pics double whammy-CS lesson report and Bruce reunited..

Prince33Sp4rkle

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clever boys this weekend...

have really concentrated this week on trying to keep hands forward thinking and DOWN with thumbs on top, as have felt recently that me and the horse are propping each other up a bit, both bracing just a smidge and neither of us in true self carrige! i find this super hard for several reasons, not least my nerve dmamage but also because of CS huge long shoulders and neck-i genuinely feel its impossible for me to get my hands in to teh area i want, because im just so far away from it!!! i *could* take my hands further forward but i think it would mean id have straight arms and elbows held a long way from my body, thus less stable????

trainer feels its more important to keep hands down and thumbs up, than to obsess over having them forward, and sure enough, neck looks (and felt) much softer, and everything more fluid than before, so that is the continued mission. also, if i can get my core a bit more upright, hands will be an inch further forward by virtue of that alone, so that is a side shoot mission too!!!

lateral work feels much more established, now got to be braver and ride the HP more forward and set it up by powering out the corner and then taking the 1/4's across-feel im sitting a bit better and thus am now getting a better reaction to the lateral aids, so really chuffed with that.

think this pic shows what i mean about his shoulders:
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reins look long (even taking in to account the stretching) but if you put me on a horse without freak shoulders (!) they wouldnt look so long???? or am i making excuses??? as a side note-i love his ears in that pic!!!

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hands lower here, but thumbs not under control, but i think neck looks relaxed?
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drawing back on inside hand in shoulder in , think if i could give a smidge on outside and allow the shoulder round, it would eliminate this-something to experiment with, as think i might have become a bit bracey on the outside rein, going this way???
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medium-thumbs on top, hurrah! im slouching but at least neck is staying out:
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HP-awful hands but trying hard to not fall over to the outside, and def getting a better reaction to my leg, and this is his harder way too :)
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other way, ass view!
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thumbs nearly on top! nice soft neck:
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counter canter:
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and finally....BOING...change!!!
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so not perfect by any stretch, but im staying out his face better and it looks better for that, i think? (if you've wondered where this new obsession has come from, i saw some distinctly un-flattering pics of myself last week,nothing like that horror to poke you in to action eh!)

and then, ssssssssh, no one tell Bruce, but he might have a party in his diary! so thought id hop on him once a week and give him a tune up, being as he last competed about 6 years ago, and sis-crash test dummy, also competed last a bout 6 years ago!!!

just a stretchy sesh, to get him swinging again:

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flexy bendy Bru, to un-lock that fat little neck!
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he does have to be worked quite deep, always has, to get him to *give* you his neck, or else he will happily block you and charge off like a tank, and yes, saddle is half way up his neck! am hoping as waistline declines, saddle will stay put better! (it has been checked BTW!)
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unicorn tail!
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(just clarify, that is roaning on his bum, not mud!!!lol!!!! he has peculiar roan patches appear when clipped and later in the winter gets tiger stripes on his front legs!!!)

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finished up with some walk P's to make him think, he's far too cocky and to him leg on in walk MUST mean piaffe, which is sadly not going to gain him many points at elem!!!
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good boy Brucey bonus!
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quite like him in brown?! its CS's but think i might treat him to the new eskadron brown/turquoise colours.

love my boys :)
 
Bruce is so lovely :) I love love love his tail! its my aim to grow Rowan's like that lol :P
CS is gorgeous as always ;) You can see in the medium pic how huge his shoulder is! I just wish I could sit up and straight like you! I'm really struggling with it atm :S
 
I think you are being hard on your self :) Picture four looks brilliant and your back is lovely and straight!
In all the photos CS looks relaxed and soft, with no tension. He looks calm and happy and I can't wait to see him compete next year!

Bruce is a beauty too let me know where and when his party is :)
 
yes Bruce is ID x TB, but his neck and waistline are def the ID part lol, in fact i think only his brain is TB!!!

he's off to do some trailblazers with sis at vale view, so nice and local, 4th and/or 11th dec and if he's a good boy and they qual for the 2nd rounds iv promised him the amerigo patent double bridle!!!!

need to put myself on the rack and stretch my arms lol!!!
 
lovely pics as always and i think you always look like you have a great position - you are just refining the tiny bits now! his neck looks so soft and lovely. Well done. I find I get something fixed in my position only to find something else! With me its my random lower left leg (dont know what it does!!!) and my right hand !
 
I still love Bruce and want him. Very nice pics - where is your hat you naughty girl? If you were on the same yard as me I would giving you a mega hard time. Lovely matchy matchy for both.
 
As though anyone might think you'd ride a horse with mud on it!!! Pigs would fly first :)

CS is looking great, especially like the medium pic. And he has nice relaxed/concentraing ears in every shot.

Lucky Bruce going to a party, can't wait for the report!
 
bedlam-im not looking for comments re hats/no hat. nothing you say will change what i do on my own property, so if you dont have anything constructive to add ref my position, please dont comment further.

thank you all, i was relived/pleased to see better relaxation in these pics, such a miniscule diff from me=huge improvement from him, so if i can make more of an improvement in the hands he should find it even easier, so what im trying to say in a round about way, is that thank god my thoughts were half way right lol!!!

am going to do my weekly Bruce ride minus stirrups i think.
 
I love reading your reports, CS looks better and better every time you post :D

Can I ask what exercise rug that is in the pics? It looks like it comes down quite far and covers the stifle area? My horse is recovering from a stifle injury and cold/damp weather seems to make the stifle worse for some reason, so I'm after a nice exercise rug that covers that area and keeps it nice and warm. :)
 
Well i think you look fab...both horses going really nicely and if I could do what you can i`d be giving myself lots of pats on the back and smiling like a twit :)

Dont know which horse i prefer more!!
 
its a thermatex quarter sheet and i love it, would def reccomend them :)

thanks all, its starting to feel a lot easier for CS now, can put the lateral work together and it flows from one part to the next more now.
and it will be interesting to see if Bruce gets his party head back on straight away or if he's a bit fresh!!!!!!
 
bedlam-im not looking for comments re hats/no hat. nothing you say will change what i do on my own property, so if you dont have anything constructive to add ref my position, please dont comment further.





But I DO have something constructive to say about your position. I much prefer the way you look on the bay. Both beautiful horses and going really nicely by the looks of things, but there's just something a bit lacking when you ride the grey........not sure I can quite put my finger on it though.

Not sure anybody else has put much constructive criticism regarding your position though - mostly how lovely your horses are and what a good rider you are. Which I happen to broadly agree with. Must be lovely for you to hear.
 
im sorry, i dont at all get your point.....you dont like the fact that i dont wear a hat or you dont like the fact that people mostly seem to think im doing an ok job?

perhaps not on this thread, but in the past iv had some really helpful hints and ideas, and this thread has generated 3 pm's full of helpful stuff to tweak the things i find hard, so please dont for one moment think i just want "cute horse" type comments, i can take the *******ings with the rest of it. what i dont want is comments on the hat. i chose not to wear one, and dont wear one on either horse at home.end of.

i work very hard (2 jobs) to train very hard, with horses not bred or broken for this job, but the tone of your post isnt very pleasant at all and im not sure why. do i know you in real life?????

confused.com.
 
Not sure anybody else has put much constructive criticism regarding your position though - mostly how lovely your horses are and what a good rider you are. Which I happen to broadly agree with. Must be lovely for you to hear.

Spot on with the good rider, in fact no...good rider is an under statement. Excellent rider is more constructive if we are criticising :) There's not many people I know who could sit on the bay horse when he's tense before a test, I've seen it once and don't need to see it again to know the rider is excellent.

I certainly don't mind telling someone they are good when they are and if you read all the points she wrote you will see she's seeking more advice? :)
 
But I DO have something constructive to say about your position. I much prefer the way you look on the bay. Both beautiful horses and going really nicely by the looks of things, but there's just something a bit lacking when you ride the grey........not sure I can quite put my finger on it though.

Not sure anybody else has put much constructive criticism regarding your position though - mostly how lovely your horses are and what a good rider you are. Which I happen to broadly agree with. Must be lovely for you to hear.

What a strange, and rather rude, post... :confused:.

Fwiw PS, I agree that you look more comfortable on CS (legs a bit far forward on Bruce, maybe?), but your hands look in a better position on Bruce, I think, so maybe you're right - could be down to CS' loooong neck and shoulders??
 
agree Nutkin-hands *feel* in same position (ie same amount of stretch from shoulders) on both horses, but look better on B. think legs shoot forward because he's such a chubby monkey at mo, but am also not convinced about the saddle and once he's fittened up to a better degree will be getting it checked, and long term i want to swap it for an Innova like CS.
 
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