Dressage Lesson! Recap so I'll remember my notes

I had my second dressage lesson today. I happily skipped out of work early, which made my drive SO much nicer to get home, picked up grain since I was low, and got home and got ready. I'd already packed the trailer the night before. The only thing I needed to load was the horse. I was super nervous, for some reason. I'm not sure why. Gwyn loaded well and we were off!

She was really calm at the farm and we were greeted enthusiastically by the GP horse who was still coming off his rehab. All the horses were in (at 4:15pm) but he has a window out and lords over his domain. I groomed and tacked up at the trailer, rather than in the cross ties with all the new horses. The weather was SUPER NICE.  Low 80s and not humid with a breeze.

On our way to the lesson

We started in the outdoor arena with lots of bending to get her to reach into contact and to work on me making sure that I was supporting her correctly and riding more off my seat and getting into a steady, one-two rhythm. She really wanted to rush around so my first plan of attack was getting into less of a rushed movement and more of a dressage quality trot (lol) that wasn't so much on the forehand. And for that I did a LOT of circles and serpentines focusing on her bend.

Her walk is excellent. She's a loosey goosey horse and that translates to a swinging walk. We just need to contain the loosey goosey-ness in trot and canter.

Trainer wants me working on the inner track, rather than the outer track, even at home, so not right at the rail, which gives me room to move her body and bend. I should keep my whip in my right hand since that's the side she likes to blow through and think about turning her shoulders. It's almost like I want her to neck rein. So if she feels the right rein on her neck she's turning left.  My hands need to be low to block her right shoulder from having an out and I need to have strong right leg as well. My tendency is to raise my right rein and that leaves her shoulder open for her to wiggle through. This holds for all gaits but  especially at the trot and canter. If she ignores those aids in a turn left, tap the shoulder with the whip. I want to create almost a hypersensitivity to moving her off those aids. Think spinning western reiner.

Dressage court with no sides. Challenging for exactly the right reasons!

With the canter, again keeping her on the inner track to give her room to bend and be pushed out, start with a quality trot before asking for canter. Circle to really connect the outside rein. Ask quietly. I ask quietly on the trail and on xcountry, I should be doing the same in the arena. Gwyn is a forward horse already, I don't need to add to the forwardness. And with that, outside leg back and inside leg pushes her out into the outside rein. Tap with the whip. She does MUCH better if I let her use the long side (I notice this at home as well) because she can balance in the straight away instead of feeling like she's falling in (because she is) on a circle.

I feel like I really just need a giant arena to do HUGE canter loops in to practice this. I should see if that exists anywhere. Otherwise I should be practicing asking for the canter on the trail and in fields and making sure I'm getting both leads. She is better balanced when on the right lead and will prefer the right lead even if we're going left. At this point, don't worry about leads when asking, reward for a quiet transition or attempt.

The cantering wore her out though, lol, so we finished by working on some stretchy trot (more serpentines!) back in the outside court. Again, not on the outer track, but the inner, and then if she's not reaching into the contact as I switch bend through the large serpentine, to circle and get that contact back. I really wish my arena at home was big enough for a large three loop serpentine. I can get a figure 8 at best. It's so short :/

Tuckered Goober Pony ready to go home and get a bath.

Anyway, did I mention riding her shoulders and body, not her head? I think I did, but I'm saying it again because I think it's pretty key to getting the feel in my head of how I should be riding her which translates to my body doing it correctly, lol.

And I really need to figure out exercises off horse to strengthen my legs. Are exercise ball squeezes a thing? Is there a resistance ball I can squeeze with my whole leg?

Anyway, I untacked and loaded her quickly. Since we're not far from home I figured I'd get the sweat and grime off there. She got a hosing and then a liniment bath since I think her SI was starting to bother her by the end. Trainer noticed that she was starting to short stride when we moved back out to the deep sand court. So we will need another adjustment and I'll keep up with her adequan doses until the course is finished (only 2 more). Chiro is likely going to become another regular expense until she can build up the muscling to protect that joint.

Hugs for Saffron, bestest donkey ever