HufflyPuffly
Well-Known Member
Team carriage horse have had a lovely four day weekend, in fact I rather think every week should be just three days work to four days off :lol:.
Dressage training has been going pretty fabulously, well for one of the team anyway :rolleyes3:.
Skylla is beyond offended, after a pretty fab lesson the other week, I've had my ass kicked and we are being firm but fair. Skylla says it's not fair, she doesn't want to do it and she absolutely will NOT bend left :mad3:. She went hacking yesterday and demonstrated lovely soft left bending :lol:, funny how she forgets that she cannot do it when doing something she likes
. Young horses are so much fun lol, her canter - trot transitions are pretty blooming fab at the moment now her back end is engaged, and she feels immense (especially her canter which has been very difficult!) so if you look the other way when pouting happens she is going well really :lol:.
She is booked in for a saddle check mind, so lets see if I get the smug Skylla who says see I wasn't being sulky I just needed a new saddle.
Looking very grown up these days:
Well maybe not :lol:
So with a sulky Skylla, we need one behaving so Topaz had come up trumps!
She went out last weekend to do M75 and AM85, clocking up two overall wins
, and is just being completely fab at the moment 
. I think it's because she's finally allowed to bounce, so shes happy as a pig in mud, well actually she likes mud too...
Di Breeze clinic yesterday and went straight into the the trot work to start. Di was very pleased with the quality, even our ‘normal’ trot is so many notches up from where we were, bouncing people, it is ALL about the bouncing.
Keep the neck and therefore the shoulders up to increase the expression and swing. Work from passage to medium, medium is getting there... We can nail all the individual elements of extensions, so clear big over track, neck/ frame lengthening and a good powerful rhythm. Just missing the front legs to flick still :rolleyes3: we shall keep going as we get moments when using the whip, just need to keep trying to explain what we need as she is trying so hard but honestly just doesn't understand what we want.
Was super duper proud as we also had a peek at the half steps and Topaz was so grown up, really letting me collect the walk, tap and contain her, once the penny drops with her she tries so so hard for me. Previously she's just got too hot about it and went straight into levade, so very pleased that all the baby, baby half joggy and now walk bits have worked, it really gives you faith in your training when you get to that next stage .
Into canter and I have to make sure it is forward and not too on the spot. Looked at the half-passes, need to get the quarters over and maintain the jump! Then some changes, right to left good, left to right late behind booo. Di was lovely and did say they are getting closer and we did get a couple that were better. I think it is just a symptom of her left canter being weaker, so homework is set .
Finished with pirouette work, need to get the back up so neck down for this bit (is it me or is it as soon as you figure one thing out you have to change it again ), get my ass over to the left and tuck my inside leg in to get the tummy up. Really felt those flashes of what we need, to make it great and stop her getting too het up about it.
It all felt amazing and a whole new level from where we were, chuffed to bits!!!!
Looking less fat?
Some vids of us playing at home the other day, and yes it wasn't snowing or raining on us :eek3:.
The trot work improves every time I get on her, she really, really loves passage lol, just building up her strength before asking more as I think it would be easy to over do it with her. Glimmer of extension at the end, slowly slowly catchy monkey and all that, maybe when we're at GP we might be there :lol:.
[video=youtube_share;b9C81N5S3cM]https://youtu.be/b9C81N5S3cM[/video]
Canter and changes, had my wrist slapped so I will be riding it more forward! I think as our school is quite small I have made the canter small to try and fit more in, but she needs to be more forward to get the hind legs more active and get the jump. Changes are still a work in progress but I'm pleased she's at the stage where I can think about putting them together, and she's not taking over quite as much!
[video=youtube_share;qVoCMvOTYxM]https://youtu.be/qVoCMvOTYxM[/video]
Loads still to improve on, especially the changes and canter, but I always like watching other 'not perfect' examples and following other peoples journeys so here's ours warts and all.
Thanks for reading, I'd offer you Easter eggs but they're all mine.
Oh and just so people don't think I've swapped Topaz for a sensible doppelganger here are the outtakes of when pirouettes go bad (I wanted pirouettes, Topaz wanted to do changes, guess who won :lol
Dressage training has been going pretty fabulously, well for one of the team anyway :rolleyes3:.
Skylla is beyond offended, after a pretty fab lesson the other week, I've had my ass kicked and we are being firm but fair. Skylla says it's not fair, she doesn't want to do it and she absolutely will NOT bend left :mad3:. She went hacking yesterday and demonstrated lovely soft left bending :lol:, funny how she forgets that she cannot do it when doing something she likes
. Young horses are so much fun lol, her canter - trot transitions are pretty blooming fab at the moment now her back end is engaged, and she feels immense (especially her canter which has been very difficult!) so if you look the other way when pouting happens she is going well really :lol:. She is booked in for a saddle check mind, so lets see if I get the smug Skylla who says see I wasn't being sulky I just needed a new saddle
.Looking very grown up these days:
Well maybe not :lol:
So with a sulky Skylla, we need one behaving so Topaz had come up trumps!
She went out last weekend to do M75 and AM85, clocking up two overall wins
, and is just being completely fab at the moment . I think it's because she's finally allowed to bounce, so shes happy as a pig in mud, well actually she likes mud too...Di Breeze clinic yesterday and went straight into the the trot work to start. Di was very pleased with the quality, even our ‘normal’ trot is so many notches up from where we were, bouncing people, it is ALL about the bouncing
.Keep the neck and therefore the shoulders up to increase the expression and swing. Work from passage to medium, medium is getting there... We can nail all the individual elements of extensions, so clear big over track, neck/ frame lengthening and a good powerful rhythm. Just missing the front legs to flick still :rolleyes3: we shall keep going as we get moments when using the whip, just need to keep trying to explain what we need as she is trying so hard but honestly just doesn't understand what we want.
Was super duper proud as we also had a peek at the half steps and Topaz was so grown up, really letting me collect the walk, tap and contain her, once the penny drops with her she tries so so hard for me. Previously she's just got too hot about it and went straight into levade
, so very pleased that all the baby, baby half joggy and now walk bits have worked, it really gives you faith in your training when you get to that next stage .Into canter and I have to make sure it is forward and not too on the spot
. Looked at the half-passes, need to get the quarters over and maintain the jump! Then some changes, right to left good, left to right late behind booo. Di was lovely and did say they are getting closer and we did get a couple that were better. I think it is just a symptom of her left canter being weaker, so homework is set .Finished with pirouette work, need to get the back up so neck down for this bit (is it me or is it as soon as you figure one thing out you have to change it again
), get my ass over to the left and tuck my inside leg in to get the tummy up. Really felt those flashes of what we need, to make it great and stop her getting too het up about it.It all felt amazing and a whole new level from where we were, chuffed to bits!!!!
Looking less fat?
Some vids of us playing at home the other day, and yes it wasn't snowing or raining on us :eek3:
. The trot work improves every time I get on her, she really, really loves passage lol, just building up her strength before asking more as I think it would be easy to over do it with her. Glimmer of extension at the end, slowly slowly catchy monkey and all that, maybe when we're at GP we might be there :lol:
.[video=youtube_share;b9C81N5S3cM]https://youtu.be/b9C81N5S3cM[/video]
Canter and changes, had my wrist slapped so I will be riding it more forward! I think as our school is quite small I have made the canter small to try and fit more in, but she needs to be more forward to get the hind legs more active and get the jump. Changes are still a work in progress but I'm pleased she's at the stage where I can think about putting them together, and she's not taking over quite as much!
[video=youtube_share;qVoCMvOTYxM]https://youtu.be/qVoCMvOTYxM[/video]
Loads still to improve on, especially the changes and canter, but I always like watching other 'not perfect' examples and following other peoples journeys so here's ours warts and all
.Thanks for reading, I'd offer you Easter eggs but they're all mine
.Oh and just so people don't think I've swapped Topaz for a sensible doppelganger here are the outtakes of when pirouettes go bad (I wanted pirouettes, Topaz wanted to do changes, guess who won :lol
