Dressage Clinic Update!

We went, we saw, and we conquered! Haha, not really. It was really fun though!

When I got to the farm Saturday morning, Luke was standing in his stall looking all sleepy after breakfast. I pulled him out and stuck him on a lunge line. He was not amused. For the first five minutes, it was like pulling teeth to even get a trot. Then he started cantering and bucking and got most of his excitement out.

We hopped on the trailer (Good boy Luke!), and off we went. When he came off the trailer, he looked around, and promptly started to graze. I stuck him in a stall and went to watch the canter group go. I learned a lot just by watching them.

Then it was our turn. I was nervous because I was afraid Luke was gonna explode, but I shouldn't have been worried. He was a little looky warming up and I thought he was going to explode, but he didn't. After a few minutes of warmup, our group lesson started.

I'm out of shape...or I just don't work hard enough in my riding time at home. I'm used to lots of walk breaks. We trotted for a good ten minutes. Luke wasn't winded, but I sure was. We worked a lot on bending (I did get used as a good example of using my corners though! Even if he was counterbent through them). She said that if I work on lateral flexion first, the rest will come, and he will start to be more supple and through and come into contact better. She said sometimes you have to sacrifice prettyness for accuracy. She said not to worry about him being on the bit, that that will come.

We did some circles, which weren't TOO terrible, but he still wants to speed up to get through them quickly. I should have worn spurs, I could NOT get him off my leg for anything. I wear spurs at home, but I figured I wouldn't need them for the clinic. She said that I just have to convince him that he wants to bend.

We worked on centerlines, and he actually came down centerline pretty straight. I was very proud of him. Then we rode our test. We just did Intro A. It wasn't the best test I've ever done, but it definitely wasn't the worst. It was better than at some shows, and I didn't even practice for Saturday! She said that she would like to see him a little less hollow and tense, and more relaxed, but that it would come with training. She really liked him and said we made a nice pair.

I feel a lot better now that we've gotten out and gone somewhere and it wasn't a disaster! I think the key is just to lunge him before we leave, and make sure he has plenty of time to chill once we get there! Now on to the dressage show at GreyMack on the 27th. I think someone was taking pictures on Saturday, if I get any, I'll post them! :)

New saddle and other fun stuff!

Sometime in the next week or two, my new saddle will be here! I'm super excited :) It's an older Crosby Olympia, but in great condition. I can't wait to try it out. Hopefully it will be a better fit than the wintec was. Luke's not too picky or hard to fit, so it will probably work out as long as it works for me.

We might be going to a dressage clinic on Saturday too :) If Molly's dad doesn't have to work and can take us, we'll be going to a little barn down the road for a ride-a-test clinic. It would be a great experience for Luke, who will hopefully not spaz out at everything. Silly boy.

On the 27th, we're going to a dressage show in North Canton. Hopefully that goes well too. I might make someone else ride him :)

Mini camp at South Farm is next month...crazy that it's coming up so soon. I'm sooo excited for it. That will probably be the first mini trial we show at too. I could possibly get a ride to Stone Gate on the 28th of this month, but I seem to have really bad luck there. I probably need to suck it up and go and have a good experience and get over it, but I'm nervous to now. It's like a mental block or something.

Hmm, I think that's all for updates. Luke had a couple of weeks off because his feet were long, but he just got new shoes yesterday and I was very impressed with the new farrier. Hopefully we have a few good rides soon that I can post about.