Dressage Lesson and Training Level XC.

This post is late but...last Saturday we had a great dressage lesson with Ann and then went to school XC.

Our lesson helped improve our canter, find better balance in turns and keep the pace through the short side of the dressage ring. We also worked on our bend and shoulder in.

Ann had me start to bend Klein just slightly before our turns into the short side and that really helped. We also got some serious trot work out of her. Some big trot that felt great. I had to really push but she came through and I could feel a difference. I also felt a real difference in her canter. Ann told me to think gallop when we canter to get rid of the potential of "trantering" and that helped A LOT. I really pushed her and rebalanced her and I felt a definite difference. Toward the end Klein was kind of starting to tell me she was done. When I'd ask her to get rounder she'd ignore the first 20 times I'd ask and then finally gave in. That's a big sign of her hitting her limit for the day. I can't blame her. She did a solid hour of dressage work. So we ended on a little shoulder in just as a progress check to make sure I'm still riding it correctly. To my relief, I have been. You never know...just wanted to make sure what I felt was right was still right and we were drifting one way or another.

After that it was Laurie's turn so I hosed Klein off since she was a little warm. I need to clip her again already. Ann's I1 Dutch Warmblood, Macho, was being body clipped where I rinsed her off so I took a few pics of them together. I love Macho, I think he's so cool. And since he's a tank, that's extra bonus points.


So...look at those pics carefully. In some areas Macho is thicker than Klein. He is a successful I1 horse that is still currently competing at I1. As a 4th level horse he sold for $100,000. I wish I had pics of him and Ann in the show ring, they're GORGEOUS! Seeing them standing next to each other just makes me laugh to myself because I think of the people that have told me Klein isn't built to be anything but a cart horse or a lazy trail horse. I love how people forget there are high dollar, successful warmbloods that are the same size as Klein, if not larger than Klein. Just because she comes with the title of "draft horse" she should be pulling a cart full of beer?

Next up was XC. Our friend Sarah and her mare Neumanon (Neumy) met us at the xc course.

Sarah and Neumy!

The 3 of us warmed up then rode the course at a lazy trot and canter and warmed up over the BN stuff. We played on some bigger stuff after that then each of us had a full run on the course. Laurie and I ran the Training course and Sarah rode the Novice course. Training was an absolute breeze for Klein. Keep in mind Las Cruces is a good move up course so there are more challenging courses in Area X. Here's the pics of the course, taken from Klein's back so they look smaller than they already do. I had my helmet cam on and it cut out half way through the ride! I am so disappointed!!!! I have no idea what happened!! I have to double check some stuff on it :(

Laurie brought 3 of her horses so after I rode Klein and she rode one of hers we got her other two ready. She rode her 3 year old Trakehner and I rode Angel, her Paint/TB. Laurie trotted the whole BN course on her baby and we got her in the water too! I rode the BN/N course on Angle. She's a very...um...opinionated mare and I think she expended more energy bucking than jumping. But, I like her! She's a fun little mare! She's learning she can't scare me. I'm not going anywhere. Unfortunately, for her, her bucks are very rideable :)

Klein and Niko, feeding their faces, waiting for us to get back.