Dressage Goes Western

At the end of January, I participated in a Western Dressage clinic (thanks Calm, Forward, Straight and It's Quarters for Me for the encouragement!).  I had never heard of Western Dressage until LA mentioned it to me in December.  It's still fairly new and is drawing quite a following.  Western Dressage uses the classical dressage techniques to help improve communication, softness and balance between western rider and horse.  There is no specific "western dressage" breed of horse.  Any western rider and horse can participate and benefit. What's not to like?   I can't find many videos of Western dressage, but perhaps this one can give you an idea.....

Boarding in a reining and games barn, I see a lot of sliding stops, gallops at full speed, sharp turns around barrels, etc.  This seemed a little more up my alley.  :-)

It was a balmy -15C day, with just enough wind to blow snow off the roof of the arena. My team mates included Nervous Classmate, who was riding a dead broke lesson horse (this was good because she was anxious about the snow blowing off the roof) and Wade and his crazy Arabian, Dar.    I was a little nervous, not because of the snow or Dar, but because there was quite a crowd observing.  

We had to walk, jog and then do a working/posting trot so that the instructor could evaluate us. Considering I haven't been getting in much riding lately, Gem and I were working together nicely.  As we moved up from a jog to a posting trot, the instructor said "Wolfie, you have a good seat."  Why, thank you!  It was a good way to start the session.  :-) 

There are some advantages to being in a group; you get to learn and observe a variety of things.  For instance, in Wade's case,  he competes in endurance events and his horse only goes forward; Wade does not know how to back up, side pass or turn on the forehand/haunches.  Interesting, eh?  I hadn't really thought of that.  I assumed that if you were competing, you would know at least how to back up.   Also, Wade has been riding for a few years, but does not know how to post.  His understanding of posting was having the horse pitch you forward, popping you out of the saddle and then plop back down in the saddle.  So when the instructor explained about using his legs to post, you could see it was a light bulb moment for him.

Personally, I was glad that the areas that we worked on were mostly at a walk or jog.  I know that I need to know how to lope confidently (I am getting there!!!), but to be honest, Gem and I could jog or post trot all day long; we both love it and have the stamina.   Here's what she helped me with:

• I shouldn't plan too far in advance of where I want to end up.  When I do that, I turn and look and my shoulders inadvertently move to follow my head, making Gem start to change direction sooner than I want.  So, I should know where I want to end up, but only plan two horse lengths in front of me so that my shoulders stay in the correct position.

• I tend to ride with my elbows sticking out.  Sigh.

• I have always wanted to side pass consistently and she broke it down for me.  When side passing right, I tilt Gem's head ever so slightly to the left so I can see his nostril and then lightly bump with my left leg at the girth, keeping shoulders and hands straight.  Easier said then done, but we were able to get a few good cross-overs with nice big movement.  With practice, Gem and I will get it.

• Turning on the forehand; Gem ends up counter bending regularly (my fault).   Same set up as side pass but I need to keep my left leg just a smidge back from the girth (I was too far back), my right leg ever so slightly on to stop him from bending and bump (not push) so that his hind end moves over.  Again practice, practice.

• Oh, and I should stop looking at Gem's mane all the time.  :-)

The snow did come down of the roof a couple of times, causing Dar to bucked and dance during the session.  Wade is so used to this behaviour, he just sat through it.  I could tell Nervous Rider was, well, nervous, about the snow and about Dar, but she survived.  :-)  The feedback from all participants was positive.  I can see that Dressage would help in endurance, trail class, reining; using Dressage principals can only help improve the communication between rider and horse no matter what activity you are involved with.   Gem seemed to enjoy the challenge of this clinic and he was very well behaved and light on his feet.  Would I do it again?  Definitely.

Have a good weekend, everyone!!
 

She's a Lady....

Holy jumpin', the last few weeks have been hectic!  I have been dealing with year end activities and a major reno at work.  And then there the polar vortex over the holiday season.  Wow.  At one point, my location was colder than the South Pole!  Of course, there was very little riding going on.  It was either too cold, or too snowy.  I did manage to get three rides in over a two week vacation, though.  Better than a kick in the pants, as my father would say!  :-)  LA let it slip that she kept Gem and another large horse in the barn during the coldest days (along with the old horses), because they helped keep the barn warm.  Fortunately for me, Gem is pretty sane and being kept in didn't really bother him.  

                                                   * * * * * * * *

Lady is celebrating her two-month anniversary at her forever home!  Boy, time flies.  She has settled into a routine.  No fuss, no muss.  She and the other seniors sort of hang out, but she's still a bit of a loner.  She likes her privacy.  The Caregiver has been working at gaining her trust, as she was a bit difficult to catch initially; now not so much.   The Caregiver calls her "little muffin".  :-) Since the arrival of snow, the horses and Very Bad Llama (VBL for short) have been kept in a small field near the house, for ease of feeding and so that The Caregiver can keep an eye on everyone. There are some old log out buildings that provide shelter. The Caregiver didn't like the look of Lady's left eye and had the vet out to look at it just before Christmas.  It appears that she has limited sight and it was confirmed that she had sustained an injury a while back because there was old scar.  She stood patiently while the vet poked and prodded and looked and felt.  Her eye was causing pain, so she's now on drops and bute.  It has made a big difference to her demeanor.  She is much happier. 

The cold snap was a bit of a challenge for Lady.  At 34-years of age, she was starting to have issues keeping warm.  The Caregiver had been blanketing her after we hit our first -25C day, but Lady was getting out of the blankets, leaving them to be buried in snow until spring.  The Caregiver was now out of blankets.  :-)  LA kindly donated an old blanket and I bought a beauty at Greenhawk; my contact there gave me a discount because Lady was a rescue!  I also picked up a supplement to help Lady keep weight on.  Lady managed to wiggle out of and lose the high end blanket that I bought.  However, she likes the one that LA donated. Unfortunately, it's not really waterproof.  What can you do?  She has her own fashion sense.  :-)

I initially thought she had teeth, but I was wrong.  Her food has to be specially prepared; a nice warm mush, which she gobbles down with gusto.  The Caregiver says it's not a pretty sight watching her eat....sort of like a running blender with the top off.  :-)

Tippy toes!

It had been a while since Lady had her feet done when she came to me.  The Caregiver, who happens to be a police officer, was working a lot of shifts leading up to and through the holiday break, so it was decided that when her schedule allowed, to get the vet in first to look at her eye, then schedule the farrier.  Monday the farrier came out do do all the horses in The Caregiver's care. The Caregiver said that Lady was "WONDERFUL!"  Yay!

Before - Yikes!!

After

As I have said before, horses are magic.  My mother is sponsoring Lady's care.  One of my Christmas presents to her was a framed picture of Lady.  My mother was delighted!  She tells everyone that she has a horse and now she has a picture to show them. :-)    Lady brings a smile to my mother face and I am grateful that she has a purpose and feels engaged with something.  She looks forward to the Lady updates, which I receive regularly through The Caregiver.  I sent pictures of Lady in her new home to the feed lot rescue team. I wanted them to see that their hard work does have a good outcome. They were so happy to see her doing well and even posted the pictures on their FB page....so many found her story uplifting.  Through Lady, I have made three new friends - the lady at the feed lot who helped me bail her out, the lady at the rescue group who helped me place her in her forever home and The Caregiver....who, btw, has invited me out for a visit and beverage this coming weekend.  :-)  Lady has touched so many.  Yep, magic. Thank you, Lady.