transitions

I rode Fi in the english saddle on Saturday, and had a short coaching session with a visiting BHSI (on a social visit not working). It was nice to have confirmation that we were doing the right kind of thing.

Later mum and I took Rosie and Dudley out on the stubble and things went ok. We came across a hare, and some deer in the far ditch, but the horses - although a bit concerned and interested - behaved. As we headed back I got mum circling away and rejoining, as I circled away the other direction. Rosie was pretty confused, but then got the idea. And confused again when we swapped sides (so she circled the other way) and then ok.

As we rode back to the school, I said I wanted to do some canter work with Duds before we finished. Mum said she would bring Rosie in also - but I was concerned they did not end up in a fight.... but she said she would let Rosie follow Dudley and hence stay in her comfort zone.

It all started ok - canter on the left rein, Rosie behaving. Then I swapped reins. First canter was fine, went to do a second and all of a sudden there was a kerfuffle as Rosie scooted towards Dudley, cutting across the corner, with her rider unbalanced and off to the outside. She fell between Rosie and Dudley and my main concern was that she didn't end up *under* Dudley :o

She's feeling a bit sore today, and questioning whether she should continue to ride :(

I think Rosie just lost it, and went into panic mode. I got on her once I knew mum was ok, and she had *big* sticky patches just past the school gate in both directions. My hypothesis is that she had a conflict between wanting to stop, and wanting to keep up with Dudley - slowed up, got behind, paniced, and scooted with counter flexion. Mum was trying to get her back out on the rail, so was off balance as Rosie led with inside shoulder.

I feel it was partially predictable and I should have been stronger in getting mum to stop rather than follow me in - things were ok up til then !

On Sunday my visitors came up for a play. I rode Fi first, in the western saddle, and got her warmed up. Then the more experienced rider had a go. I was pleased with Fi as she stayed quite calm and did not do her normal tension thing. We worked mainly on walk and jog. The second person also had a sit but Fi kept wanted to stop, and was not keen to trot. I think she (Fi) was struggling a bit more carrying a less experienced rider ?

Then we tacked up Duds and they both had a ride on him - in both cases he went very nicely although the less experienced rider took a bit more time to adjust to his trot (the horse she normally rides is mich bigger).

And finally we took Duds and Rosie out around the stubble, with me on Rosie, Had some trots and a canter or two. It is a picture to see Duds face - I'm normally on top *and* concentrating on keeping mum and Rosie on the straight and narrow. So its a treat to see the look of glee on his face when he gets to have a bit of a leg stretch :)

Rosie was a bit bolshie - not really bad, but wanting to be *there* rather than where I was asking her to be, and then not really wanting to be there either.

I was thinking after the visitors had gone about walk trot and trot walk transitions. It was something I was talking about to the more experienced of the two riders. He tended to ride a great walk, and a great trot, but something weird was happening in the transition. It was as if he stopped riding and started worrying.

We talked about it a bit - about confidence, about merging one into the other, that sort of thing. But back at home I was sitting on my gym ball, and realised that its actually not an easy transition for the rider to make.

Say I am sitting on the gym ball, in "walk" and my hips are swinging in a figure 8 in the way they do when the horse's walk moves them. Now I want to go into trot - where I turn the increased forward movement into a rise - and there is less side to side in my hips as I do so. It is an interesting challenge to make that change flow. Then changing back, taking the forward energy out of the rise and back into the figure 8.

I'd never broken it back down like that, and it was an interesting insight. (reminds why I like working with other riders :) )