On Sunday I got to ride in a dressage clinic hosted at our barn with Shelley Malbeuf, which was the best thing ever.
She really was fantastic and Shawn behaved himself nicely!
It was interesting riding for a different trainer, but learned a lot:
-keep hands wider apart
-get more bend in the corners of the ring
-don't lean at the canter
-sit the downward transitions from the canter
K's hoping to get her back in February for another clinic, but I might be to broke to go that one too. But it's given me a lot to work on and I'm excited about hopefully getting some dressage lessons from K once uni is done for the year.
Showing posts with label Shawn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shawn. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
Back to riding!
Finally got back to the barn after a very long week!
Last Thursday with Kokanne was...disappointing, to say the least. Can't be to upset with him I suppose, the lines on their own were really good, but we had a tight roll back turn to the right and he just couldn't do that. No matter what we changed over the line and the turn, it was to hard for him. He's not a show jumper and he never will be, he's not athletic enough to do the turns because he has some scare tissue on one hip (which is also why he has a super weird canter), so it's the hunter ring for him. It's just frustrating when your like 3-4 strides out from the jump and you can feel him stiffen and you know no matter what you try to do he won't make it over (or even try). Stuff like that always makes me feel like such a bad rider even if there's nothing to be done about it because it physically isn't possible.
I rode Shawn yesterday and he was pretty good over all. A couple run outs and some not so nice jumps but that's because we didn't have enough canter. The lines over all where really good, and he has such great form over them (most of the time) and it makes it more noticeable what I need to work on; better core and keeping leg still over the jump. K has some big dressage trainer she used to ride with coming up to the barn to do a clinic, which would be an awesome experience, but we'll see, I don't really have a dressage appropriate horses to really make the clinic worth it... So we'll see but I can't decide, its kind of expensive to do without Rocky. He's not the dressage horse either, but better than Kokanne or Roxy I would think.
Last Thursday with Kokanne was...disappointing, to say the least. Can't be to upset with him I suppose, the lines on their own were really good, but we had a tight roll back turn to the right and he just couldn't do that. No matter what we changed over the line and the turn, it was to hard for him. He's not a show jumper and he never will be, he's not athletic enough to do the turns because he has some scare tissue on one hip (which is also why he has a super weird canter), so it's the hunter ring for him. It's just frustrating when your like 3-4 strides out from the jump and you can feel him stiffen and you know no matter what you try to do he won't make it over (or even try). Stuff like that always makes me feel like such a bad rider even if there's nothing to be done about it because it physically isn't possible.
I rode Shawn yesterday and he was pretty good over all. A couple run outs and some not so nice jumps but that's because we didn't have enough canter. The lines over all where really good, and he has such great form over them (most of the time) and it makes it more noticeable what I need to work on; better core and keeping leg still over the jump. K has some big dressage trainer she used to ride with coming up to the barn to do a clinic, which would be an awesome experience, but we'll see, I don't really have a dressage appropriate horses to really make the clinic worth it... So we'll see but I can't decide, its kind of expensive to do without Rocky. He's not the dressage horse either, but better than Kokanne or Roxy I would think.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Shawn!
Had a lesson with Shawn on Saturday, it was decent, but the jumping part didn't start out so great.
Shawn does a fair bit of dressage and so we had more of a dressage-esq warm up which I really liked, so I'm still planning on talking to K soonish to see if it would be possible to start doing more of that. He can bridle up but it takes a fair bit of work to do it and you have to work up to it more than with Zander and Pony. But with Shawn it's actually the coolest feeling! I don't remember actually being able to feel either Pony or Zanders' whole frame adjust to the bridling up, Shawn, it actually feels like he's shrugging his shoulders. So that was interesting. I like actually being able to feel when things are right or wrong, otherwise how would I know when its a free ride? Most of the time I can feel the wrong canter lead, but the correct posting diagonal has always been a bit lost on me, even after all this time. It's a bit sad, isn't it?
We also practiced upward and downward transitions and halting square, which he mostly did quite well. Not always up into the canter, sometimes he got that really annoying rushy trot that we get in trouble for having.
Jumping: we did really well over all, but the first couple times on the circle to the white vertical he ran out. Probably because I looked at it? That and there was no distance one time. After that he was miles better! He really likes the long rein and the longer release but it's not so hard to remember on him because I really don't want to pull on his mouth when he tries so hard to be so brave. Not that I'd ever want to pull on their mouths, but you know what I mean.
Then we did the same bending and straight lines as last week with Kokanne. The first time bending away from home was really awkward because he chipped to make 8 rather than 7, but he's not a horse that likes to take off long, so it was understandable and we made it over and left the jump standing.
However, he almost had a 6 up the straight! I didn't see that distance so I'm happy he didn't take it, but it's exciting that he was going well enough and maybe almost had enough passion do actually do it. Still it I think it's better for him to add the extra strides and make it over than have him losing confidence in himself if something happened.
Another lesson on Thursday, probably Kokanne?
My French partner wanted to meet up then so we could work on our oral exam but I told him to stuff it because the last time I cancelled a lesson for him he couldn't be bothered to show up. Besides, better get it written tomorrow and Wednesday so it can just be over with. Uni is not what I thought, and at this point I feel that everyone who said it was the greatest time of their life, either lied or just had super boring lives (cause mine was sooo exciting...).
PS. Don't you like the new header and background?! I'm hoping to find a better picture of me and Pony for the background, but they are all on my computer at home, so that won't be fixed until the weekend. But I think it's quite fitting! Would be better if I still had Pony, then we would all be mad, rather than just me! All the horse seem quiet stable so far, well Rocky had his moments I guess. Just not the same though.
Oh I got to see him on the weekend too! Only brought him in for a brush, but better than nothing. He was so cute! He's insanly fuzzy now too! When I went out to get him he did his little snort/whinny thing, but I don't know if it was because a.)he recognized me as the person who brought him food that morning b.)he recognized me not because of the food or c.) he was just happy to have someone come and give him attention...
I like to think B is the correct answer.
Shawn does a fair bit of dressage and so we had more of a dressage-esq warm up which I really liked, so I'm still planning on talking to K soonish to see if it would be possible to start doing more of that. He can bridle up but it takes a fair bit of work to do it and you have to work up to it more than with Zander and Pony. But with Shawn it's actually the coolest feeling! I don't remember actually being able to feel either Pony or Zanders' whole frame adjust to the bridling up, Shawn, it actually feels like he's shrugging his shoulders. So that was interesting. I like actually being able to feel when things are right or wrong, otherwise how would I know when its a free ride? Most of the time I can feel the wrong canter lead, but the correct posting diagonal has always been a bit lost on me, even after all this time. It's a bit sad, isn't it?
We also practiced upward and downward transitions and halting square, which he mostly did quite well. Not always up into the canter, sometimes he got that really annoying rushy trot that we get in trouble for having.
Jumping: we did really well over all, but the first couple times on the circle to the white vertical he ran out. Probably because I looked at it? That and there was no distance one time. After that he was miles better! He really likes the long rein and the longer release but it's not so hard to remember on him because I really don't want to pull on his mouth when he tries so hard to be so brave. Not that I'd ever want to pull on their mouths, but you know what I mean.
Then we did the same bending and straight lines as last week with Kokanne. The first time bending away from home was really awkward because he chipped to make 8 rather than 7, but he's not a horse that likes to take off long, so it was understandable and we made it over and left the jump standing.
However, he almost had a 6 up the straight! I didn't see that distance so I'm happy he didn't take it, but it's exciting that he was going well enough and maybe almost had enough passion do actually do it. Still it I think it's better for him to add the extra strides and make it over than have him losing confidence in himself if something happened.
Another lesson on Thursday, probably Kokanne?
My French partner wanted to meet up then so we could work on our oral exam but I told him to stuff it because the last time I cancelled a lesson for him he couldn't be bothered to show up. Besides, better get it written tomorrow and Wednesday so it can just be over with. Uni is not what I thought, and at this point I feel that everyone who said it was the greatest time of their life, either lied or just had super boring lives (cause mine was sooo exciting...).
PS. Don't you like the new header and background?! I'm hoping to find a better picture of me and Pony for the background, but they are all on my computer at home, so that won't be fixed until the weekend. But I think it's quite fitting! Would be better if I still had Pony, then we would all be mad, rather than just me! All the horse seem quiet stable so far, well Rocky had his moments I guess. Just not the same though.
Oh I got to see him on the weekend too! Only brought him in for a brush, but better than nothing. He was so cute! He's insanly fuzzy now too! When I went out to get him he did his little snort/whinny thing, but I don't know if it was because a.)he recognized me as the person who brought him food that morning b.)he recognized me not because of the food or c.) he was just happy to have someone come and give him attention...
I like to think B is the correct answer.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Unnecessary Excitment.
Well despite all my whining about the cold, it really wasn't so bad. Except when I went to take out one of the mares from the barn and put her outside. Because of the ice and snow, one of the big barn doors makes weird squealy sounds, and when I took this mare outside and turned around to close the door, I clearly hadn't been holding on to the rope tightly enough because the door made its spooky noise, and off she went! Like actually just took off down the side of the barn between it and the mare pens, for a minute she stopped to sniff noises with a couple others and I was like oh thank god she's stopped! Not for long, she took off again down the side of this pen and up and down the track behind the pens. Eventually she settled down and K got hold of her rope and she was safely in her pen after a max. of 10 minutes.
I got to ride my friends mums horse today, Shawn. He's such a sweety, like actually he's the kindest horse you could ever imagine. He tries so hard, but at the same time he's got a few devious habites. If you have to much inside rein he will always break from a canter to a trot, and he does things to try and get you to shorten that rein too.
We did the same course as Thursday, and he did sooo well!! K was saying he wasn't taught to jump at a young age so he's not the bravest horse and if he has a lot of time to think about the jump he'll start to doubt himself and will wiggly or cheap or stop. But we only had one run out and it was the 2nd jump in the four stride because I didn't use enough outside leg he stuck to the wall so we jumped a bit weird and then when we got to the second jump the angle was just to steep for him. And we chipped to the very first jump but that had a lot to do with him getting wiggly and doubtful because of the long canter up to it. But he tries so hard, he's awesome.
Still have no idea what will be happening next week, theres a few people coming back who want to start leasing so that's probably going to change things, but K said she might want me to ride one of the new horses. His owner's super new to owning a horse and fairly new to riding and the horse is quite fat so she really wants other people riding him to make sure he gets everything he needs and he's such a cute horse! He's really obnoxious in the barn and standing at the mounting block, but once they get going he's so good! But this whole "wait and see" buissness, is getting a bit old.
I got to ride my friends mums horse today, Shawn. He's such a sweety, like actually he's the kindest horse you could ever imagine. He tries so hard, but at the same time he's got a few devious habites. If you have to much inside rein he will always break from a canter to a trot, and he does things to try and get you to shorten that rein too.
We did the same course as Thursday, and he did sooo well!! K was saying he wasn't taught to jump at a young age so he's not the bravest horse and if he has a lot of time to think about the jump he'll start to doubt himself and will wiggly or cheap or stop. But we only had one run out and it was the 2nd jump in the four stride because I didn't use enough outside leg he stuck to the wall so we jumped a bit weird and then when we got to the second jump the angle was just to steep for him. And we chipped to the very first jump but that had a lot to do with him getting wiggly and doubtful because of the long canter up to it. But he tries so hard, he's awesome.
Still have no idea what will be happening next week, theres a few people coming back who want to start leasing so that's probably going to change things, but K said she might want me to ride one of the new horses. His owner's super new to owning a horse and fairly new to riding and the horse is quite fat so she really wants other people riding him to make sure he gets everything he needs and he's such a cute horse! He's really obnoxious in the barn and standing at the mounting block, but once they get going he's so good! But this whole "wait and see" buissness, is getting a bit old.
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