Avandarre in Dressage

Here is what a First Level Test 3 test should look like: 2011 USEF First Level Test 3 with Scores Here is what my First Level Test 3 test looked like: My First Level Test 3 with Scores General Information: Relaxing the Horse:  http://youtu.be/Mf-OLvpdfd8 Exercises that progress toward first level balance and acceptance: http://youtu.be/mlYfnztt3Rs Article on connection: http://www.usdf.org/EduDocs/Training/FirstLevelLesson_2006_Feb.pdf Leg Yielding Information: Leg yield video with scores and directives: http://youtu.be/b3ZYNzTcGiM Leg yielding with Jan Brink: http://youtu.be/sXEh96FR9xM Stretchy Trot Information: Stretchy Trot video with scores and directives: http://youtu.be/FLBPFl4JAsY Stretchy trot, aids and purpose: http://youtu.be/0_4ms6sDn8w Using proper rhythm to improve the stretching of the frame: http://youtu.be/MkrSzsSor20 Canter Lengthening Information: Canter Lengthening with Directives and Scores: http://youtu.be/R7dd_bY-haY Trot Len...

I participated in the Roz Kinstler clinic today.  My brain is overloaded! Next time I'm bringing a note book and writing this stuff down. Just listening to Roz teach the other riders was fantastic. The back story on Ava and my start to the day: Ava refused to load. Tried everything. Last November Ava was walking onto the trailer without batting an eyelash. Not today. Today, she didn't want to. My ride time was at 9:00 am, and I'm almost an hour away from where the clinic was at. At 8:39, Ava finally loaded. I was very lucky that my trainer offered to switch ride times with me so that I could still participate in the clinic today (Thank you so much, Bern!). The Ride: It started off getting Ava convinced that I could hold the right rein and move her shoulders over when going right. Roz had a great tip/tool of raising the inside hand about 2-3 inches higher than the left hand and then basically holding it in place. Kind of a "I am here, you deal with it" hold. ...

This should be so easy, and I'm totally not getting it. We went from perfectly (for us) balanced, soft, and engaged to... to... Yuck . Just Yuck. I'm seriously thinking about throwing in my helmet. It's so discouraging when you just can't fix the problem. I know there's a problem, I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is, but nothing I try fixes the problem. So then Ava hangs on that right rein, and twists her body so that it's impossible for her to work correctly. Then I get frustrated, and upset, and for some reason I think if I just try harder that that will magically fix it. HA (that was a sarcastic Ha). I feel like I'll never get this.  *sigh*

It's not really day two, but I've been busy, so I'll just mark these in chronological order. What I've learned in a week of working on a straighter horse that's using her back better, is this... it's all incremental levels of straightness, connection, and engagement. I think for some reason I've always had the idea that connection was either there, or not there. I mean, I get that connection can be better, or worse, depending on the day and other factors, but I think I was holding onto a believe that for the most part connection was just there. But it's more complicated than that. And my belief about connection was hampered by the idea that connection has to do with the bit and the horse's mouth. From what I'm learning, it has very little to do with the mouth, and so much more to do with having the horse directly between the knee's and powering off both sides evenly. This is my tentative theory on the whole thing (take it for what it...

If the horse doesn't meet the hand consistently, then I have a tendency to pull back. How do I not pull back? I'm supposed to drive the horse forward into contact, but the horse doesn't always agree with that. I shorten the reins to get back to a point where there is consistent contact and drive forward. But now the horse's neck is an inch long. And at this point I'm screwed. Return to forward hands.... I place my hands back in the box and press the horse forward with my calves. Horse meets the contact so I give a little with my fingers and release the leg pressure. Horse then leans solidly on the bit. I press horse forward again, head and neck come up and back, I shorten my reins (since there is now a big loop in them). Horse's neck is an inch long... Again. What I learned today is that it's all in the release. And, I'm not doing it right. I'm like 2 seconds too slow every time. I also learned that screwing it up is easy, fixing it is not.