Hot and I have had a great 3 weeks since our return from Fireside. I've taken the idea of really formalizing our weekly schedule so that I'm sure we're getting a good program of cross training. For Hot now it's Monday off, Tuesday checking the basics, Wednesday is the Walter Zettle series, or as much of it as I can successfully accomplish. I'm not sure which book or article I drew this from, but it's posted on my locker at the barn, and it's a riding plan that never fails to bring Hot and I into really nice, harmonious work. We ride many systematic transitions, maintaining schwung and activity. I follow it to the letter as best I can. Thursday is a lesson or a lunge lesson with Andria, who is wonderful at keeping my position on track. Friday is off. Saturday is focused on questions from the week -- what didn't go well or needs work. Sunday is a hack.
Hot is learning to enjoy carrying me up hills and this gives me an opportunity to encourage him to use his max trot capability because the tall grass gets him high in his suspension and really up in his back and powering through the neck. It's a great feeling. I've always loved conditioning work and hill work. It's mentally refreshing for my horse and a chance for me to focus on keeping a rock solid tempo (I play music or a metronome tempo on my iPhone) and improves my balance for ring riding.
We just completed a clinic over the weekend with "S" judge, Anne Cizadlo. It was great to get a judge's perspective on our progress. I've got some great homework for this week, including counter canter work and shoulder-in to medium on the short diagonal. I'm going to focus on exploiting the engagement created through shoulder-in for a more engaged medium trot, and then exploit the energy I created in the medium for a really fancy corner and short side in collected trot. My focus will be on how I finess the ride between the movements. Am I relaxing and letting all I've created go, or am I using each movement to build quality in the next? Great concepts from Anne.
My really big news is I've FINALLY gotten to a three year old goal, which was to design some cool tees for the dressage rider. I spent many a late night the past two weeks designing, putting an online store up and at last, getting the word out.
I've had a great reception and it's been exciting to see some sales coming in arleady. I have so many ideas, and am just looking forward to designing more and seeing what happens. It's all good when I follow my instincts, and in this case especially, I've felt an insistent voice telling me to do this for some time.
Check it out.
