I had an astride dressage lesson on Tuesday - my trainer *hates* sidesaddle and won’t even contemplate it unfortunately. My first lesson in 8 weeks and first time astride this year and boy did my body scream in protest and my ankles gave out by the end of it :(
Anyhoo... my trainer is happy with how Molly’s trot is progressing so we worked on canter transitions. She wanted inside leg only and just *thinking* pop into canter. It was hard work and Molly threw her toys a number of times (she gets quite fizzy and winds herself up once we start cantering) but we seemed to make some progress.
The last 2 days I have ridden aside, used inside leg for canter departs and she has got them every time. Why did no one tell me it is so much EASIER to use that phantom right leg when you clench your buttock as you think inside leg by the girth and a scoop with your right hip bone? Canter departs left are not as snappy as I would like them but it is a work in progress. I am so happy, it feels like we are finally talking the same language :)
So now we just have to refine it, and Molly has taken it as proof that she is indeed a very clever mare.. roll on our first dressage start next weekend!
Yes, the inside leg is the answer to all canter woes. But like Dorothy, you had to learn that for yourself, since it's all about feel.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to be a downer, but you might want to consider a different coach. I've found that if your instructor doesn't support you it's difficult to make any progress. This doesn't just apply to sidesaddle. I've quit riding with some instructors, including one that was short listed for the USET, when they either didn't believe in my horses or disagreed with my persistence to keep jumping my upper level horses.
Trainer woes cause me as many problems as sidesaddle fit! lol
ReplyDeleteThis is a new trainer and on the plus side in just 5 lessons we have had a massive breakthrough with Molly actually releasing her back and using herself correctly - and tracking up. I spent 3 years with my previous trainer who never got Molly out of the teeny tiny anxious pony trot. New trainer also gets on Molly and rides her when I can't because of the arthritis and really likes Molly - she keeps trying to buy her for her daughter :) BUT - she won't even consider sidesaddle and is alot heavier in the hand than I like.
I have a lesson with another trainer at the end of February, it is someone who travels here every couple of months to run a clinic and she is suppose to be very classical in her approach and goes to Australia to clinic with Philip Karl when he is downunder. I am just trying to work up the courage to email the clinic organiser and ask if I can ride aside... I'm just not sure if I should or not.
What do you do? Do you ask trainers if you can ride aside at clinics or do you just turn up with a sidesaddle? I think part of it is that I just don't feel "good enough" to ride aside with people watching me :(