July 4, 2006: Oh! I Get It Now!

Today (yes, on the Fourth of July--he’s German and so is my horse) I had a lesson with Fabian. He asked me to ride across the diagonal in canter, change lead through the trot over X, and continue on my way. Simple enough, except that we were a bit past X before I got the down-transition.

“I said change lead OVER X,” said Fabian in his German accent (read loud, and not-too-patient). “That means you must trot a stride or two BEFORE X, and canter again a stride or two AFTER X. You must be accurate.”

I know, I know. I nod. Quila had been exuberant, shall we say, in canter on the diagonal, and hadn’t listened to my first (or even my second) request. And I knew I’d REALLY be yelled at if I pulled. It was embarrassing, but the fact of the matter was that I hadn’t been able to control my horse.

“You must prepare you horse. Pick up the canter on the circle, and ride canter-trot transitions, please.”

I do. I ride half a dozen--they are easy. She is extremely light to the aids.

“Ride the diagonal again.”

We fail miserably again.

“Why is it that you can ride the transition on the circle, but not the diagonal?”

Well, she gets excited on the diagonal. She does not on the circle.

“Do you not know this, Gay? Do you not know your horse? Then why do you not prepare for the diagonal better? Why do you not think on collecting her on the short side and in the corner, and half halt her--think as if you will ride the canter for a simple change, even? Why do you wait UNTIL she gets excited to react to try to correct her? Then it is too late. You must prepare yourself for how you KNOW she will behave, and then she has no chance to do the wrong thing.”

My lightbulb moment.

Oh, Jürgen... How do you put up with me? How many tests have I come out, disappointed with my performance, only to have you tell me, “Well, of course it didn’t go as well as it could have--you were a passenger up there.” And I would stare at you, stupefied, because I knew that I had just worked my you-know-what off, trying to make something of the test with the horse I had to ride, using my corners the best I could (or so I thought), and trying to hold Quila together. You would then proceed to tell me what I could have done better, and I would listen but I never really understand (fully) what you meant. I see now that you were trying to tell me that the problem was that I was working at trying to fix the problems AFTER they occurred, rather than preparing myself for what was coming up ahead. If I’m reacting, instead of anticipating, then I’m always going to be late with my aids and the test will look poorly prepared and sloppy (like my tests did a week ago).

I’ve started to get some glimpses of what you meant with the extensions--knowing that I need to bring her back earlier and harder, so that I have collection before I hit the long side. And I’m also starting to understand a few other places in the test better. But WOW, this brings my understanding to a whole new level... Like, I KNOW she’ll be excited coming up centerline, so I need to take control of the pace and set it with my seat long BEFORE we make that turn. And I KNOW she’ll want to hurry in the leg yield, so again, I need to make sure I control the rhythm/tempo with my seat, and that my half halts maintain control--not wait until she HAS hurried, but say from the very first stride “This IS the pace we’re going, this IS the pace we’re going, this IS the pace we’re going.”