Thursday, May 15, 2014

What Happens When Too Much Dressage

So here's a secret that I'm pretty sure Redheadlins doesn't know: sometimes when she's not at the barn, Courage and I don't work very hard.

Like yesterday. Ostensibly, we were working on "rhythm". Basically that means whenever he fusses, I kick instead of pull and we just go forward. I generally try to keep his head down (because muscle development), but I don't really do a lot with the contact. In fairness, I think most of my instructors would say I don't do much with the contact anyways.

Yeah, that teeny tiny dark spot. It's a hoofprint. His. Hoofprint.
So we're trotting and cantering and actually having a pretty decent ride. I wanted to jump a little, but I was short on time. We're both a little bored of flatwork at this point anyways. We come cantering up the long side on a floppy rein and see a tiny dark divot in the arena.

My Brain: ALERT! Strange footing! Recommend alter course to avoid going over.

My Body: Meh. What could happen.

Courage: LEAP STRAIGHT INTO THE AIR LIKE A GOOD JUMP JUMP HORSE COURAGE WILL SAVE THE DAY

My Brain: WTF WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE

My Body: Meh

Courage: LEAP AGAIN JUST TO BE SURE AIR TIME IS THE BEST TIME

Dirty being a relative term
Because he is awesome and not dirty, Courage just leaped forward in a straight line, which left me just sitting in the middle of him like some sort of sky-leap-riding badass who is afraid of NOTHING. We landed in the same nice, rhythmic canter we started in. I made him walk and trot over the divot of death a couple times and all was well.

At least he can leap in a good rhythm, I guess. Bonus points? Lins might say we wouldn't have had that problem if he was on the bit and working.

I say it means too much dressage.


13 comments:

  1. hah AIR TIME BEST TIME YES HORSE DO THINGS

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  2. Definitely too much dressage. ;)

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  3. Simon does this too. He HATES any change in the ground. Will jump anything, but almost dumped me at a horse show when I tried to canter near a pee spot.

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  4. Air time *IS* the best time! LMAO!

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  5. Had the same moment the other day with an honest-to-goodness dressage horse. The arena footing is made of rubber waste and one of the rubber chips was whiter than the rest. She worked around it fine for the first 25 minutes but as we cantered past it was OMW RUBBER CHIP OF DOOM LEAP AND GIRAFFE FLAIL TO SAVE DAY. Eventually, I had to get off and put the freaking thing in my pocket to get anything out of her.

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  6. Yes, more jumping! Much more jumping!

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  7. I think Linds is on to you...and Papa just says NOOO DRESSAGE. ONLY LEVITATION.

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  8. Why does this sound so familiar?! Oh Dressage...

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  9. haha wiz use to do this when we did "too much dressage"!! We'd try to do pole work or he'd see something that = jump in his mind and he'd LEAP as high as he could haha. I always thought the same thing, he must be thinking too much dressage! back to the jumping!! ;)

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