Today I had a jumping lesson and we ended up jumping inside due to threatening clouds and scattered rain, it actually turned out quite well for Rowdy and I!! Before the lesson I lunged him with side reins to get him using his back and going forward. When we got into the arena my instructor had set up a gymnastic over by E and K that was, x, one stride, x, one stride, oxer. And then over at B she had a vertical and there was also a bending line of verticals on the centerline A to C. I started out doing walk canter transitions because it really helps Rowdy keep his back up, his canter started out better than it usually is and just kept getting better! =D His trot was also a lot better, we did lots of strechy chewy circles and once his back was really warmed up he was like, "Oh! I really can do this and it feels good!!" So my instructor set up the gymnastic just as an x to x and I went through and everything was hunky dory. Then when I was getting Rowdy back on the bit at the canter she set the last x to a novice size oxer and I came around the corner and I was like, woah! wait! and was kind of holding him back all the way through the line and therefore did not get a very good jump. So the next time I really came around with some power, not speed, power. And Rowdy jumped through it like it was a bunch of ground poles =D. So all in all we did a lot of gymnastic work and a few courses and it went really well! Rowdy was such a good boy and really used his back the whole time so I was very proud of him!
Also an update on the schedule, I am going to try and go cross country schooling on the 18th, and that would be just under a month away from championships and I am going to try and schedule a lesson with Lindy Wetherford a week or two before the horse trials! Thanks for Reading!!
~Amelia
Aug 30, 2010
Aug 29, 2010
8/29/2010
Well a lot has gone on since my last post, I have had a few great lessons and school has started! Since school has started last week it has been pretty crazy and i have only been able to ride like 3 times the past week :/ So Rowdy has had a nice vacation! Now on with the lessons!
I am going to go backwards and start with the most resent lesson. Last thursday I had a dressage lesson and i had a few breakthroughs with Rowdy!! My instructor wanted to work on Rowdy's suppleness so she had me do an exercize where i was cantering on a 20 meter circle and each time i crossed the center line I cantered a 10 meter circle and then went back onto the center line and repeted! This exercize was really nice because it was progressive, this first time we did it Rowdy lost impulsion, fell-in on his shoulder and kept the 20 meter bend in his body. The next few times we did it I really had to keep him jumping and bend him around my inside leg and really have him bend through his body. The next thing she had us do was trot up the quarter line and leg yield out to the wall. It was actually a lot harder for us than I had expected because Rowdy didn't really want to use his hindquarters and therefore he was leading with his soulders and I would try and half-halt his shoulders and he would just stop and be like "Oh, NO! I can't go sideways in a straight line!!" haha. So my instructor had me go back to the walk and make Rowdy realize that he COULD and WOULD leg yield straight and be sensitive to my leg. I had to get pretty agressive with my leg and stick and then Rowdy was like "OH!! You're SERIOUS!!" and after that we had no problem. =D
Before that lesson we had a jumping lesson with my jumping instructor and it is usually a group lesson but no one else showed up so I got a private lesson =D We decided to jump outside. She really wanted to work on my position because I started to do the hunterly thing and close the angle with my chest so she really made me sit up with my chest and WAIT!! The local place where we school has mostly elementary jumps with a few beginner novice and one (small) novice jump so it really is the perfect place to work on your form and technique! It was going really well until we went to jump this triple bar that we had already jumped like 4 times and we got to the base of it and Rowdy was like "OHMYGODWHATISTHAT!!" And ducked out to the left and stupid me was still doing the hunterly thing so i just slipped off his side and rolled over a couple times lol. I had grass sticking out of my helmet and looked like a scarecrow haha =D. We wern't really sure what happened, we think something spooked him because he had already jumped it 4 times fine. So I got back on and jumped a few more and Rowdy was really good and I started to actually look like a cross country rider =D After that we called it a day! =D
That took up a lot of space so i'll just tell you my plans for the rest of the year and my goals! I only have one event left and that is the Colorado Horse Park Fall Horse Trials and Area 9 Championships. I am qualified for campionships so I will be in that division. The horse trials aren't until October 9,10,11. So I have all of September to get ready! My goals are to get a dressage score in the 30's, preferably around 35! And of course clean and clear showjumping and cross country!! =D I will keep you up to date with lessons and other goings on =D
I am going to go backwards and start with the most resent lesson. Last thursday I had a dressage lesson and i had a few breakthroughs with Rowdy!! My instructor wanted to work on Rowdy's suppleness so she had me do an exercize where i was cantering on a 20 meter circle and each time i crossed the center line I cantered a 10 meter circle and then went back onto the center line and repeted! This exercize was really nice because it was progressive, this first time we did it Rowdy lost impulsion, fell-in on his shoulder and kept the 20 meter bend in his body. The next few times we did it I really had to keep him jumping and bend him around my inside leg and really have him bend through his body. The next thing she had us do was trot up the quarter line and leg yield out to the wall. It was actually a lot harder for us than I had expected because Rowdy didn't really want to use his hindquarters and therefore he was leading with his soulders and I would try and half-halt his shoulders and he would just stop and be like "Oh, NO! I can't go sideways in a straight line!!" haha. So my instructor had me go back to the walk and make Rowdy realize that he COULD and WOULD leg yield straight and be sensitive to my leg. I had to get pretty agressive with my leg and stick and then Rowdy was like "OH!! You're SERIOUS!!" and after that we had no problem. =D
Before that lesson we had a jumping lesson with my jumping instructor and it is usually a group lesson but no one else showed up so I got a private lesson =D We decided to jump outside. She really wanted to work on my position because I started to do the hunterly thing and close the angle with my chest so she really made me sit up with my chest and WAIT!! The local place where we school has mostly elementary jumps with a few beginner novice and one (small) novice jump so it really is the perfect place to work on your form and technique! It was going really well until we went to jump this triple bar that we had already jumped like 4 times and we got to the base of it and Rowdy was like "OHMYGODWHATISTHAT!!" And ducked out to the left and stupid me was still doing the hunterly thing so i just slipped off his side and rolled over a couple times lol. I had grass sticking out of my helmet and looked like a scarecrow haha =D. We wern't really sure what happened, we think something spooked him because he had already jumped it 4 times fine. So I got back on and jumped a few more and Rowdy was really good and I started to actually look like a cross country rider =D After that we called it a day! =D
That took up a lot of space so i'll just tell you my plans for the rest of the year and my goals! I only have one event left and that is the Colorado Horse Park Fall Horse Trials and Area 9 Championships. I am qualified for campionships so I will be in that division. The horse trials aren't until October 9,10,11. So I have all of September to get ready! My goals are to get a dressage score in the 30's, preferably around 35! And of course clean and clear showjumping and cross country!! =D I will keep you up to date with lessons and other goings on =D
Aug 13, 2010
Rocky Mountain Horse Trials
Well hello there!! I'm writing this a few days after the Rocky Mountain Horse Trials in Longmont CO. There is so much to tell!! Well we got a late start leaving on friday and therefore got there at like 8 PM!!!! So of course the show office was closed and we had to find out where our stall was, where we could get shavings.... we never did figure that one out and had to borrow from some friends!! lol. After we got Rowdy all settled in we went and got ourselves set up!
Dressage!! Well i got up early and walked Rowdy and then put him back and let him get some breakfast , then a few hours later i got him out again and braided him, then, finally, we tacked up for dressage. Thankfully they waved coats so i didn't have to die of heat stroke! I also actually lunged him for like 10 miniutes before/ in my warm up with side reins. Than in my actual warm-up i didn't do that much. I reviewed my dressage test with the most amazing girl who ran me through the dressage test! THANK YOU!! My actual test was very good!! I shaved 5 points off my dressage test to go from a 46 to a 41 which is really amazing for us!
Show Jumping!! Well i got out there a little bit early so i just walked around for a while. I had already walked the course earlier so i didn't have to do that! I ended shortening my stirrups to my cross country length!! Because as i am now discovering i like my stirrups ever shorter!! Any ways i didn't really do anything in my warm-up and that worked for us. I cantered a little bit but didn't really do any trotting because it tends to make Rowdy brace his back and come above the bit!! AAAAHHHHH!!! something to work on anyways haha. Our actual round was amazing! Rowdy saved me a couple times because he is amazing! ;) We ended up clean and clear!!
So that night i took out Rowdy's braids and walked him for a while and then put some standing bandages on him. Then i walked him some more and finally gave him some dinner and his well diserved rest!! I am so looking forward to tomorrow and so is Rowdy!!
X-C!!! I love cross country!!! I had walked the course three times and it was twisty, turny, and big!! It looked so fun!! Once again we didn't really do that much in the warmup, we did some trot work and then worked on his adjustability in the gallop. and then jumped the barn a few times and then we were off! We were a little worried about the footing but we had studs so it turned out to be ok! Rowdy just took off from the box and attacked the first jump and the second, and the third!!! Coming to the 4th jump you had to come between 2 big prelim cord woods and Rowdy locked on to the cord wood!! I was like NOOOO!! haha he looked so excited and i felt kinda bad because i was secretly pleased haha!! But we had so much fun!! we came in like 25 seconds under the time with no jump penalties and Rowdy looked like he could go do the whole thing over again!
So after show jumping I was in 15th place and then after cross country i was in 8th out of 18!! It really was a cross country competition and i really love that!! So Overall an amazing weekend!! Our next event is the Fall horse trials at the Colorado Horse Park and Area 9 championships. We might also go to Windy Wyoming Horse Trials in Laramie WY. So i'll talk to you later then!!
Dressage!! Well i got up early and walked Rowdy and then put him back and let him get some breakfast , then a few hours later i got him out again and braided him, then, finally, we tacked up for dressage. Thankfully they waved coats so i didn't have to die of heat stroke! I also actually lunged him for like 10 miniutes before/ in my warm up with side reins. Than in my actual warm-up i didn't do that much. I reviewed my dressage test with the most amazing girl who ran me through the dressage test! THANK YOU!! My actual test was very good!! I shaved 5 points off my dressage test to go from a 46 to a 41 which is really amazing for us!
Show Jumping!! Well i got out there a little bit early so i just walked around for a while. I had already walked the course earlier so i didn't have to do that! I ended shortening my stirrups to my cross country length!! Because as i am now discovering i like my stirrups ever shorter!! Any ways i didn't really do anything in my warm-up and that worked for us. I cantered a little bit but didn't really do any trotting because it tends to make Rowdy brace his back and come above the bit!! AAAAHHHHH!!! something to work on anyways haha. Our actual round was amazing! Rowdy saved me a couple times because he is amazing! ;) We ended up clean and clear!!
So that night i took out Rowdy's braids and walked him for a while and then put some standing bandages on him. Then i walked him some more and finally gave him some dinner and his well diserved rest!! I am so looking forward to tomorrow and so is Rowdy!!
X-C!!! I love cross country!!! I had walked the course three times and it was twisty, turny, and big!! It looked so fun!! Once again we didn't really do that much in the warmup, we did some trot work and then worked on his adjustability in the gallop. and then jumped the barn a few times and then we were off! We were a little worried about the footing but we had studs so it turned out to be ok! Rowdy just took off from the box and attacked the first jump and the second, and the third!!! Coming to the 4th jump you had to come between 2 big prelim cord woods and Rowdy locked on to the cord wood!! I was like NOOOO!! haha he looked so excited and i felt kinda bad because i was secretly pleased haha!! But we had so much fun!! we came in like 25 seconds under the time with no jump penalties and Rowdy looked like he could go do the whole thing over again!
So after show jumping I was in 15th place and then after cross country i was in 8th out of 18!! It really was a cross country competition and i really love that!! So Overall an amazing weekend!! Our next event is the Fall horse trials at the Colorado Horse Park and Area 9 championships. We might also go to Windy Wyoming Horse Trials in Laramie WY. So i'll talk to you later then!!
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