ANNE KURSINSKI DAY 1

I love this pic, because of how round and buff she looks!


Favorite picture. Beautifulness!

Today was the first day of the Anne Kursinski clinic!

Monroe and I arrived at Portola training center around 9. I unloaded my stuff, put her in her stall (with food of course!) parked the trailer, and gave her the rest of her breakfast. Our ride time came up in no time, so I quickly tacked up and headed to the indoor ring where the clinic was being held.

Monroe was a bit hot, but I had my running on just in case. She warmed up pretty well, though a little tense for my liking. Anne focused on getting the group to use their eyes, and use the ring and pace adjustments to keep even spacing between all the riders. Monroe was moving a little quick, so I was repeatedly told to shorten my reins, until Anne finally tied a knot in them to make me hold them at the length she wanted! Monroe was a bit pissed off by these short reins, but behaved admirably.

After extensive flatwork, focusing on control and awareness, we moved on to a crossrail-the first element of the gymnastic. We were to trot into the crossrail in two point, and then stop between the third set of standards. The first time we stopped a bit too late, the second a bit too early. The second time however she gave us brownie points for the control-ability! She had us drop our stirrups for the halt to sink our seat deeper in the saddle, and prevent pinching at the knees. She then slowly added more elements to the gymnastic, until finally it was cross rail, 1 stride to oxer, 1 stride to vertical. At the end, we were first asked to circle left, and then later asked to make a right angle turn to the right and then halt. We messed up the right turn the first time, because I had to go first and I didn't understand what she wanted, but on our second try we were praised! :]

Next, she introduced the group to the automatic release, where I excelled! We held our reins like driving reins, and rode through the gymnastic with "v" reins without being allowed to use the neck for support. The idea was to get our hands to follow the motion of the horse's mouth and force our bodies to support themselves. I did really really well with this exercise, it really forces me to not jump ahead and use my body like it is supposed to be used. We then switched to a different gymnastic, which was oxer, 3 strides, bounce, 2 strides, bounce-still practicing our automatic releases. I was used as the example of excellence!!! :]

It was a great day, and I am soooo excited for tomorrow!!

Preparation before action, collection before impulsion.

I am thanking myself every day for my flatwork lessons with Becky Hart. The improvements are colossal!

Monroe and I went to a schooling show last weekend, and she was AMAZING. She jumped like a rockstar! And she won her 2'6 jumper class, with a time of 58 seconds!!!!

Our flatwork is really carrying over to our over fences work, and my horse is really growing into a wonderful girl, and my riding is soooo much improved. She is really beginning to move under herself, and we even got a few moments of SELF CARRIAGE the other day!!! It was amazing :]

Our everyday rides are becoming more consistent and lovely and relaxed and wonderful. I <3 my super super awesome mare!

The devil is in the details....

Yes my friends, we have found the solution to our "behind the vertical" woes! It was the horse equivalent of "problem exists between chair and keyboard" aka.. It's Mom's damn fault!

Had a wonderful lesson with my centered riding instructor Becky Hart, and she fixed ALOT of the issues we are having.

She started out by reminding me that at the level Monroe and I are riding at, we can't get away with the little mistakes anymore. My main problem is that I drop my right seat bone which makes me crooked, and results in a plethora of other issues.

She gave me a balance rein (to keep my hands quiet) and did her cool exercise to loosen up my legs, and sent me off at the walk with the instruction to "let my legs drape like velvet" around my horse. We also worked on having "heavy elbows" which softens your hands--cool little trick! Around turns we focused on the outside ear, and "lifted and shifted" (excellent way to make sure you use your seat-bones to turn!

Then we moved on to the trot and I had to be reminded to keep myself straight and "breath center grow" to half halt and keep myself aligned so I wouldn't perch forward on my seat bones. I fell apart a bit so we transitioned back to the walk, re-centered, and then continued back up to the trot by "shining the laser beams forward" (using your seat to round the back into the transition). Near the end I was being too pully with my inside rein, and using an opening rein to turn, which she corrected by making me ride with my thumbs touching.

It was a great lesson, and Corrie watched so she knows what to tell me if I get crooked when we jump!

Today I practiced what I learned yesterday and WOW what a difference!!! My horse was calm and relaxed, and round a lot of the time, and not fake round... TRULY ROUND. She even kept it at the canter!!! I stayed centered, kept my elbows heavy and kept myself relaxed and on my seat bones. It was the ride I have been waiting for for a long time!

There was no tension, my horse was relaxed and soft, and when she went round, she didn't duck, she lifted her back and kept her nose vertical! It was an amazing ride :]

Behind the vertical... UGH

Today I rode in my new dressage saddle, and let me just say I LOVE IT!!! I love the tony slater, its really close contact, and super comfy, even though its not really padded. Definately well worth the 200 I spent on it!

Now for the frustrating part...
Monroe travels consistently behind the bit, and I am KICKING MYSELF FOR IT. UGH. I know exactly when she learned to do it too. *kicks self* I really need to fix it, it is soooo incorrect and so frustrating because I really want to gain the respect of the dressage crew at my barn, and I really want a correct horse so we have a chance if we ever decide to do a dressage test.

Part of the problem is that I get stiff, and I need to loosen up. Half the time I'm locked and pulling, and then half the time I throw away my contact... its a never ending battle!

I think we need to do more long and low work, we need to work slowly and carefully and avoid stress on either of us. Monroe is an over reactive horse, sand I think when I get stiff, she gets worried and upset and "hides" behind the vertical, because in her mind, if her head is down, mom leaves her alone. (Shame one me, UGH!)

Also need to remember, collection comes from the legs, not the hands. I think I need to repeat that to myself over and over and over again.

GREG BEST

Greg Best clinic today, and I must say, it was WONDERFUL and curse the College Board for scheduling AP exams for tomorrow!

Today we learned many things:

-Monroe could be much more neurotic (tehe...)
-She is obsessed with my actions before the fence
-she still drifts right (though "subtly" rather then glaringly like before)
-she worries about the waterford, and is much more relaxed and happy with the mullen mouth happymouth full cheek
-My right leg slips forward
-My legs slip in front of me over fences, causing me to either compensate by folding my upper body more, or land behind the motion
-My saddle slips back also causing me to be a little behind the motion of the jump
-My flatwork needs to be relaxed, without being sloppy

Now, to fix these problems I must:
1. Constantly run through my mental checklist, item number 1: right leg back!
2. Use an opening left rein over fences to prevent right drift
3. Keep my lower legs back over fences to attain proper body position
4. Build the energy in the corner and then slowly take back a bit before the fence. KEEP THE RHYTHM
5. Do not obsess over distance.
6. Keep my legs in the correct position, EVEN WHEN STANDING AROUND to form muscle memory
7. Do not obsess over the problem, or how good or bad the jump was- Think only of the solution
8. If you see nothing, DO NOTHING
9. If you don't like what you're seeing, DO SOMETHING. Better to do something about it, and know that it did or did not work for next time
10. do not "flop" over the last fence. your job is not over until you do the final transition

It was a wonderful learning experience today! Even better that my trainer was riding in the group with me :] Pictures later, more posting if I remember more stuff :]

Someone's got the sniffles....

Well, I had the vet out yesterday to give Miss Mare her vaccinations for spring and check her out of an intermittent cough... Turns out she has an upper respiratory infection, which I found out right before the vet arrived.

Know how I found out?

She sneezed huge disgusting boogers all over my arm and the floor. Yep. Definitely got a cold.

So she's on light work (no sweating) for 5 days until it clears up and 3 big scoops of tucaprim a day for a week. Poor mare mare :[ But she's eating fine, acting fine and doesn't have a fever so it isn't terrible.

Hopefully she is better in time for GREG BEST next week :]

Absent... BUT NOW I'm Back!

Sorry to the two of you who read this! (tehe) I have been really lazy about blogging lately, and so I shall catch up tonight with a recap post...

Monroe has been doing very well! She has been very good, and is loving her new more relaxed way of traveling! Her jumping has improved miles as well...

We still need to work on our straitening and improving our suppleness and connection to the right. I have started taking flat work lessons with Becky Hart, who taught me to ride, and she is straightening me out :] so hopefully in a few months I will no longer be crooked! I plan to keep working with her until I go off to school in September. (Oh yea, I GOT INTO UC DAVIS WOOHOOO!!! Aggies, here I come!) Once I'm straight we are going to move on to some dressage work, I am very excited!

We had a show this past weekend, and had lots of fun with the Triple Bar Stables (triplebarstables.com) team! Our hunter round was ok, a few bad distances, but overall pretty good... Our ability to perform in the show ring like we can at home is improving, but still has miles to go! My eq course was a disaster, and I went off course... It's the ring nerves! The jumper course was almost the same, but I found my fence (with help... oops) and even though I circled my fence they still let me do the jump off... I won a jump off against myself? LOL The other girl in my class went completely off course and jumped the wrong fence... oh well... We ended the day with a hunter hack class, where we placed 2nd out of 3... Not too bad! Our flat work was fussy, but our line redeemed us, even though we ate up the distance and the second fence was short, Monroe took it like a champ and jumped it nicely. Overall not a bad day... We definitely still need work, but at least we are improving.

Tomorrow we have a lesson with Becky, and then a vet appointment at 4-Miss Monroe gets her shots, and a hock exam (shes been doing really well on the adequan and legend, but its always good to know where we're at) and a checkup, because shes been coughing alot lately, and I don't like the sound of it!

Enjoy the pics from this weekend!