prepared.
After that revelation, I should have just gone home and put my feet up as i was more than a little weary (having also been teaching and ridden YOs horse over the weekend), but Millie had been in the box all day and needed a run
so I cleared the school a bit and decided to have a bit of fun. She's feeling really well and we've been having a laugh teaching each other tempi changes. It's been the best thing for her rehab from surgery last year, it was apparent at last vet check that there were still some adhesions catching now and then but doing loads of canter work has just helped so much, she is totally sound. Just for giggles, we had 4 twos in the rain yesterday afternoon - only second attempt at this so I'm really pleased with her & can overlook the wobble. Having to react this fast has really helped with the 3s and 4s, which are now almost rideable :lol: and looking more through, and it's also made me ride in a more committed way. I've booked her in for a lesson next month with the trainer who gave me the idea... hoping she will be more established and I'll have stopped leaping up her neck
Had a little go at a canter zig zag which had me in fits of giggles as too much to coordinate, but after a few attempts we were nearly there. Life in the old dog yet.[video=youtube;vAxxJ_C0p3Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAxxJ_C0p3Q[/video]
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