I had another lesson with Fabian yesterday. We started to work on our extensions, but the collection just wasn’t there... To paraphrase Jürgen, we didn’t have the tension in the coiled spring to generate the energy for the extensions, so our lesson plan changed almost from the outset.
Collection in the trot has become easy for us, but we’re still working harder to achieve it in the canter because that’s the gait where Quila is most adept at suckering me into a pulling war. We’ve made tremendous progress in that regard--I only need occasional reminders about my contact in the bridle, and for the most part, I’m able to both keep her from leaning against my hands, and to resist the urge to pull--but coordinating my seat, leg and hands to keep her frame shortened and collected requires maximum concentration on my part, still. Riding simple changes has been a great exercise for both of us to help Quila sit and use her hind end, and to help me practice coordinating my skills, since I’ll fail miserably if I’m not using my aids properly.
I have a tendency to get my upper body forward in the canter, and that’s one of my biggest enemies to collection. Combine that with a tendency to hold the rein a fraction too long in the half halt, and Quila welcomes the opportunity to pull me forward, and start “the war.” As a visual, Fabian told me that I should become a “granny in a rocking chair”, and that I should make full use of the back of the chair... Grannies NEVER lean forward in their rocking chairs, after all. They sit back, resting against the seat back. And I should think of my hand like a granny’s tremor, with very rapid, almost shake-like (but controlled) request through the rein when I’m asking for the transition to walk (my seat/legs having the larger part of the conversation). The rein should be soft and quick like a granny’s tremor... his demonstration to me made me laugh, but it also made the point. We rode much better simple changes after that.
He also said something else, “Don’t pull. Keep the contact light so you can feel and speak to her mouth.” I know that, but somehow putting it in that manner spoke to me.
Pulling is wrong. I know it. I cringe when I see other riders do it, but somehow, when I ask, and the horse resists and pulls back, it just happens. (Usually in down transitions). And I don’t realize I’m even doing it. I hate it. It doesn’t happen often, or even every ride, but when Quila feels like having things her own way, it will. And it must stop. NOW.
Showing posts with label Collection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Collection. Show all posts
Sunday, February 25, 2007
June 2, 2006: Simon Says
Since beginning work with Fabian last week, my lessons on Quila have been building on each other in rapid-fire sequence. Never one to allows us to rest on our laurels, even for a brief moment, Jürgen wasted no time in putting our newfound communication skills to work: if Quila and I could perform transitions between gaits without her suckering me into pulling, then it was high time that I learned to do the same within gaits.
I learned that my half halts have been TOO LONG. With Quila, they can last only a micro-second. A fraction of a second is too long--she sees that as a window of opportunity for bearing down on the bit, and beginning a pulling war. I KNOW that Jürgen has been trying to make me understand this for ages, but somehow it has not registered... until now. (Poor Jürgen--he’d have hair if I wasn’t so dense!) But now, with hips that I REFUSE to allow to tighten, and with a determination not to pull, EVER, we began to work on our contact and getting Quila light and responsive in the bridle--and LISTENING--evening when she is exuberantly performing her favorite work: lengthenings.
It took HARD half halts, rough even, to get her to listen, but after a few sharp ones, she began to realize that YES, INDEED, we CAN collect in the middle of a diagonal. By the end of Wednesday’s lesson, I was able to collect at X with a light touch (the rest from my seat) for 3 or 4 strides, and then ask her to extend again. WOW! This from the mare who was certain that once I aimed and asked, she was to shoot like a ball from a cannon, never stopping until we reached the other side, and that the only purpose I could possibly have for half halts would be to remind her to stay off her forehand.
We began work on canter, and did a few simple changes (we’d never ridden any before), and that was great--but they were on serpentines. I still could not get her to listen the way I’d like when I rode her on the long side, and after one or two lengthenings, she wanted to lengthen EVERY TIME. That was, until today.
Today, we worked harder and longer on the canter, and I wouldn’t let her lengthen for more than a few strides before bringing her back, and we did the simple changes earlier. Jürgen was out of town, so I worked with Fabian again, and we also worked on simple changes... a few strides of canter, simple change, a few strides of canter, simple change, etc., etc., once I had her on the aids, all around the ring. Then I rode lengthenings and went back to the simple change. Back and forth between lengthenings and simple changes. She got it... and I did, too. The common theme that kept repeating itself for the entire week was this: There is no control for the lengthenings if you don’t bring the horse back between them. The key is in the collection both before and afterward. Ride the collection well, and the lengthening will be good, clear and controlled.
So, collection will be my ongoing task in the coming weeks. I’m really pleased with how the work is going and with how hard Quila is trying. The new challenges are fun for both of us.
I learned that my half halts have been TOO LONG. With Quila, they can last only a micro-second. A fraction of a second is too long--she sees that as a window of opportunity for bearing down on the bit, and beginning a pulling war. I KNOW that Jürgen has been trying to make me understand this for ages, but somehow it has not registered... until now. (Poor Jürgen--he’d have hair if I wasn’t so dense!) But now, with hips that I REFUSE to allow to tighten, and with a determination not to pull, EVER, we began to work on our contact and getting Quila light and responsive in the bridle--and LISTENING--evening when she is exuberantly performing her favorite work: lengthenings.
It took HARD half halts, rough even, to get her to listen, but after a few sharp ones, she began to realize that YES, INDEED, we CAN collect in the middle of a diagonal. By the end of Wednesday’s lesson, I was able to collect at X with a light touch (the rest from my seat) for 3 or 4 strides, and then ask her to extend again. WOW! This from the mare who was certain that once I aimed and asked, she was to shoot like a ball from a cannon, never stopping until we reached the other side, and that the only purpose I could possibly have for half halts would be to remind her to stay off her forehand.
We began work on canter, and did a few simple changes (we’d never ridden any before), and that was great--but they were on serpentines. I still could not get her to listen the way I’d like when I rode her on the long side, and after one or two lengthenings, she wanted to lengthen EVERY TIME. That was, until today.
Today, we worked harder and longer on the canter, and I wouldn’t let her lengthen for more than a few strides before bringing her back, and we did the simple changes earlier. Jürgen was out of town, so I worked with Fabian again, and we also worked on simple changes... a few strides of canter, simple change, a few strides of canter, simple change, etc., etc., once I had her on the aids, all around the ring. Then I rode lengthenings and went back to the simple change. Back and forth between lengthenings and simple changes. She got it... and I did, too. The common theme that kept repeating itself for the entire week was this: There is no control for the lengthenings if you don’t bring the horse back between them. The key is in the collection both before and afterward. Ride the collection well, and the lengthening will be good, clear and controlled.
So, collection will be my ongoing task in the coming weeks. I’m really pleased with how the work is going and with how hard Quila is trying. The new challenges are fun for both of us.
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