Many things went wrong this week and it is something of a self-perpetuating rule of difficulty that when one thing goes wrong the others follow! I do think a lot has to do with our attitude and ability to stay reasonably positive when facing problems. The devil seems to sit in detail as always and if we don't control the detail i.e. our own self, the only thing that really is there to control, we are doomed ;)
Alas, I am writing this on Tuesday 25th Aug and some amount of zen has been restored! Not all mind you, not all ;)
Let's control the controllable and focus on some good stuff - here we go.
On Monday I introduced first small jumps and cavaletti work into Nigel's training to strengthen his seat and develop better sense of rhythm, line of travel and focus on direction. We have done a little bit of pole work now and then over single poles but now it's time to up the game.
Even after the first session I can see the improvement in basic gaits, the ability to maintain working trot and confidence in canter and light seat so I know it was the right time to get the jumps involved.
Many flatwork focused riders avoid jumping but there are so many variations of jump training and so many benefits from it that it is really worth investigating even if you generally try not to leave the ground ;)
Tuesday was a quiet day due to schedule changes but brought some great improvements all round. I used the "riding in socks" exercise for Alicia to awaken her awareness of how her feet connect to her hip joints and how rigid feel in ankle joints affects every other joint in the leg. Probably the simplest yet most effective exercise I have ever used (here is more about it - Aspire link).
It was also the last lesson for my young rider before her BHS Stage 1 exam. I have this unsure attitude towards the BHS exams...The way they are conducted perpetuates the sides of the industry that sadden me greatly: mindless group lessons with pony following a pony, kicking, pulling, "making them do"...Hundreds of switched off horses teaching legions of bully riders.
On one hand I find many of the teachings and concepts clashing with my beliefs and values when it comes to horsemanship and coaching. On the other hand, I feel that "you have to be in it to change it" so if there are more coaches out there with better knowledge of biomechanics, physiology of human movement, training psychology and with horse's wellness in mind, the more progress there will be in the whole BHS system. I should add, there are many very useful subjects in every syllabus on every BHS exam. For the above reasons I encourage all my riders who think about career in the industry or who like the idea of testing oneself outside of just training and competitions, to prepare and take the exams.
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| Caitlin and Jasper - 18th August |
Oscar is on the roll at the moment. I am teaching him the difference between flexing and turning rein and it's like the missing puzzle has entered his brain. For horses that are very blocked in the back all movements seem disproportionally difficult so I am taking my time letting him figure things out. His canter work has improved a lot on the lunge line and I noticed more balance awareness in him after introducing shoulder-in in hand. Each day now he feels like he is discovering a more supple way of going that in turn gives him more freedom under the saddle.
Wednesday
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| Emma and Repo |
Not an easy teaching day it was with some inconsistencies in work so I had a slight re-think of homework to give. The highlight was Repo's lesson for sure as he worked intelligently through some simple yet challenging gymnastic set ups.
Shabby is still having his "medical leave" from training, I do wonder how he comes back into it all next month.
I spent most of Thursday catching up with my admin work, planning exercises for riders for the next couple of weeks and uploading several batches of videos.
Friday brought another really good session with Oscar, working on an undulated surface of the jump field playing with the gradient to help him understand engagement needed for comfortable transitions from trot to canter and canter to trot. He felt wonderful and answered all questions I planned for him that day.
Saturday was a little quieter than usual which was just as well as the temperatures reached 30C and humidity was ridiculous making it a rather tough conditions to train in. Nevertheless the lessons went very well and I was super excited to commence the "How to be the gadget - lunging and groundwork" course.
The first session was very much an introduction to Bailey for Indra but I think they will have a lot of fun together exploring the training on the ground.
We finished the day about 5pm and stuffed ourselves with ice creams from the golf club across the road ;) I think they are starting to get used to people in jodhpurs over there ;)
Sunday was a chill out day for me!
Wx
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