Being dressagey in her baucher.This year is off to a great start! First I should mention that last week we ended the year on some really nice rides. We had a couple dressage rides last week that were beautiful. Klein is really working long and low nicely at the walk and trot to warm up and cool down, transitions are seeing some improvement too. We also went exploring again in another new area and did another 7.5 mile conditioning ride with long trots and long canters.
Long and low.
On the evening of New Year's Eve I set up a little 2'9" course for Klein. We hadn't jumped for about a month mostly due to the rain and a couple small snow storms trashing the footing in the arenas. It just turns to clay around here. Then it took forever to dry out. Nice weather has returned, arenas were looking good and we were excited. I set up a two stride, a wide oxer, a vertical, and another jump that was a horizontal X. That way she could stretch out and it was only 2'9" because it was meant to be a little confidence builder. AND since she hadn't really jumped for a month. We'd jump a xc jump here or there on the barn property but nothing serious.
The welcome back course. A variety of jumps with a two stride and bending lines.
The horizontal X jump. I believe in variety.
The horizontal X jump. I believe in variety.Oh and Klein got a new clip last week too. I also cleaned her face up because I really, really, really do not like when they get any length of goat beard going on in the winter. She is NOT a bearded lady!
You can kind of see her clip.
This past Monday we had another nice dressage ride that worked on serpentines and lots of tight circles and changing direction as much as possible within all gates. She's also really starting to respond with my breathing with the halt. We've been working in the french link baucher lately too. Since she stretches differently in it I want her to use those muscles instead of training the majority of the time in the Kimberwicke for dressage. We're getting better and better with this dressage stuff.
Tuesday evening we schooled the small course again just to reinforce getting back into the routine. I changed the horizontal x into a low wide oxer though. She was EXCITED to say the least. Klein isn't a horse that rushes but one round she put in a couple really pronounced rushes to a few fences. Hmm...eh I'll let her have those as freebies, she was just being a happy girl. I really had to rebalance her a couple times and get her to focus and she did and still didn't touch a thing.
Thursday evening we did some gymnastics. I set up some 2'9" bounces, 4 verticals each at 11ft apart. She can do 10ft apart but since she hasn't done bounces in a while, why make it harder than it needs to be? I also set up 3 other pretty straight forward verticals, but placed them so we could make bending lines easily between them. They also could be made into some tight roll backs.
Klein was OUT TO PROVE A POINT last night!!! She bounced through that line with such confidence and ease. She flew through them like there was a pile of granola bars on the other side. We pulled off some really tight roll backs too. You could tell she was so focused and determined last night. Her mind was with her every hoof beat. I'm sure you have all heard "ride every step" and sometimes you do, sometimes you space out a little. Horses do the same I think. Sometimes they're not always right there under you and they might have 20% of their attention to their friends in the turnout by the ring and another 10% to the dog running around the barn. Klein was locked in on every second of what we were doing. It was awesome.
Oh and I think she likes Deadmau5. I'll play this on my iPhone at the beginning of our dressage warm ups:
She'll keep one ear slightly perked back to listen. Other songs she won't pay so much attention too.
I love these evenings!!
Tuesday evening we schooled the small course again just to reinforce getting back into the routine. I changed the horizontal x into a low wide oxer though. She was EXCITED to say the least. Klein isn't a horse that rushes but one round she put in a couple really pronounced rushes to a few fences. Hmm...eh I'll let her have those as freebies, she was just being a happy girl. I really had to rebalance her a couple times and get her to focus and she did and still didn't touch a thing.
Thursday evening we did some gymnastics. I set up some 2'9" bounces, 4 verticals each at 11ft apart. She can do 10ft apart but since she hasn't done bounces in a while, why make it harder than it needs to be? I also set up 3 other pretty straight forward verticals, but placed them so we could make bending lines easily between them. They also could be made into some tight roll backs.
Klein was OUT TO PROVE A POINT last night!!! She bounced through that line with such confidence and ease. She flew through them like there was a pile of granola bars on the other side. We pulled off some really tight roll backs too. You could tell she was so focused and determined last night. Her mind was with her every hoof beat. I'm sure you have all heard "ride every step" and sometimes you do, sometimes you space out a little. Horses do the same I think. Sometimes they're not always right there under you and they might have 20% of their attention to their friends in the turnout by the ring and another 10% to the dog running around the barn. Klein was locked in on every second of what we were doing. It was awesome.
Oh and I think she likes Deadmau5. I'll play this on my iPhone at the beginning of our dressage warm ups:
She'll keep one ear slightly perked back to listen. Other songs she won't pay so much attention too.
My whole universe.
5 comments:
Awesome Klein pony!! And definitely agree with the Deadmau5. Awesome.
I think the only song Greta ever reacted to was when Bad Romance came on the radio during a ride once. She went into super fancy warmblood mode.
So glad that you are having great weather! We are too- though we actually NEED some rain! Her clip looks great, I love a clipped horse.
And that song- on our awesome playlist that we play when we need some energy or are headed out for the night. Forget classical music in the barns.... :) You should consider incorporating musical freestyles into your dressage work, it helps both you and your horse zero-in on rhythm and tempo, and the horse actually starts to learn the music and move with it!
That is so funny that you ride to music, I love to do the same. She probably thinks that Bass is your heartbeat, lol
Awesome when they love their job like that!
Did I miss the goals part of this post?
Corinna, I have done that more and more actually. I'll just search YouTube for songs and play them while we're doing dressage work. She seems to like Sofie Needs a Ladder from Deadmau5 too, and she likes DJ Dan, Richard Vission, and Bad Boy Bill.
No, Amy you didn't. Check the post before this one :)
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