Last night I had a pounding head, the humidity was at 8,000%, and I was exhausted after seeing a double booked day of patients.
But Fat Boy needs exercise and I know that if I don’t ride regularly it will bite me in the butt in the form of a tantrum on his end, so despite all of that I changed and tacked up. Some days you just have to put the work in.
Dusty was hanging around so I asked if he would grab some new media for me. I wasn’t feeling jumping so I left the ground poles down and worked on the flat adding in canter work as well.
It’s always amazing to me how I can feel like I’m doing something but then I see a picture or video and it is quite obvious that I am most definitely doing the exact opposite. Sigh. I guess that’s what video is for?
The biggest thing I am going to fix is my gosh darn arms. If you were to ask me, I’d tell you that my elbows were super relaxed and bent.
Yeah. If by relaxed I mean rigid as a steel beam and by bent I mean straight out, then ok. I’m going to really have to work on over exaggerating it for a while to get the feel of when they are actually bent and relaxed.
But anyway. Other than seeing all my flaws I’m actually very happy with where we are. Outside of that one single lesson, we have gotten to this point all on our own and that’s not too shabby for my level of education and time in the arena. Especially from where we started back to work in December.
He is relaxed, probably a bit too pokey and slow but rhythmic and even so I’ll take a bit slow for now. His steering is on point too these days.
What really blows me away is his canter transition. It’s nice, we don’t go charging off into outer space and he remains with power steering engaged. All things that were not possible a few months ago. This is a canter I enjoy riding and can feel safe and in control with.
All in all a good ride even with neither of us feeling up for it. Once boards are over and done with mid May it will be on to some heavy lessons with an eye towards course work and a late summer HT!!
The Roaming Rider 
Yay Media! You guys look great. I find it SO TOUGH to make any positive changes riding by myself, especially without mirrors. I think his trot looks great! I know that with May, I have to slow her trot way down to get the balance right and have to be careful that I don’t push her too forward because then she looses the balance to the forehand.
Excited for lessons and a HT for you too!
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It’s taken me a while to get used to his natural pace and balance and quit pushing for more. He too will get strung out and on his forehand if I ask for too forward. It’s getting there though and I can’t wait for May 15th to come and go
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You guys look great! His rhythm at the trot looks wonderful and you guys are looking really in sync! Amber doesn’t have a big trot either. I can get her to a certain spot but even just a touch further and she starts to paddle her legs and hollow her back. I love his h’appy ears! He looks like he’s having a great time too!
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He is enjoying life these days and is becoming a lot more amenable to this whole work thing.
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Keeping a bend in the elbow is really tough, especially if you have short arms (like me haha) but it does help me to look down now and again at my own elbows and go “oh damn yeah put a right angle in there L.”
Glad Dusty was able to get media for you! Good luck with boards!
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I told my old trainer I had T. rex arms but she wasn’t hearing it LOL! He is a bit tricky for me because any pressure and he will suck behind so then I tend to extend my arms so he can poke his nose out but that isn’t right either. Always learning
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I have little stumpy t-rex arms. If mine are bent enough they are like a foot above my legs. (Okay it’s probably not THAT bad but it sure does feel like it.)
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That’s how I feel!
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Eeeeee I love it – you know I’m a media junkie bc there’s always so much to be learned haha! These vids are great tho. Like, look back and compare that trot to some of your videos around the time you weren’t sure if he was lame – it has WAY more energy and impulsion and forward balance now! Nice job! The canter looks good too, tho I can see where he would feel like he blasts off and away – it’s probably that feeling when his head and shoulder gets very low. Jealous of that downward transition tho haha, Charlie’s are what can best be described as “slow to develop” lol
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He is always ready to stop. More my problem with the downward is the rather abruptness of the whole thing. It can take a lot of energy to keep him moving after a downward. Yeah, he loves to drop his nose to the ground and that makes me extend my arms even more to follow him which isn’t the right answer and then it feel like we are going underground. Hopefully with more fitness he stops doing it so much
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I don’t think it looks bad but I get it- I am my own worst critic when I look at video. I try consciously to find the good because otherwise I get too down on myself. I have short arms to it’s hard to have a bend and then have my hands just above the whither. More important than a bend is a ‘soft’ elbow and yours looked pretty good- especially in the trot. Your hands are not bouncing all over the place like they would if you were rigid. 🙂
just my 2cents.
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Thanks!! It’s easy to nit pick. I’ve worked really hard at trying to relax them and I never realized I have short arms before I started ridinf
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The elbows will come, who gives a stuff WHEN YOU GUYS LOOK SO AMAZING TOGETHER!
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Awe shucks…thanks 😊
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Yay! Way to go grind it out even though you weren’t feeling it. That’s how positive change happens! 🙂
I totally feel ya on the elbows/arms. My trainer must want to chuck something at me every time she reminds me about my elbows. And I swear I am trying! It was really fun watching Land Rover with her this year – go watch Lauren Kieffer’s dressage test on Vermiculus. The whole time we were like, wow look at how pretty and soft her arms are. And now my trainer will be reminding me to “have elbows like Lauren Kieffer” which when you think about it is nonsensical but it will definitely put a great visual in my mind!
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My trainer used to always tell me to relax so much I think I’m floppy and then relax some more and maybe I’ll be where I need to be
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Yay for media! You guys are looking damn fine 🙂
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Thanks!!!
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so glad you got media. and he is lazy for sure I do know that feeling 🙂 HA you guys will get there!!
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He loves to drop his nose to the ground and act like he can’t possibly more another atep
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