Gabrielle
During this lesson we allowed her to get tension out of her
body by moving forward on the straight line following the track of the fence
line in the outdoor arena. Gradually we added ten-meter circles in at the ends
of the arena. The most important message from the lesson is that Gabby must
remain obedient. I find this true in all aspects of her training, that she must
remain attentive at all times and engaged in her work.
Christine emphasized that while working I have the ability
to have my calf on her. With an inability to use the leg, the rider looses
influence over the horse. We worked on using the calf in a secure way, by
applying pressure that she then would yield to. Because we desired relaxation
from this sensitive, hot, mare, Christine made it very clear not to apply the
leg in a kick or a bumping motion, but in squeezes of the calf.
Anytime that Gabby had a distraction that produced a
reaction that took her away from work, I was instructed to keep my hands low
(especially the outside one) and keep my calf on. Christine reminded me of the
importance of the influence the outside rein can have when placed on the
whither. For this reason, I held my strap with the outside hand during the warm
up to ensure the rein was low and steady.
We also worked on the quality of the trot. Christine
constantly reminded me to ride on and more forward into a steady accepting
contact in which the mare then began to relax her neck and back. Working on the
longside and along the track allowed my inside leg to have a positive effect of
engaging the inside hind leg without the outside hind stepping outward,
cultivating an improved connection in the outside rein.
Upon finishing the ride, I was told to continue to push the mare.
In this set of work it is extremely important to maintain quality and
enthusiasm. With the goal of Grand Prix, riders cannot forget this, as the last
movements of the test are an extension and a demanding centerline of passage
and piaffe. If the horse has the tone set from the beginning that they must
exert the same effort that they began with, the final leg of the Grand Prix
test in the future will be that much more successful. Good riding is not just
about riding in the moment to improve the horse, but implementing positive
reactions and ideas that will influence future training.
Adagio
While Adagio was quite on edge for his lesson, the work was
extremely beneficial to gain suppleness, thoroughness, and relaxation. We
immediately began working on a twenty-meter circle at the trot. Using the
outside rein to influence the shoulders in a shoulder in positioning, Christine
had me supple him in the ribcage from my inside leg. On the open apart of the
circle we would rehearse the shoulder in feeling while pushing the haunches to
the outside of the circle with a strong outside rein in the sitting trot, and
on the closed part of the circle in the posting trot we would allow him to
straighten and move on. This allowed him to focus his energy on me, loosing his
back, ribcage, and neck. I could feel as I worked through this and gave the
inside hand that he stretched into the contact and relaxed his back. Working
the lateral work along side transitions within the trot combines to create
great suppleness and attention in a simple way that the horse understands.
In the canter we rehearsed the same exercises, with an
emphasis on the transitions between medium and a more collected canter on the
circle. With a great degree of inside leg on initially, gradually I was able to
gain the suppleness around the inside leg. Adagio then began to release his
back and neck as we worked through the transitions. Going forward and back is
not a matter of obedience for him, but an issue of suppleness. The transitions
exists with or without the proper usage of his body and this is the most
important reason to practice the transitions with an active inside leg from me
to engage the inside of his body to produce the qualities of throughness and
bend.
Then we worked the mediums and extensions down the long side
with ten-meter circles at the end of the long side. The circle encouraged him
to stay through his body and improved the balance of the canter. Also helpful
was the use of shallow leg yields, all for the same ideas, but also to improve
the straightness.
Finishing the ride, Christine has me work on traver on the
circle around her. Taking the throughness of the back and ribcage that we
created with the transitions within the canter, we collected him and gradually
decreased the size of the circle. The most important aspect of this exercise
for me to remember is to keep an active inside leg on for the bend and
engagement. It is not enough to use the outside rein and leg to turn and forget
the inside of the horse’s body. The quality of his pirouette work has improved
greatly over time, and I could really feel a great degree of sitting and
suppleness that was the product of the work previous in the ride.
I loved listening to Christine explain the principles that I
needed to exhibit while riding. She talked much about the quality of all three
gates, making sure that the walk is forward, attentive and marching. That
during all work the rider must have control of the horse’s poll, not in a
dominate way, but that the rider knows what the poll is doing and has the
ability to position it. Not to say that the horse cannot stretch, but that the
rider never looses the ability to have influence, a principle that applies to the horse’s entire body, keeping him attentive,
respectful, and relaxed in work. I cannot wait to improve this week and prepare
for more instruction.
