Riding in WAZ Clinic-August 15, 2007

Today we haulled Isabell (andalusian cross) to MD for a lesson with Walter. Isabell is a big thick tight mare with confidence issues and gets 'sticky' very quickly- sucking back and hollow.

I already had a chance to walk her around the ring for awhile and she seemed pretty good, but in her typical curious way (when she sniffs something you can't pry her nose off of it, yet she is quick to shy sideways if she catches someting off to the side.)

Anyway, Walter had me walk a lap on loose reins each direction. When we took up the reins they were still very light. If it were up to me I would have ended up playing with her mouth and doing a bazillion leg yeilds to get her through her back before trotting, but when Walter had us trot she was not yet round, and despite only one or two ounces of pressure in my inside rein he kept telling me to give with it. He also asked to me get more contact with the outside rein- not easy when she is already wanting to bend slightly to the outside! So than I had to get her to bend inside with no inside rein so I copuld establish contact with the outside rein. This isn't easy, but thanks to bridle-less riding I could sorta manage- it wan't perfect, but it was there. Well, wouldn't ya know, after a few aweful looking laps she started coming round, stretching from the wither, and bending off practically no pressure. That was a big deal for this mare who still tends to get heavy despite hours of natural horsemanship training.

Then Walter started having me do a series of circles, trot/walk/trot transitions, and changes of direction. He was very impressed by my serpentines and went on about it for sometime about how meticulous they were (I realized he was using the serpentine to help me get her on the outside rein, so me concentrating on the outside rein just so happened to make my half circles very nice and round!) He was also shocked that our shoulder-in entwickeln was so good (hey, I watched the tapes!!!)and I'm proud to say we got all his compliments on tape. We definitly touched on some lengthenings, however just when it started to feel good he had me back off- like as soon as you get 80% approaching 100% you collect again. Then he would say "rounder, softer, rounder, softer." It was obvious that the collection was not to come from the hand!!! "Shorter, softer, shorter, shorter, shorter, softer...longer!" Walter really keeps horse and rider on their toes, and the constant change in stride length, gait, bend, etc gets the horses very bouyant, while keeping them intrigued- but never stressed.

The canter exercises were tougher for us. He would ask us to walk out of the canter and no longer would we be in the walk and he would ask for canter again. Well, timing the aids when you have eight steps to prepare is one thing!!! Isabell, who is easily distracted, would walk and be like "I'm done," and when I put the canter aids back on, not only did she not canter, she didn't even walk faster. I know Asia would have done much better, but me collapsing to the walk is definitly the real culprit!

The BIGGEST thing I got out of this lesson is "the first fifteen minutes doesn't count." For me that was a powerful message! And the results proved it. Having some patience and waiting for the movements to establish soft yeilding contact, made such a difference. I also plan on getting better about riding the walk. I will practice the transitions on Asia first because she will do it right if I do! Once I get me better I will tackle the canter, walk, immediately canter again transitions with Isabell, and see how it goes.

It is sometimes hard to take all the info thrown at you in a fourty-five minute lesson and than really remember it and use it to its fullest. Writing it down, reading it, and pondering on it before and after each ride is critical- especially when the information comes from someone as respectable as Walter Zettl!!!



UPDATE:

I practiced the canter/walk/CANTER transitions on Asia, and of course she made it look easy. I'm not convinced yet that I ride the walk correctly- I tend to just collapse instead of asking the hind feet to stay active enough, although Asia is so talanted that it is easy to get away with mistakes. After a bit we started picking up the opposite lead each time. Since we were working in "the bottom" (a brushy hilly pasture) we were on uneven ground the whole time. I"ve been playing with the concept of flying lead changes with Asia, but changing behind during the moment of suspension just doesn't occur to her- she always takes a stutter step to change. Despite teaching numerous other horses flying lead changes, it just doen't come naturally for this horse. After playing with the quick transitions and simple changes, I asked her to canter on the right lead and than asked for a leg-yeild (almost a half pass)down the hill to the right. Than I asked for a change and implied that we would yeild to the left back up the hill. Horses tend to pick up the lead facing the top of the hill, so whether it was the transitions, the environment, or if she was simply ready, I don't know, but she did get her first clean lead change. We even repeated it. We have a ways to go getting them both directions and perfecting them, but it is a good start. (It is easy to forget she is only 5 years old!) Thank you, Walter Zettl!