I was going to write this super-angsty post bemoaning how I apparently have completely lost my ability to ride and turn right and I can't even keep it together anymore, but as I was selecting pictures for this post, I realized something.Here's us, doing a right lead canter in October 2013, a few months after Courage came off the track.
(picture by Ellie, so you are absolutely seeing the best case scenario here)
And a few months later, in May 2014.
(photo by horselessinhalifax, so again, best case scenario)
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Then we started trying to dressage, so here's our best shot from December 2014.
(photo by Alyssa. I have so many talented friends.)
And despite feeling like a complete training failure lately, here's April 2015.
(photo also by Alyssa).
I'm not going to lie--the day to day is KILLER to get through right now. All I seem to see are the things we do wrong and how I screw up as a rider, but there is definitely progress.
This is Courage's weaker side and it's definitely the harder side for me to right straight. (Left arm? It does things? Say it isn't so!)
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| also a jump canter |
We're also doing some things right.
And that's good enough for me.
Girl, I feel you with that painful day-to-day! Especially with these creatures that have such strong opinions about what they should be doing and how to do it. Sometimes it's all about trusting and surrendering to the process, which is really, REALLY hard.
ReplyDeleteYou are so going to get there. This weekend, my trainer kept making me take away my right rein when it was the inside, so I would remember to bend my horse from my seat and leg and just ask for flexion with the rein, not PULL on it.
ReplyDeleteAck. I KNOW all that, but it's so hard to internalize. I just want to crank his head right, but when he's actually straight and working properly, I can't really DO that.
So think of it this way. Courage is starting to work properly from behind, so turning is going to get harder until you guys both internalize your turning aids from the seat. You're getting better, so things are getting harder.
My barn mates assure me that our counter canter and half passes looked AMAZING this weekend. I feel like maybe we looked like a monkey riding a dog doing an impression of ballet.
:(
Look! Look at your progress in those canter pics! The ones from Dec 2014 and April 2015 look ah-mazing! He is so balanced and uphill!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard not to get stuck in the day-to-day and not be able to tell how far you've come. But you have come so far!
You guys look great! He's so much straighter and much more uphill.
ReplyDeleteSteering is tricky, I think it (like a lot of things) has a lot to do with rider expectation. I'm going through it with TC right now. A few months ago, I was just happy we made it through rides without my leg getting smashed into the rail or other horses. That seemed like a victory at the time. Now I'm starting to expect more (like differentiating between circles and corners- we're not fancy haha) and in a weird way, it seems like he's HARDER to steer now. Even though I know that's not true! But it's happening now, so it's more salient.
You guys will get through it, focusing on the progress is good. Because once as you figure out working well to the right, something else will crop up that will drive you nuts haha.
I feel this way. The more I know, the worse we are, even if it's not really true. Sigh.
ReplyDeletethose day to day frustrations are such a grind... but you're right: the big picture here is that C-rage IS improving - by leaps and bounds!! i struggle so much with crookedness myself and it's been enlightening lately to have the same problems (some of which i've been blaming on my mare) with different horses...
ReplyDeleteI see your successes every ride. They may be different every ride, but they are there. And you both are looking more polished and excellent all the time. You need to see what I see.
ReplyDeleteI just adore you. Very timely post for me, I just wrote about our total fail of a ride yesterday and I've been berating my position for a solid week now. I need to remember that we're also doing some things right too! Great post, as usual.
ReplyDeleteGotta give yourself credit for all the good you are doing!
ReplyDeleteYes it is so easy to focus on the challenges but you do a good job of acknowledging progress which is great. I, too, have issues with my left arm. I've been trying to do more things with it to get better overall control of it (walking the dog with it, etc).
ReplyDeleteLooking good, you're doing great work!
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about the damn right lead? Having some major right lead issues of my own!
ReplyDeleteIt took me FOREVS to get down the right lead consistently when I was asking correctly. He hated it. He wants to pull himself into canter with no contact and if you tried to make him canter correctly he either wouldn't, would buck, or would pick up the left lead. It's still not perfect but much improved now, so I know you and courage will get there too!! (And I feel your frustration with the possessed left hand/wrist. I want to kill mine.)
ReplyDeleteIt took me FOREVS to get down the right lead consistently when I was asking correctly. He hated it. He wants to pull himself into canter with no contact and if you tried to make him canter correctly he either wouldn't, would buck, or would pick up the left lead. It's still not perfect but much improved now, so I know you and courage will get there too!! (And I feel your frustration with the possessed left hand/wrist. I want to kill mine.)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how funny OTTBs are? Roger and I have zero problems with our right lead, but that left lead....is something to be desired. We do the running-trot-fall-into-the-left-lead-canter, but the transition from trot to right lead canter is perfection.
ReplyDeleteOTTBs, man. Keeping us guessing since the beginning of time.
Absolutely! There is plenty of right and we'll always find something wrong too but you guys look like you are doing great to me!
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate. You're looking at it from the right angle though. Small steps, it will come.
ReplyDeleteA great western trainer in a slow easy tone told me "a good horse takes years"....it stuck with me and she was right. And you're in the process of creating a really good horse! Keep the patience, he looks awesome. And with dressage especially, I dunno, what's cool about it is you never really get there cuz there's always always more to go after!
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