Dahli's Time: Part 2

She was bound and determined to get rid of me, but it was clear that just plain bucking like crazy wasn’t getting her anywhere. So somewhere around buck 6 she added a twist, and when I landed square, she wasn’t square underneath me anymore!  It was all over but the singing. I lasted 2 more bucks, each time landed more off center and hanging off her side, and then – cussing the entire way – hit the ground hard. She seemed to be smiling as she ran toward the barn and turned to take a spin around the pasture.

This was definitely NOT how I wanted to end the riding season. However, a strained muscle and bruised thigh needed a week to heal. And then we needed another week or so for the first rains to dry up a bit. Fortunately, the weather broke for a week. I gathered my courage and rode her lightly for a couple days, mostly walking with a few brief trots. The weather broke for good, and she spent the winter thinking about her new skills.

Years 2 and 3

 

Each spring, I start Dahli's training right at the beginning, as if everything is new to her. But we follow a foreshortened schedule. What initially we repeated for days, we repeat several times in one day; what we repeated daily for weeks, we do for days; what we practiced for months, we practice for a week or two. I even repeated a little ace for the first couple rides, until I felt confident that she was back in the routine. Within her first couple weeks of being under saddle, some time in May, she offered to canter. Everything was perfect except the footing – it was still a little wet and rocks were still popping out the ground, so I declined the offer.

 

One thing I learned about her that second year – and the same thing her third year – is that during her “down” times, she is still learning, making connections between all she has learned. So her understanding of and response to the aids becomes increasingly sophisticated without me having to do anything. She progressed on her own from “direct reining” that is, an inside leading rein that points her nose in the direction I want her to go, to “indirect reining” where she turns in response the combined aids of leg with a restraining outside rein against her neck. For western riders, the indirect rein is just a short step to “neck reining.” Actually, they are essentially the same, but in western riding, the effect of the rein prevails whereas in dressage the leg takes precedence. For lateral bend exercises, we added in spirals, leg yield , turns on forehand, turns on haunches, and shoulder-in at the walk and trot.

 

To increase her longitudinal flexibility, I started her on “rubber banding” where I ask for a bigger and smaller trot. And lots and lots of transitions from halt to walk to trot to walk to halt. A little rein back, although I’m cautious due to her history of wanting to rear (which she hasn’t done since the day she bent the steel roof with her eye). The footing remained iffy through year 2.

 

In year 3 I started spreading manure in earnest to build up compost for a softer footing. I asked for a canter a couple times, but she responded by becoming very nervous, hollowing out and throwing her head up. And then my work schedule got crazy while I trained at the urgent care center, and we started getting rain every single day I had off. As a result, last summer my riding season ended very early. My sincere hope is that this year, I will have enough compost added, combined with a light enough work schedule. In the meantime, Arabians never forget and Dahli seems to really miss the interaction and excitement.