My instructor started by seeing where we were at and how things were going. We decided because I hadn't had a lesson in so long we would base today on the simple things like transitions, shoulder fore, staying through in transitions and maintaining that overall appearance and feeling of Ceaser working uphill.I've been varying Ceaser's work a great deal lately and making use of the hay field being cut which has been great. I also think a short break from competing has done us both the world of good and finally I feel the pressure to go out and achieve scores to qualify for this and that has been taken off, which is exactly what I needed.
My instructor was very kind and said things weren't as bad as I was making out. They've felt bad, but it was nice to be told otherwise - even if she was just potentially being nice!I didn't think that Ceaser would be cooperative having not had a lesson in so long, but actually he was very well behaved and picked everything up again like it was only yesterday we last did it. I'm aware that with his age, things wont always be this easy to pick up and put down, but I really believe this break from competing and being schooled every day has done us both the world of good. There's only so much score chasing you can take until the fun is taken out of it.
One thing I'm really struggling with is our left side. I find that Ceaser tends to hang on to the left that bit more, which causes me to fight with him and hang on too, when actually I should be giving with the left rein and not clinging. It's something both my instructors have picked up but doing it feels alien; because he's hanging, I feel like I should be trying to take it back. My instructor suggested flexing to the outside ever so slightly when I feel he's doing this and actually it did work. We noticed when he does get tight through the left his nose is slightly tilted, so if I even him up using the right rein, he can't hang.
Overall I had a really good lesson with him and am already looking forward to next week. I've just found out that Ceaser and I have qualified for the Riding Club Music Championships at Bury Farm representing the North Lincs Riding Club in October so it's all preparation for that now. Additionally I've booked us into the Area Festival in September at Novice level.
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I haven't had any lessons with Ziggy in a while too, but with him I want to concentrate on building his confidence jumping as well as the dressage side. My good friend Fiona who takes all my beautiful photos has offered to come and give us jumping lessons once a month, so I jumped at the opportunity as lets face it, we both need it!
Ziggy is a keen and fantastic jumper but I struggle with my nerves following my accident when I was 14, and sometimes he can be a little hesitant the first couple of times he goes over a fence. He's always brave and bold over most things, but we struggle with lines going into doubles and so on!With this in my mind Fiona set up a Zig-Zag course which required us to jump a fence on an angle and quickly turn to another fence. It really tested both Ziggy and me as sometimes I feel like I can't hold him after a fence and struggle to get him back - he just gets too excited!
This exercise really tested us both and made me slow him down, which was great for him. We've never asked anything technical of him when jumping so it was good to finally ask questions of him and there were a few times he had to work things out for himself.
I'm really pleased with how well he did and especially pleased we didn't have one refusal despite Fiona having made the jumps 'scary' with coloured poles, cones and so on. It just goes to show how much he's coming on and although I don't always see it the improvements are there.
To finish Fiona set up a bounce jump followed by a double and I announced I was not giving that a go! Ziggy has never ever even seen a bounce, and I've never done one, so I was a little apprehensive. Surely if we struggled into doubles we'd struggle at this? Fiona encouraged us to give it a try and Ziggy surprised me by taking it all in his stride and popping all three jumps like he had been doing it all his life with not a care in the world. I was absolutely over the moon with him and so proud. This boy is going to be one to watch, I can't wait to see him develop even more.
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