Tracey has ridden up to international level as well as trained her daughters through ponies, juniors and young riders in dressage and eventing.
The week leading up to the lesson with Tracey I had two really disappointing rides on Ceaser that made me think again about what I am doing and where I am trying to aim him for. With the pressure of trying to get it right in front of all the riding school kids at the yard I feel I probably put too much pressure on him and quite rightly he just said "stuff you mum!" and decided to do the opposite of everything I asked. Right from the beginning of owning Ceaser we have found that he has a strong mind; if he doesn't want to do something he won't and if you tell him to do something he'll do the opposite. I have always found it's best to ask him nicely, if he doesn't respond you ask again, this time a little firmer. If I fight, he fights harder. If I then fight harder, he fights even more and it's not a case of keeping going until I win, it's best to always say "ok, look just chill out" and try again after a few minutes. It may sound like I am giving in and many have often told me to just give him a slap, jab in the mouth and make him get on with it. Yeah, I'd like to see them try, and plus, I don't work that way. I want us to understand one another and I want him to work nicely for me because he wants to, not because he's forced to.
In the two times I rode last week he was a nightmare. Spooking, bucking, bolting and basically doing everything opposite. Dad started a strimmer up in the neighbouring field which usually doesn't faze him, but this time it cued an almighty buck, rear and then him taking off with me bucking his way down the menage. How I stayed on I don't know, but I suppose I'm used to it. Only a few days before I'd had a lesson with Amy and she had commented on how behaved he was despite Dad hammering away at a door opposite the menage, so I don't know what had gotten in to him but I did have an idea.
That Sunday I didn't have time to ride because I was clipping all the riding school ponies, so I allowed one of the kids at the yard to have her lesson him - I knew he would behave. She was over the moon and part of me broke into two watching him behave and work foot perfect for her. But, as always, it was because she wasn't putting the pressure on him to get things perfect and correct. So, I knew what I needed to do and instead of schooling for the rest of the week I scrapped the idea of riding in the arena and took him hacking every day before work, allowing him to have a long rein with barely any contact and go in a nice forward trot. He seemed to love the freedom and was brilliantly behaved. I think he knows me far too well and keeps a check on me at times. It's like he is telling me he's bored and ready for a change and then almost rewarding me for giving him a change.So, having done no schooling for 7 days we went to meet Tracey. Firstly she asked me what my aims and goals were over the coming year and what we had achieved this year. I told her I wanted to be picked for the teams in 2014 and hopefully move up to Elementary affiliated. She then asked me to move off and show her a quick warm up, showing walk, trot and canter on both reins. Tracey said my warm up was brilliant and needed barely any alterations. She liked how I added lots of transitions, circles and changes of rein into it and this is something she likes to see. She also said because of his age it would benefit him to get everything loosened up.
Next up she said I just needed to get his hind legs underneath him a little more to help give him that uphill look which we struggle with. To do this she had us trotting around the arena and then doing travers all the way up the long side. In the beginning he was reluctant to give but when he did it felt amazing. Tracey noticed I seemed to push and push him too much, instead of sitting back, enjoying the ride and allowing him to get on with it. She said in pushing him constantly I'm never going to get that uphill look and it causes him to nod. So, she made me focus a lot on slowing down and then asking for travers up the long sides. It sounds cliche but I could really feel the difference and could for once feel his hind legs underneath me. Once we got it she asked me to lift my hands slightly and give him his head. When she told me I had it and he looked 100 times better I couldn't believe it, but the pictures really do show the difference!
There is honestly no better feeling that getting something like this right and each time I still feel the wave of emotion hit me that this pony is the one that we were told would never amount to anything...the one that was rescued as a scrawny 2 year old.
After we had finished we spent 5 minutes reflecting on how I felt the lesson had gone and whether I had any questions. Obviously my first question was "will we get to where I want us to?". Tracey said she had no doubt that he could make the teams and go against the big warmbloods. She said I needed to seriously consider moving him up to Novice and Elementary now and not waiting as he is more than capable. She also said if she was judging him she felt he would get consistent marks throughout all his tests as he is a very consistent mover. She felt his movements were worthy of 7's and so long as I kept him steady to keep him uphill and those hind legs underneath him she couldn't see why I shouldn't be aiming for 70% at Novice level and even Elementary. She also felt I should try to get to more venues if I could to experience a variety of judges.
I was thrilled to bits with Tracey's feedback and now feel more determined than ever to go and aim for those BD teams next year! I have another lesson with her in a couple of weeks so I am looking forward to what she gets us doing next!
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