Yesterday was kind of chilly and drizzly - it looks like the mares got rained on, but they were dry in their stalls when I arrived at the barn yesterday. I was a bit crabby after driving in stupid, aggravating traffic, but I got Bails tacked up for dressage. I'm still debating whether or not I need a shorter girth, or more holes in my billets on my dressage saddle. Bailey seems fit and in good weight, and seems to actually be moving into the "I might have muscle tone" stage of life, which makes me happy. She looks like a flabby Jennifer Aniston without muscle tone (I have a friend who says she has a Jennifer Aniston butt, vs Foxie's Beyonce butt).
Dressage wise, Bailey was so-so. We rode in the top small ring, which was new to B, partially flooded, next to a swing set which Bailey thought was quite scary, next to the driveway where lots of people were driving in and she wanted to be up, on her forehand and finicky about the mud. I changed her bit out last night from the regular hunter dee back to the magickal weighted 16 mm loose ring and while she hung on my hands less, I missed the stability the dee was giving me in my hand. I still need to work on closing my fingers on the reins and keeping better contact on my outside rein - those are my two working points for our next ride.
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| Top: Bailey, Week 1 at 4 years old. Bottom Left: Winter 2013-2015, Left Large: Yesterday. |
Dressage wise, Bailey was so-so. We rode in the top small ring, which was new to B, partially flooded, next to a swing set which Bailey thought was quite scary, next to the driveway where lots of people were driving in and she wanted to be up, on her forehand and finicky about the mud. I changed her bit out last night from the regular hunter dee back to the magickal weighted 16 mm loose ring and while she hung on my hands less, I missed the stability the dee was giving me in my hand. I still need to work on closing my fingers on the reins and keeping better contact on my outside rein - those are my two working points for our next ride.
Work wise, Bailey was... sub par. She was generally obedient, but wasn't really connected, and thus, no brilliance was achieved. We did putz around in the new indoor arenas and I was happy that miss crazy pants didn't spook, kill the child on the pony, or do something otherwise stupid because of the new indoors, with mirrors. I have a feeling its going to be more of a challenge to jump in the winters at Woodloch, but it was just as hard at Dakota, when I come to think of it. Perhaps I should find myself a jumping lesson to join over the winter so I can benefit from having the lesson group and having someone to set and raise jumps for me (I mean, and teach me, that too.) I am hoping that the pony and children lessons die down in the coldest months, which makes sense for the kids, and would make it easier to ride over the winter. We did dressage most of the winter both of the last two years, so it should be fine 90% of the time.
The rest of this week will be another dressage ride, and hopefully another weekend jump school. Now that we've had a dressage school that actually did productive things, it's time for both of us to buckle down and get back to work.
The rest of this week will be another dressage ride, and hopefully another weekend jump school. Now that we've had a dressage school that actually did productive things, it's time for both of us to buckle down and get back to work.
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