Wind of change

What a day – windy as h*ll – but marvellous! 

Two great things happened today: 

1. Our saddle arrived back from the saddler and it's looking good. Sits much better over R's withers, I can fit all of my fingers under the gullet, and I felt good sitting in it as well. Very pleased. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. We had a great dressage lesson. 

I think something is in the air. We just had our weekly dressage lesson and did the usual things with Rainbow: getting her to go in an outline and me concentrating on keeping her there. Also, on the right rein, she feels as if she's not bending inwards and almost feels like she's hanging onto the outside rein, which then in turn makes me push my outside arm forwards and to pull on the inside. Rainbow is actually bullying me to go that way, as my instructor says, so we decided to tackle it. 

My instructor asked me to keep the outside rein as solid as possible and walk in a fairly tight circle around her, and when R tried to 'hang' to the outside rein, not bending, I would keep weight on the outside stirrup and keep outside hand as solid as possible, using the inside leg to make her flex inwards. Not pulling on the inside but opening my hand and giving it a sort of a shake when R would not bend. Then, when R went soft in response and was nicely flexing inwards (not just her neck, as she is usually doing), I gave a little. 

It's still fairly 'battleous' (making up words here as I go!) with her and I need to keep reminding her quite a lot, so the moments of give are not very long, but we managed a whole circle going nicely and soft. Then we cantered and it was amazing. Not perfect and I had to fight with her quite a lot as she was resisting the contact, but we managed nice canter around and I didn't feel I was going against the movement, as I have been feeling recently. I also try keeping my knees relaxed and so, I am no longer losing stirrups in canter. I think we've turned another corner.

Rainbow is strong-willed and our instructor says that she's a lovely horse when she wants to be lovely but as she's cow-coloured, she sometimes acts like one :). So I just need to keep at it and even if I am being a bit 'handy' with her at the moment, I just need to keep sending her a message about going soft and keeping there.

But the personal boost and bombshell came today in the form of my instructor's comments. She was saying that we are crossing a rubicon. Apparently, when I get Rainbow going it doesn't just look nice but it actually has elements of great in it. Rainbow has good moves and I must be improving too...! Our instructor proceeded to saying as much as if we are not gaining 70% mark in prelim tests by middle of the summer she would be very surprised. I mean, wow! Then she said that now she knows who she wants to have as her next project in going affiliated: us! 

Our instructor has helped another lady at our yard go affiliated and they started from the very basics. But someone thinks so much of us that wants us to go affiliated? I have to admit haven't really considered going affiliated myself. Don't know why. Perhaps a lack of confidence and belief... I've just been probably thinking we'll poodle around the unaffiliated circuit, mainly at our own yard... But my instructor's words have suddenly stoked a little fire in my stomach.... I suddenly looked at my horse in a new way, while mucking her out after the lesson: great moves? Potential for affiliated? 70% in prelim tests? Rainbow just looked at me wistfully in her haylage and polo mint high. Bless.

I know there might be readers of this blog that don't think that much of any of this, but for me this is big news. It's certainly given me a boost. I am not giving myself pressure for having to achieve these things, but perhaps this gives me something to aspire to and something to set in our sights. To be honest, I haven't really had big goals yet, so perhaps this is exactly what is needed in getting to another level.