I wrote last week about my crooked pelvis, which is one of the two things that I wanted to explore once show season was over, the other being my hands.
In Chicago, GP trainer made an offhanded comment about my contact being inconsistent in the warm-up, which niggled in my brain for a few weeks after the show. My contact didn't feel inconsistent to me, or so I thought. But the more I paid attention to it and the more video I watched, the more I saw and felt it, especially in the right rein.
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| PC: my mom |
On the right rein, he likes to carry his chin to the inside of his midline and bulge out from the C4 region through to his shoulder on the left, which has the effect of disengaging the right rein, giving both of us nothing solid to feel in my scapula or in his mouth, which makes the rein contact kind of bounce a bit.
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| All kinds of interesting and bad biomechanics going on here, lol. You can see his head is kind of curled around so his chin is in front of his right shoulder rather than the center of his chest. He's in his happy place with a lot of weight on the right fore. PC: my mom |
I started to wonder if maybe his preference for straight bar bits was actually him preferring stability in the bit because he wasn't finding it in my hands, so my focus for the first couple of weeks was just to feel like I was pushing the reins forward as if they were sticks and to make sure both reins felt the same. I wanted to always feel a solid connection in both, but paid particular attention to the right. This was surprisingly hard! I've gotten very used to having a different feel in both reins.
But I did good with it, and to really challenge the bit theory, I put him back in the 3 piece Myler bradoon last week. It's now been about 10 days and 7 rides, including a lesson, and he hasn't even thought about getting his tongue over.
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| We were in the Myler here |
I'm a long way from properly internalizing this, but just like the pelvis thing, it seems exceptionally important to solve this before we really start working on Third.
Pushing sticks forward is an image that has never worked for me, personally. I just can't get over the fact that I'm not holding sticks, I'm holding rope! I actually don't have ANY good words to help with my hands, except to keep checking in with myself every circle. So I should probably work on that, too.
ReplyDeleteI totally know what you mean, it used to not work for me either (and not every imagery is right for every rider). It does make sense to me now though, especially since my own brand of contact inconsistency is so subtle these days.
DeleteI really admire how you've approached your dressage journey, especially lately. It is so refreshing to read posts about a rider acknowledging her own responsibility for what needs improvement. Conner is lucky to have you :D
ReplyDeleteThat is like the best compliment you could have given me, thank you so much! I try to assume he's always trying to tell me something rather than just telling me "No". He's not really a pony that ever says no, even as much as I've shut him down over the years as I've learned alongside him. I think I sometimes take that TOO far, at some point I do need to assume I'm right about something and man up and be the leader, but on the whole it's worked out for us.
DeleteI've been taking some zoom classes since the Covid era began - one of which is about affirmative training. We delved into horse neurology. The most striking takeaway (my very layman understanding) is that a horse's pre-frontal cortex doesn't operate like a human's. They literally cannot plan. They don't plot revenge, they don't try to get back at us. If they diverge from what we think we are asking them to do, then we are asking wrong and/or they are in pain/discomfort. It is sobering information, but also the beginning of a more rewarding relationship with our horses. Sorry for the novel ;D
DeleteSounds like Anna Blake. She's given me a lot to chew on, and I always hear her in my head when I'm working with my young mare. Which means it has taken much longer to start her than it has for any other horse I've trained, but I'm seeing the payoffs now and REALLY like the results!
DeleteI'm impressed, and very jealous, that when you figure out the problem you are actually able to change it! I'm a slow learner, it takes me years to be able to change something that's become a habit even when I work at it every fricken day. X)
ReplyDeleteHa, well, it's taken me 6 years of focusing on Dressage to get to this point, so maybe don't think I'm an overnight sensation, lol. The truth of the matter is I'm only able to really internalize these positional breakthroughs as long as I'm not having lessons, because I'm able to slow things down and think deeply through them and not throw new stuff on top of what I'm working on. It's good and bad.
DeleteHey Jen, we've had some rain so we are getting a break from the dust. Any chance we can try to connect with Pivo tomorrow or Wednesday so I can learn how that works?
ReplyDeleteIt's all so frustratingly interconnected. It's definitely been nice (is that the right sentiment?) to watch you unpuzzle your body in the saddle and how it influences Connors way of going.
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