I've been so clever, I've been so clever, I've been so clever ...
I've been so clever, I've been so clever, I've been so clever ... That was Jazz. All the way home in the lorry, so excited by the work he had been doing that he weaved and weaved all the way home. He was trying to dance on the tack locker but he couldn't get his knees up high enough. We had the ropes on, of course. Honestly, all I can put his behaviour down to, reading his whole demeanour as we finished and loaded him was delight in himself. He really was, truly "up" because of what he had been working on. I guess he may have picked up my own delight and amplified it, but Sonia said she could see just how much he was enjoying being so clever.
So what have we been doing? Three loop serpentines in canter with a flying change across the centre each time. It was fantastic. He has come on so much in the last month and he is working so well. His trot is both powerful and floating, with some real punch beginning to happen in our training for medium. His lateral work is improving too, with more sideways. I still get lost on left half pass, where I forget to ask for forward and bend with my left leg because I am so focussed on the fact that he is not moving over from my right one. And of course the two are connected and without "forward" in his head he does not go "over". We also did some really slow canter, which he was so fantastic at that Sonia was surprised how good it was. I lost count of the number of times she said things like "great!" and "that's REALLY good!".
He is now truly submissive most of the time (if I remember to keep one step ahead of him and catch him BEFORE he drops it, and not correct it AFTER he's done it). That submission results in much better work and some brilliantly sharp responses to the aids, because he is waiting and listening all the time.
Jazz is a REAL dressage horse, and this work is almost as exciting as jumping a big hedge!
C
posted by cptrayes @ 3:00 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Ok, so now I get to say it, "I told you so!!" *G*
It is so wonderful when a horse finds the right job and starts to discover his own talent. You have two very different horses and each one revels in his chosen "profession."
Those canter serpentines are fun and not too far from tempis, if you start to count strides and make your loops equal. The bend helps the change, of course, but so what? It's a great beginning.
Jazz is making you "feel" as you ride and that, in turn, helps you anticipate the little things that can go wrong before they do go wrong. That too is an invaluable skill. That's why all the top riders can make a Grand Prix test look so good, as they fix everything before it happens.
How lucky you are to be able to live in two horse worlds like this--the mad gallops and jumps of the hunt field, and the controlled precision of the dressage arena. Isn't is amazing that you can get a thrill from both?
Sonia seems to be a super trainer. I'm delighted you found her and that she is so willing to keep on training you even as her own schedule gets busier. The lesson sounds awesome!
I was musing on my luck as I put them to bed just now Jean. Two fantastic boys, each absolutely brilliant at the job they are doing. Jazz, the same age as Sonia's own horse Oovee, is ahead in his training!
C.
So...are the top hat and tails on order then?
Aboslutelly not! I'll nick some from Sonia :-)))
C
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