oldie48
Well-Known Member
Just got home from a 5 day intensive dressage course at AM and we are both exhausted! The plan for the course was twofold, work on the movements in M61 with a view to riding through it by the end of the week and build both my confidence and Mr B's confidence in riding in company as we have a "bit of a thing" about warm up arenas which is severely hampering our ability to compete.
If you saw the novice test I posted up some months ago, which was tentative and a bit like watching paint dry, you will appreciate that tackling M61 was a big ask but at least I was not required to do sitting trot. Well I rode through it twice on Wednesday, did decent half passes in canter and trot, got good medium trots and canters and actually managed to go from med canter to collected trot at the marker! Completely muffed the walk/ canter trans on the long side and the 10 m circle consisted of a 15 m half circle and 10 m one joined together. But I was so chuffed with Mr B as he listened, didn't try to take over and let me ride him. I cannot believe the progress we have made over the past six months.
working in company is still something we both find stressful but the team at AM has been brilliant at building things up slowly so by the end of the week I was trotting past other horses coming towards us. We still have a way to go and I think he'll always have a tendency to whip round if he feels trapped but I am feeling more confident that it is something I can learn to deal with by keeping him more focused on me. Milliepops is also doing great work at helping to build his confidence in company.
Brilliant week and cannot speak highly enough of the team at AM. I worked with Justine Sole and she gets me doing things that I didn't think I was capable of, she doesn't over complicate things and her way of tackling the half pass, was just so easy to follow! Every session ended on a high note with lots of laughs along the way. I can't wait to go back!
If you saw the novice test I posted up some months ago, which was tentative and a bit like watching paint dry, you will appreciate that tackling M61 was a big ask but at least I was not required to do sitting trot. Well I rode through it twice on Wednesday, did decent half passes in canter and trot, got good medium trots and canters and actually managed to go from med canter to collected trot at the marker! Completely muffed the walk/ canter trans on the long side and the 10 m circle consisted of a 15 m half circle and 10 m one joined together. But I was so chuffed with Mr B as he listened, didn't try to take over and let me ride him. I cannot believe the progress we have made over the past six months.
working in company is still something we both find stressful but the team at AM has been brilliant at building things up slowly so by the end of the week I was trotting past other horses coming towards us. We still have a way to go and I think he'll always have a tendency to whip round if he feels trapped but I am feeling more confident that it is something I can learn to deal with by keeping him more focused on me. Milliepops is also doing great work at helping to build his confidence in company.
Brilliant week and cannot speak highly enough of the team at AM. I worked with Justine Sole and she gets me doing things that I didn't think I was capable of, she doesn't over complicate things and her way of tackling the half pass, was just so easy to follow! Every session ended on a high note with lots of laughs along the way. I can't wait to go back!
