You’re as Cold as Ice: Dressage Lesson with Emily!

WARNING: Heavy media in this blog post. SO MUCH video, so much! YAY.

Can your butt actually freeze? Possibly. It took like four hours for my ass to unfreeze after my lesson and I had long underwear on and lined breeches. Jeez.  I was actually okay riding (not too cold) in my lesson but if I stopped to let Remus have a breather, or stopped to chat with Emily I soon froze up again. The temp showed 23 or 24 when I got to Emily’s. No idea what the wind chill was but we were indoors. It wouldn’t be that bad, right? OMG. It was!

It was like being in a big fridge! Emily was sitting in her chair with Jasper her dog in her lap. Lula (Emily’s puppy) was in Tanya’s mom’s lap when I got there. Dogs were cold too!  Speaking of Lula check out her photobomb in the video below. Special thanks to Tanya who MADE ME RIDE (that is not what I am thanking her for, believe me LOL) but she did take media so I have video woohoo. This is very rare having video from dressage. And wow. Remus has come a long way. He is so much steadier at a trot now (let’s not even TALK about the canter right this second…grhhh). I haven’t seen him go for a while so I was very pleased at the videos. The buckskin may be getting a bit fancier finally! Could we finally get competitive this year? Maybe?? Or at least get decent (ahem) scores? I know you guys must think I am crazy but this horse. He can do it if he wants to even Emily says so!

This video below (sorry all the videos are of trotting and they pretty much look the same so feel free not to look at them all) he is a bit more bobbly with his head but still so much steadier!! I am really feeling we are FINALLY getting somewhere with this trot.

It was a great lesson even if it was colder than anytime I have ridden before! We got some really good trots and I was giving with my inside rein while holding with the outside (Emily is BRILLIANT I tell you and kudos to her for sitting there teaching us with the weather so frigid!) and viola Remus was off my arms and not leaning but actually trotting engaged and relaxing into the contact. WHOA? Mind blown.

 

Another video above shows the steadiness in his frame. Seriously it was almost like having a real dressage horse. Almost. Then we started to canter (Tanya left by this time and thank god because no documentation was needed of this effort to canter). And it was so bad. Actually once we got into the canter he settled right down in contact and was good but our transitions. Um. Need WORK. SO MUCH WORK. Next time I am going to get Emily on him. Cause this is kind of what we look like now trying to canter now.

S0 if I can remember to stop poking my elbows out, sit back, hands up, legs long etc etc we might get there. One thing to note is that even though I still perch forward (my go to method of riding anything, sigh) this Stubben saddle is to die for. I am definitely sitting back more in the saddle in this monoflap jump saddle than I ever did in the dressage saddle. I am not ready to rip my eyes out looking at these videos which is huge! (Believe me I hate watching myself ride)! I love this saddle so much everytime I ride in it I just thank the stars that Amanda browbeat me into getting it (HA just kidding but she does browbeat me often)! And those Lund leathers. LOVE!

Final blog posting of 2017 is completed! Here we come 2018!! Are we ready? Nope but will we have fun? Yep!  Will I stay awake for the New Year. Doubtful! Stay safe all if you go out for NYE! (We are hermits and stay home).