It’s The Same Old Song and Dance, My Friends….(Dressage Remus Style)

Finally got out to Emily’s this week for another dressage lesson. Again, why she puts up with us sometimes I wonder! It seems to be the same old song and dance every time with us. My brain does not comprehend all the tasks at hand (thumbs out, sit back, legs stretch down to the girth, oh and breathe!!). I swear it is like this in my brain:

We have had nonstop rain all week. GRHHH. The day of my lesson it poured in the morning but it did clear, kind of for my lesson (it was in the indoor so no big deal but I hate loading and hauling in the rain). It has been gloomy and dismal all week.

It certainly is not helping my mood or clearheadedness at all! I also have a kind of lethargy going on (not sure if it is the weather or just my general mood, but seriously….). I think I need a mood lifter or something or at least something to help me think clearer.

Speaking of the arena at Fox Mill, isn’t it gorgeous? I love riding there and am so lucky I can haul over to take lessons with Emily there!

Remus does not share my joy in this lovely arena! Oh well…though he did take a look back at the pigeons making noises during our selfie session!

We started out with Emily getting us to do some trot work. Actually for all my fussing, our trot work was pretty darn good in our lesson. He was setting his jaw a bit on me which caused my shoulders to ache (1100 lb horse vs me, yeah he will win!).

So I asked Emily what to do and she told me to play with the rein (as in a correction but not harsh) on the inside then give in when he relaxes. (This is the left way we do this, The RIGHT way (his good way) I do the same thing but have to hold my outside rein as well to keep Remus straight (one way no bend, other way he is wanting to overbend). It was almost a light bulb moment because it worked!! YAY. He got a bit fussy once in a while but he was pretty honest and steady the whole time. Huge effort on his part for sure considering the last time we were at Fox Mill, Emily had to get on him and make him behave! #badpony #couldhavesoldhimthatday

So he was much better and steadier BUT I can’t remember to point my thumbs out or sit back (my  hunter rider comes out even in the dressage saddle especially when I get tense or nervous or both!) or whatever. So I really feel that Emily could record her lesson to me and replay it each lesson and save her voice from wear and tear. She is always lovely to work with but I am always embarrassed a bit that a 50 plus year old woman can’t follow basics that a 12 year old girl can. Yeah….

We stopped to discuss some things and then of course we had to do some canter work which I was dreading. Big time. Sigh. And of course by then Remus thought, oh we are done right? Um…no…sorry big guy.

But he actually was pretty good. We did a lot of work on the circle trotting then doing transitions into the canter  and back to the trot. He did buck once or twice but if I would SIT the heck up and ask him correctly, he went into it. Amazing right? The thing is he has programmed me. I think he is going to buck so I don’t really ask for the canter. I know he, he knows it, Emily knows it. But I have trouble letting that programming go.  Bad me. Bad him. We did get some decent departures and the best part was he didn’t run thru the canter but paid attention and listened to me. We still need to work on our downward transitions to the trot (Well hello, Remus head, why you up here in my face???) but  baby steps am I right?

So overall, I was pleased with it. I always feel better once I ride with Emily (it is almost like therapy she could charge even more if she wanted). Even if I can’t remember everything and I get tired really really fast (MUST breathe more) we are definitely going into the right direction. Maybe….

We have a show at Straight Up like next week so I guess I had better start figuring stuff out, right? And I need to cross country school with Sally stat before I decide what to sign up for next. (Darn life and work interfere with my timing!).

I did get a Sally lesson in on Wednesday at Straight Up so stay tuned for the next posting. (Remus wants to file a complaint for 2 lessons in 3 days!)