Belly Buttons Away!
We were ready, early for our lesson today.
Dancer and I played in the sand ring. He did an exceptional job on the circling game, the turn on the hind from 22 feet and the turn on the forehand from 22 feet. We practiced the porcupine game and also backing up using the head and then the chest. I was particularly pleased with the yo-yo game. Dancer has come to me in the field, head down ears up and he did that with the yo-yo game. This has been broken for a long time! Success! We walked from the pasture to the stable sideways down the fence, then back up for good measure.
Melanie's lesson was fantastic. We worked on the transitions from working trot to working walk and back. We also worked on his later suppleness and his other one too... Can't remember what it is called!
Dancer came down into the bit beautifully travelling to the right.
I had trouble turning on the circle to the right. Dancer wants to slip to the left every time I cross the arena. Since we are working in a circle a third of the arena in size we had this problem frequently. The solution is to keep your hands very low, right on the withers and do half halts with the outside hand and leg. We also kept the dressage whip in the left hand incase I had to use it on his shoulder. This worked perfectly at the trot!
Dancer is now trotting like a 17 hand Hanoverian, with much less effort!
We worked hard on his suppleness. I started to really feel it. To encourage it I am to squeeze my hands in the reins like a sponge.
We then worked on the figure eight. I am to keep the suppleness as I change and that is harder. Dancer and I eventually managed one well enough that Melanie was encouraging by saying good boy, good girl over and over!
Something interesting was occurring, Dancer no longer was popping into the trot. He found this easier than a working trot. Melanie explained that when I ask for a faster trot I am to suck my belly button in. This makes it harder for him to canter. It really worked!
Finally we worked on our transitions from trot to working canter back to trot... Oh and keeping the suppleness. That is when steering went out the window! Melanie had a solution for that...she moved over so I would run her over if I didn't get the steering right. Next thing I knew, I had put it all together and we were cantering three strides and trotting three, keeping the suppleness! I couldn't believe how beautiful it was! All I had to do to move to the trot was suck in my belly button and we had a beautiful trot! The transitions were so smooth!
Need to remember rhythm, suppleness and contact, my new mantra!
So much to remember all at once! Half halts (all three stages with outside hand leg and whip), squeeze intermittently as the inside leg goes forward, keep hands low and closed at all times and ultimately use your belly button!