Making progress

I am having a good week with Rainbow. We kicked the week off with a private lesson with Claire Deuten - who is an international event rider. 

Claire has been coming to our yard once a week since August. We have been doing flatwork with Rainbow and most of the time Claire has been showing me how to get Rainbow on the bit. We are definitely the most novicey pair of all Claire's clients at our yard, so when others do very brave jumping, etc. we doddle around the school, trying desperately to stay in formation. But, hey ho, these things take time and I just need to remember that if I use e.g. a skiing analogy, I wouldn't attempt black run if all I can do is just about turn in a rhythm but even my legs aren't that close together and I tend to go slightly ploughy in a tricky situation... As a skier, I would consider myself as a fairly competent red-black run skier, who wants to tackle ungroomed and powder next, so I need to remember what it was like to be a novice/intermediate skier - and that's what I am with riding. 

I have been riding a lot in the last 12 months, and before that as a child and teenager, so I am OK and probably more competent than I give myself credit for, but I need to be more forgiving myself and be genuinely proud of every bit of progress we make.

The first Claire's lesson in early Sept I couldn't really get Rainbow on the bit at all. I have been taught it before, but I just didn't have the feel for it and how to actually properly ask for it from Rainbow. I am also short and small-built, so I am not the strongest (not that one needs to be super-strong as such) and when I try hard, I get knackered really quickly. Also partly due to trying so hard that I forget to breathe! Claire keeps saying to me when Rainbow and I are moving around the school that "Breathe, Elina! Don't forget to breathe." 

Claire has been riding first on each lesson to help Rainbow become softer and get her to understand what's being asked. Then I have had a go and we've worked on from there. 

The improvement has been immense: first lesson only Claire managed to get Rainbow on the bit and I hardly did at all. The second lesson I couldn't get Rainbow on the bit until Claire had first 'warmed' her up, then I managed to do it and we actually went around the whole school around, on the bit, on both reins in turn. Brilliant. I felt so good after that.

Ever since, I have been able to produce the results on my own - which I wasn't before, only under supervision from instructor. Although the very action takes a lot out from both of us (as also Rainbow needs to learn to carry herself differently, and developing that takes time), Claire has properly taught me the feeling of being collected. I now know how to ask for it and when to soften myself, as well as when to ask again if Rainbow drops off. 

This week, I wanted to have a go first with Rainbow and after a bit of persuasion we actually managed it. Rainbow softened to me quite easily and we managed to go around on both reins. The right rein is our bugbear as I think Rainbow is weaker on that side and I am not strong enough to give her enough leg. But we will persist!

Claire rode Rainbow at the end of the lesson and the progress was remarkable. Rainbow looked much more consistent in trot and stayed soft - none of that trying to lift her head and go hollow. The proof of the pudding was in the canter as Claire managed to get her to stay in formation in canter, which has never happened before. Not even last time Claire rode Rainbow. 

All of this in 3 lessons with Claire. With this rate Rio 2016 seems quite attainable! ;) 

No but really, this has given me such a boost that I have decided to do our first dressage test next month. So watch this space...



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I thought I'd add a little video of Rainbow a couple of weeks back. This was Claire riding her and although she was resisting a bit occasionally it was pretty good. This week, no resisting - shame I didn't video it for "before and after" effect. Very proud of my pony.