I had my first ride today in a month. It nearly didn't happen as Mr 5 threw himself on the floor this morning and screamed "I'm never going to school again!" This is after only 2 days of school, so he hasn't even lasted a week. I replied "Oh yes you are". It doesn't pay to mess with a mum who hasn't ridden in a month and has had 2 boisterous boys home all summer! lol
Molly has her shoes back on so I was able to walk next door to use the neighbour's arena. I lunged her with the sidesaddle on and I noticed that it slid quite noticeably to the right on the lunge. I loosened off the balance strap which helped, but should it move that much? It also looked like it was bouncing a bit at the back when she moved. I'm not sure if I should be worried about that or not?
Second thought for the day - her trot is really starting to develop now. My trainer rode her a few times before Xmas and Molly seems to have had a lightbulb moment that she can actually use her back and track up instead of doing the horrible, anxious little pony trot. We actually managed about a third of a 20m circle that felt fantastic! She has moments of 4-5 strides where it feels like I am riding a balloon, she is so soft, light and round. Then it all goes to crap... LOL
Left canter lead is a disaster however. I need to re-read and burn into my brain Robin's post on the phantom limb. I am 99% sure the problem is me, as I haven't decided what my aid for left canter is. Right seems sorted - a wee lift of the right rein and a quick "swipe" with my left leg and she pops into canter. I just can't get my head around what to do on the left. I *need* to keep my left leg still, as I am confusing her by making the same swipe with my leg and she is popping into counter canter :) I need to figure out what I am doing with my whip. Do I tap, swipe, nudge? Molly is a smart wee mare and as long as I am consistent in what I do, she will know that it means left canter. So I need to get that sorted.
We have just over 2 weeks until our first dressage competition for the year, and our first dressage aside outing against astride riders. No pressure *GULP*
When your saddle slid to the right, which direction was Molly going? It is unusual for a sidesaddle to slip to the offside, but it certainly can, especially if the horse isn't bending correctly and is tilting her barrel to the outside rather than arcing through her spine.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, it's just about impossible to overtighten a balance girth unless you're Sampson. Since the balance girth runs over top of the the main girth, the balance girth can't really be cranked down without the main girth being overtight as well. (Unless, like me, you use a short balance girth.)
Also, remember that a balance girth assists in maintaining saddle position, but it is not entirely responsible for it. This is a generalization of saddle fitting, but for the most part the saddle is held in place by the front flocking and panels and is only supplemented by the balance girth. Several women in the grand old days rode without balance girths because they could afford to have a sidesaddle custom made for each horse they rode. The other side of that coin is the fact that even the best fitting saddle in the world will shift if the rider doesn't sit properly. So, check the fitting over the points of the saddle and make sure that there's enough flocking to keep the saddle upright. Even if you think it's adequate, try adding a shim and lunging again.
Believe me, I know very well the exasperation of a few strides of correct movement followed by some sort of inversion and falling onto the forehand. I used to think of dressage as a series of checklists...but horses don't see it that way and progress on their own terms. It can be frustrating, but the way forward is usually 5 good strides followed by 6 good strides followed by 7...you get the picture. Also remember that this upcoming show is just one evaluation of a journey that will take years; while you want to make a good showing, don't obsess over it. It's one more bump in the road!
The saddle slid to the right on the right rein. Its also the side that she has been sore on and still not 100%, I did wonder if she was holding herself different? My neighbour is a chiropractor and thought her shoulder might be sore and showed me where to massage and a stretch to do for her. Interesting it didn't slide as much today, and there was no evident soreness.
ReplyDeleteI also spoke to the para-dressage people today and they are incredibly supportive of me doing sidesaddle. It gives you a real lift to feel that there is someone else in your corner to battle the beaurcrats and I have a bit of renewed enthusiasm now to get stuck in to our work :)
I still find it mind boggling that you're running into resistence showing aside when the rest of the world is on board. After all, if the FEI allows sidesaddles, why won't NZ?
ReplyDeleteOwen gets a daily massage...he goes into paroxysms of delight, and almost falls over on the cross ties.