It's That Simple

This will be a rather dry lesson summary, but we had a few major AHA moments recently that I wanted to get down in writing. 

He's a buckskin these days, poor sunbleached coat...

Goggles and I had a lesson the Thursday before the show in which it became apparent I had not been putting my leg on him as we headed towards jumps. We started out over a small vertical and then did a crossrail oxer bending line to a vertical. Those things went well, but when we went to do the crossrail oxer the other direction with a bending line to a skinny, he ducked out. JT pointed out, rightly so, that I didn't fight for it at all. So we approached again and that time I fought for it, but he had it in his head that he was going to run out. Third try was the charm but JT still stopped us after the jump and told me I needed to add more leg. I told her that I was scared if I added like he was going to launch and buck. Obviously not a good reason to ride with your leg off, but I'm an honest person LOL. I closed my leg. He ate up the last two strides a bit flat but popped boldly over the jump and then landed porpoising and taking off. She shouted at me to stop him, which she later clarified was cheerleading for me to stop him, because I was trying so hard to stop the massive creature as he flailed around. 

We paused and she thought about it but concluded that if she gave me more bit he would be too backed off coming into the fence. I assessed and realized that I'd never truly closed my leg towards a fence with him, so perhaps he was also shocked and surprised by what I had done. This seemed to be the case because the next few times went much better. We put the whole course together which overall went quite well. The first time through he spooked at the dog oxer a little bit, but still went but then was sluggish to the next fence. JT told me to GO FORWARD, which I did, but it felt wildly fast to me. Proving she was right though, the last line, a two stride, went SO MUCH BETTER. We did the dog bending line to the vertical and two stride again and this time I put my leg on to all of it and it flowed much more smoothly. He did sort of barrel downwards in the two stride though and I managed a bit of a whoa in the middle which was much needed. We did the two stride line a couple more times, finally ending on a line through that had me wildly grinning. I closed my leg half halted a bit and holy s*** did the horse jump through the line GREAT. It felt amazing and like the potential we've thought he's been hiding in there.

Post the show, we had a very productive dressage lesson in which connection was explained to me (again). There should be a steady and even connection in both reins at all times. I've been accused, with both Ben and Goggles, of throwing away the inside rein completely when they soften. With Goggles in particular, this will not work. So, say it with me: STEADY AND EVEN CONNECTION IN BOTH REINS AT ALL TIMES. If he is hanging on one of them gentle jiggle with the fingers of that hand. It shouldn't even be visible from the ground. If he continues to hang shake a little bit more firmly, but then go back to steady and even contact. Inside leg on and he needs to move over with the amount of pressure that the leg applied. Otherwise he is holding the difference as tension in his side. He wants to stiffen in the caudal lumbar area, make sure he is moving through that area and then reward the try. At the canter steady contact in both reins, keep asking for him to move off the inside leg. For the transition, sit and ask, don't shove. If he doesn't respond then light tap as you ask. See? Easy peasy. 

Lengthy video if anyone wants to follow along. 

Two days later we had a very productive jump lesson again. He came out SPOOKY. I let his magnesium run out to see if it was doing anything. It was. More has since been ordered. But considering his general feelings about life, he was such a GOOD BOY. He was trying SO HARD. My upper body flinging seems to have improved so we worked a bit on  staying up and soft until he has fully landed. There were varying degrees of success with this because as usual that wasn't the only thing I had to think about. We focused some on straightness after the fences as well because he was starting to want to land leaning right. JT said we had JUST gotten him jumping really well and letting him get away with that would ruin his jumping style again. These are the insights that are so, so valuable. I had noticed the fairly rapid right hand turns, but knowing HOW important it was to address it ASAP is something I never would've known. Y'know? There are so many things to focus on that having the insight from the ground is invaluable. 

We ended up trotting into all the fences and then cantering the lines. Given his feelings of the day, the trot was reaaaalllly wanting to be tense and quick with a complete lack of push from behind, so I was doing a lot of bending and moving his barrel and trying to slow my own posting on the way into fences. We did a course with the same bending line as two weeks prior and it went really well. We had a miscommunication (or lack of attempt to communicate) headed down towards an oxer with square rails as the second fence in the line at one point. I didn't ride him like he was trained and so he buried himself deep to it and then smacked it. He bucked in protest and then the next time WOW did he jump it well. He then landed in a canter that again made me grin, it was round and had so much jump to it. The pieces are in there, we just have to bring them out and show him the way. For as rough and tumble of a horse as he is on the ground and on the flat, he really seems to dislike touching jumps which is pretty cool, because I could definitely see him going in the opposite direction and giving no shits about sending rails flying. 

There weren't as many earth shattering moments (ie ADD LEG) but it was a super productive lesson and one in which I was SO PROUD of him for trying so hard when he was clearly having feelings about the day.