Ralph Dreitzler #2: Black Magic

 Trainer ED was hosting a clinic at her own farm with Ralph (back in November)

Balance is key, Gwyn will tell on me if I'm unbalanced.  If she tries to throw me to the outside, weight the opposite, make her balance herself.

Practice on an exercise ball, sit, lift legs RELAX balance

That damn butt muscle, relax it

Relax your shoulders

Tuck hips EVER so slightly without collapsing shoulders

Steer from hips/pelvic tilt, less is more, shoulders DO NOT follow

Sit back sit back SIT BACK!

Weight in the stirrups + pelvic direction = amazing turns and eventually pirouettes :O  

Breathe, lol

Use the armpit muscle to steer, like holy shit, what... this works?!

Gwyn can do it, Gwyn WANTS to do it. Gwyn is happy when you ride WELL. Happy ears when you get it right/are balanced

Boobs are terrible counterweights, lol

Ralph and I are similar weights :0

She's almost there to being on the bit. It will come as she starts to carry herself. Focus on getting her to carry herself.



I had one or two more lessons with Ralph. One attempt was waylaid by Gwyn still not being sound. It was so frustrating and part of the reason why I just stopped making posts. It was too depressing to open the 'create post' and only think, "Horse is still lame, I lunged her hoping there was a change and there wasn't so I didn't do anything but walk for 10 minutes"

Awful awful.

December Clinic with Ralph

Where I sat in her stall while it was freezing rain and cried because I was breaking my horse (early Jan)

We had our recheck with the vet and got the all clear, however there were moments where things just didn't pan out. Like when I had a lesson the same day as a massage and we just didn't realize because I'm so caught up in craziness at work I didn't realize they were double booked for the same day. 

   

Gwyn sees the vet again tomorrow. She still does hinky things with her hip, several different people have commented on it but noted that it's not lameness but just her dropping her left hip. I suspect it's muscle memory from her compensating for the stifle for so long, but now I'm fucking paranoid. 

We've been doing little except a dressage lesson here and there and lots of trail walking to try and build up her butt strength. 

And buying lots of the ombre line weatherbeeta pads to fill emotional voids

Clearly she's still feeling sassy

Anyway, that's slowly catching me up with you all. I'll get fully back to it at some point.