Lesson update!

Monroe and I had a wonderful lesson today, AND our new special girth came! Its a bates girth with the CAIR system air cushion and a wider belly plate. She had been egtting sore from out other girth-she's very sensitive!

Anyway, for the lesson,

she started out really nice and stretchy, although alittle strange in the left hind... but she seemed to work out of it so its no big deal! We worked on some equitation for the show this weekend, and it went well. We even got a clean lead chage to the right over a pole! (The right is our hard side)

We put out a line of poles, which went ok, but then we started getting frazzled and Monroe started to lock up. NOOOOOOOOO... luckily we have learned that the best thing to do is go back to basics and let her unwind a bit. I have also realized that I tend to get stressed when instructions are constantly being thrown at me. I am very aware of everything, and I know a lot of what we are working on right now... Sometimes I need my instructor to give me a command, and then LET ME WORK ON IT on my own for a bit. I am much more relaxed and it gives me time to think and figure things out. Anyway, she let me work with Monroe for awhile on my own to settle her while she worked with my friend.

I worked on lots of trotting the poles instead of cantering and getting her to really loose and relaxed. Lots of down transitions to get her paying attention and not rushing... Once we relaxed we were able to canter the line nicely both directions, and we even set the poles up to fences... SHE JUMPED LIKE A SUPER STAR. I'm so excited, my horse has major talent hidden in there!

On another note-we've been riding in the field behind the neighbor's place, and having some major slippage problem. I could not figure out a solution. Studs were the obvious answer, but I really did not want to put shoes on her hind feet. I spent the day thinking up ideas... and I came up with basically a better fitting easy boot with studs... I checked their site for ideas and lo and behold THEY HAVE EXACTLY WHAT I NEED! I have to wait for my paycheck, but after that I'm measuring her feet and ordering a pair of easyboot gloves with studs and power strap! I'm super excited :]

MASSAGGGEEE

Miss Monroe had a chiropractic appointment today! I originally called our lovely Chiropractor out to address some girth soreness issues we were having, I'm glad I did because boy was my horse out of whack! I think she had 2-3 ribs on either side, both shoulders, behind the right knee and her pelvis out, as well as the upper part of her withers! WOW She was glad to have all her ouchies popped back into place! Silly horse, she must have been having wayyy too much fun in the mud and slipped around a bunch... We're still not sure how the heck she put her withers out of alignment! I had the chiro check our saddle fit as well, and she gave us the gold star! WOOHOO I love it when my saddle is properly adjusted!

Miss Monroe gets a day off tomorrow and then a jumping lesson Thursday! (Lesson should make for an exciting update!)

Past Adventures and Lessons from Greg Best

What I learned from Greg Best:

I have a godawful eye for distance.
So I need to:
Practice jumping every day
use a pole and a set distance to help me find my eye

Monroe gets her confidence from me, and if I'm not confident, she isn't
So I need to:
do the pole exercise every day
be decisive, make a move to the jump and stick with it
forward is good, we need more forward, more impulsion

I lean to the inside of turns over fences
I am a bad girl!!! and it just confuses my lovely darling kind horse
So:
Practice straightness at all times, you can not turn unless you are straight first
in order to counteract her tendency to dive, take her wide to the side she leans to and leg yield as a preemptive strike
look as I'm turning, not before

My horse has a sensitive mouth, and shies away from the bit, not accepting contact, in a strong bit she fusses.
I need:
A mullen happy mouth snaffle
more bit does not fix bad riding

My horse hates flatwork. and does not willingly accept a steady contact. I have two options here:
Don't care where her head is. Just keep that nice steady giving contact at all times, make my hands a safe place for her to sit, DO NOT BRACE
option 2: force her to accept contact. (ie draws, etc)
but, i should try option a for a bit with the new bit heh. Either way, choose a way and stick to it! but no matter what no bracing

My stirrups were too long and my leg was infront of me.
so, ride with my stirrups two holes shorter, tighten up my leg and keep it back, swinging leg disappears :]


Other things I learned:
When stuff goes wrong I have to refocus and LET IT GO
I have to ride like I'm riding Sparticus


And also,
I screwed up my horse. she has no personal sense of distance now, so it's up to me to be the leader and choose the right distance, cuz she'll follow me no matter what
I really need better training, the people I have are nice and I love them but I need the details now. If I want to go far I need one of the big shots who has been there done that


And the final thing I must remember:

"If you mess it up this time i'm going to punch you in the head"


Since that clinic, which was uhhhh almost a year ago I think? We have made fantastic improvements! We had a provate lesson with him 3 months after the origional clinic and he remembered us and complemented us on our progress! YAY! Anyway, since then we have:
-found the perfect bit (a waterford full cheek, which she LOVES)
-begun to teach the horse to think for herself and see a distance, which in the process has helped strengthen my eye
-strengthened my lower leg

We are still working on straightness.... Anyway, post from real time, tomorrow!