Dressage Lesson Recap
So this lesson was really interesting. I have been playing with the idea of showing 1st level next year, I think the longer test will suit Uno better and we are schooling all the movements, so we went down to Fancy Dressage Trainer to get a reality check. And it ended with a lot of praise.
Fancy Dressage trainer works with a LOT of Fancy Dressage Horses, but she also works with a lot of our local eventers (from Advanced to me at Maiden) and she is pretty universally loved. She has seen Uno several times a year since we got him and has helped a lot at figuring out what he needs to become stronger/ more comfortable in his body. Today's lesson focused on finding a truly UPHILL forward trot and canter that stayed soft in the neck. We also played a little to see if what was in there for mediums and leg yeilds. The news was a lot of good things!
Right from the beginning, she commented that our trot work was much more active, even if the tempo was slow. We played around with some 3 loop serpentines working on getting the correct bend through the turn by turning a bit early and leg yielding a step or two out to the "correct" line. This wrapped him around my inside leg more and started pushing his hind end more underneath himself.
Then we worked on the canter transitions. The strategy we used here was to do a bit of shoulder-fore to load the hind end more, then we would straighten, and if he staid light and UP we would canter. If he got bracey I would do a big flexion to the inside until he let go, then straighten and canter. It was great, when my timing was right he stepped off into a prompt, balanced, active canter.
Then we used the same tools to keep the canter from getting bracey or rushing. A bit of shoulder-fore to load the hind, then soften and go out. If he locked his jaw and poll, I would do a big flex to the inside and wait for him to let go, the straighten. He started getting much freer in the shoulder - sometimes he didn't quite know what to do with this range of motion.
BOOM - more freedom
This was very enlightening. His canter was SO SOFT - so long as I kept my shoulders back and my hands off his neck, the good work was light and his mouth was just THERE in my hand. I don't know how perfect our practice will be at home in the uneven field, but knowing that it is in there is great!
Then we went looking for a lengthening or medium in the trot. I know his canter work isn't quite strong enough yet to so a true medium, but his trot has improved SO MUCH. We used the same load, flex, GO strategy to see what he would give us, and my word was he fun! It took him a while to figure out what to do with himself. I think our biggest balance issue (esp in the canter) is that his hind is SO powerful (and he is built so downhill) that as soon as we power it up it just pushes him over onto the forehand. So we got him really light and up in his neck and shoulder, then we made sure that the neck and jaw were soft, then I asked him to really GO for it. At first he got really wide behind as he was figuring out how to be in the new balance and the steps were a bit irregular as he figured out how to bring his hocks underneath him AND push at the same time. However, we got some really great forward swingy reachy steps!
We finished by taking this energy back into canter and asking for this very up balance to stay through the transitions. We knew he would not be able to power up the canter yet, but the goal was to be able to go up into canter and back into trot without lowering his front end. I know that in comparison to a more naturally gifted horse this is not a lot, but when you compare this to his natural soft canter, the shift is a big one.
I know that all sounds like good and important work, but eclipsing all of that is the fact the Uno was SO HAPPY in the work. We really put the pressure on him and he did not quit or kick or rear once! He had a few grumpy ear moments, but they were very few and far between. It was AMAZING! He got ALL the treats when we were done.
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