Week of March 24-30

On Monday, I had a lesson and rode Fritz. We did some collected canter work, which was fun because I didn't know he could "sit" that much! We also ran through my First 1 test, and I was shocked about how quickly the movements came up in the small ring. I've shown First level a few times before, but it was always in a full size ring. I struggled with getting all of my transitions on time, but it was good to practice at least once before the show.
On Thursday, I had a practice ride and rode Fievel. I love him because he's a challenge, and after about 20 minutes he was really soft and supple. I've found that although his canter work can be hard and I have to be careful with my position, it helps him work through his back and improves the trot work. I was still really nervous about my test on Saturday, so I tried to practice some of the movements even though the arena was pretty busy. By the end, I was quite happy with the connection and his responsiveness to my seat.

Riding: Week of the 17th

Monday - I rode Pico in my lesson, which was an interesting experience! He was a pretty good boy until he started getting tired and didn't want to participate any more. Then we got some "airs above the ground" that gave me my adrenaline rush for the day! Overall, we just worked on getting him to stretch and relax at the walk, trot, and canter. I did some shoulder-in and haunches-in at the walk and trot to see if I could get him more supple, especially because he wanted to be stiff and hang on the right rein. I think it was a good learning experience for me, and it made me more confident that I can handle some of the antics that future horses might pull!
Thursday - I went to the barn with Rita in the morning and rode Asti. I could feel that he was still a little stiff from his spring shots, especially to the left. He seemed a bit resistant to bending that way, so I didn't push it and instead let him stay relatively straight and played with a little counter-bending just to make sure he was still soft. We did a bunch of lateral movements at the walk and trot, and we did just a little bit of canter because he was starting to get tired and I didn't want him getting all sweaty. For the first canter depart in each direction, he did the "scooby-doo" thing that Bryn talks about, which was pretty funny because he's such a little guy. Afterwards, he settled right into the canter and we worked on a few transitions and 20 meter circles before ending the ride.

Second Week of Break

I rode twice these week in two lessons with Mary at home. On Sunday I rode her horse, Mason, and we did a lot of half-pass and shoulder-in work to improve his willingness to bend and be supple. We also did flying changes work because both of us think it's fun! On Friday, I rode a horse that Mary has in training called Rowan. He was a sweetheart, and we worked on improving the quality of his gaits and my position. We also did a bunch of canter-walk and walk-canter work.

First Week of March

Hi, I'm not sure if we should still do these posts over vacation? I forgot to submit mine last night, sorry! I rode this week with Mary and we worked on my tests, especially the geometry! I'm headed out to another lesson right now. I hope everyone is having a good break!

Riding for this Week

On Monday, I went to the barn for my lesson and rode Majik. We practiced First Level Test 3. I've never ridden this test before, so it was difficult to plan ahead because I was always trying to just remember what the next movement was! I think it'll be much easier once I have the test completely solid.
Important things to work on:
- straightness and steadiness of halt on the centerline.
- getting the horse really jazzed up for the first trot lengthening because it comes so quickly after the halt at the beginning of the test.
- quality of the stretchy circle and demonstrating an understanding of the movement to the judge.
- getting a clean simple change across the diagonal - I messed this up in my lesson because I couldn't remember what the next movement was and forgot to concentrate on the execution of the change! Bad Kate! :)
- making sure to get in all of the corners.

I had to cancel my practice ride for Thursday because I had two big papers due and I was exhausted from a crazy week. However, I always have a lesson on Sunday when I'm home, so I'm riding in a lesson tomorrow with my trainer at home. I asked Bryn and she said that this could count as my practice ride. I'll make sure to tell Mary that we need to practice my test more!
I hope everyone is having a fantastic break so far - can't wait for game night when we get back!