Ground Zero

need this ride every day

This is going to be a highly dressage-centric post, so my apologies in advance to you jumper folk out there.

I've always maintained that dressage is fun once you get to the point of having the horse connected inside leg to outside rein and Courage is teetering precariously close to that point. That means some days are spectacular and some days are really horrible and depressing.

and this

I made a joking comment on Marissa's blog the other day about every ride starting at ground zero and some of them never leaving.

But it's true.

I've been lucky enough to have two really fantastic dressage rides this week--both of them started at the walk, just stretching and asking Courage to lift his back. Then walk/trot transitions. Then changes of bend in the trot.

recycled show pics til i get something new

Then trot/canter transitions and circles in the canter. Then back to walk, and transition after transition of working walk to free walk. All of this is couched in incessant praise and lots of releases to make it really clear to Courage what I'm looking for.

We're starting to add in "fancy" things like little leg yields in the walk and trot and trot stretchy circles and we're even starting to toy with actual transitions within the gaits, sort of.

None of it is mind blowing or amazing, but I am absolutely in love with the progression. I mean yeah, some days we barely even get to trot transitions and the whole thing is about relaxation. But other days, it feels almost magical. Courage is starting to really get some of the ideas.

my matchy matchy soul is dealing quite well with this

He's stronger and more balanced and more rideable than he ever has been before. It's hard to describe how proud I am of my little man when I pick up the reins and flow seamlessly between the gaits (BOTH directions) and know that finally, we are progressing together.