The struggle to get back on a horse has been REAL! It hasn't been a secret that I struggle with learning how to talk to my left side through all the nerve damage and muscle atrophy. It is kind of like learning a new language between my brain and my leg. My left leg, ankle and foot just don't work correctly. It has been an extremely frustrating year, but my trainer CG has been absolutely brilliant. I have made slow steady progress, but last night's lesson really was remarkable!
Let me say again how helpful the videos that AK took 2 weeks ago were. I watch 2 or 3 of them every day. AK was sitting next to CG, so the video picked up everything CG said. Watching myself ride and listening to what CG says is so very helpful! Things have really started clicking the last couple of weeks. Another thing that has been helpful is journaling. Yes, I write these blog posts, but I also have this great Book of Dressage Exercises with several pages for taking notes along with different exercises to try.
All that was a long-winded way of explaining my process of improvement. Now, on the actual lesson. I had a plan of what I wanted to accomplish and a list of things I wanted to work on. I began warming Gryfon up doing a few ground exercises from the 6 Feet on the Ground test. CG called the test for me, and we did a pretty good job! There are just a few things for me to work on that will help Gryfon respond better and make my communication with him a bit clearer. That was just the right amount of warm up!
Once I got into the saddle, we worked on bending, 10-meter circles were my friend. I also worked on a few serpentines, followed by a few "down center line as A." I concentrated on riding straight and keeping Gryfon between my aids. I was able to refine my riding aids enough to really have a nice bend on the circles (most of the time) and also kept him from walking like a "drunken Marine" on the straight lines. I do still need to work on keeping his head straight and not having the bend going down center line, but overall, there was so much improvement!
After our walking warmup, I started some trot work. I opted to start with his difficult side, going to the left. Not only is it his harder side, but it is also my weaker side and giving leg cues at the right time in the right way is difficult for me. In the case, 2 wrongs definitely do not make a right! At any rate, CG helped talk me through smaller circles so I could better support him and not let him fall out of (or into) the circle. Once I got a nice balance, I could spiral out but would lose it and have to start over. That part gets frustrating, but eventually we did 2 very nice 20-meter circles then took a walk break.
One thing I need to work on is NOT bracing when we trot to the left. Gryfon gets so heavy, and I feel like I need to brace my shoulders, back and arms in order to not be pulled out of the saddle. I'm not exactly sure how to do that consistently yet, so any comments, exercise suggestions, or ideas are welcome! One way I know I brace too hard is that the day after my lesson, I am super sore! My shoulders and upper back feel like I rowed a few miles yesterday, no video needed, HAHAHA
We did the same thing to the right and it was much easier! CG also gave me a great exercise to help solidify MY job as a rider and how to give my cues at a better time. We started with a 20-meter circle at E, once we completed that circle, we went down the wall and practiced using the corner correctly, then turned down center line at A. At X we did a 10-meter loop to E and started the pattern again. This exercise really helped my timing and the feel for "bend" and "straight." I cannot wait to try it next week going to the left. (This might help my bracing issue to the left)
CG really does a great job explaining things to me in a way that I can process quickly and make real-time adjustments to the way I ride. The BEST part about my lesson yesterday was this: "Yes! Good riding Sandy!" was said more than once!
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