Back to dressage

With our return to Second this weekend after the total shit show that went down the last time we presented ourselves to the public, I assumed I'd fall into: cram everything into the week before, get the horse super tense and angry, go in not feeling at all good about preparation.

But instead so far I've made good choices!

I've stayed chill, the horse has stayed chill, and I feel like a I have a good plan to put in relaxed tests which is really the best we can hope for. 

Yesterday we amazingly were able to ride in the outdoor despite the absolute deluge of rain on Saturday--and the preceding two weeks. He was good for the lateral work. What we worked hard on were the halt and the simple changes. I had to get after him a couple times on both those things, but they were fair corrections and he knew he was being a bit of a shit because he took them without drama.

At the halt, he's for fucking sure learned how to count to three and after his three steps he goes forward again. Well, sir, sometimes I want to do the counting and sometimes I want to do four steps. Or maybe even five. JUST BECAUSE. By the end he stopped fighting me on math and would let me pick how many steps we did. And they were quite lovely.

The simple changes were shit because once again he was being lazy and not wanting to load the hind end with enough collection. We got those at the end, but I was one hundred percent working harder than he was to make them happen. 

would rather snack than dressage. same, bro.
yet here we are.

Knowing that the problem with these stupid simple changes was on Opie and not me, I dug Mr Tappy out of my trailer and rode with him today.

He warmed up super well and I worked on making sure our circles/spirals were off my leg and not from pulling my inside rein. I have to lift my inside hand up high and put both hands close together over his neck to trick my brain into this, but the reins stay soft and Opie responds well so we roll with it. Seeing as how my hands are usually in my lap anyway, this probably actually makes them where they're supposed to be.

The start of the canter work was sloppy as we got going. At one point he even tried to snatch the reins and jump the single vertical in the ring we were circling by which was very rude. After his second shitty downward transition and then crawling into the canter I immediately sent him back into, he got one tap on the butt and magically the hind end could do its job. Imagine that! He didn't get offended by it either!

He gave me a good simple change, some really good counter canter, and then we finished with two banging medium trots across the diagonal while I posted. I wish I could produce those while sitting because he's really learned to reach and bounce and not just run. It will come, just like the rest. Hopefully.