Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Second Level take two: Slow. The. Fuck. Down.

Brego's death has cast a bit of a shadow on Wyvern Oaks. You never quite realize how much a presence affects everyone until it has gone. The whole place somehow feels a bit quieter, a bit emptier. Taran is despondent, and Paddy still occasionally calls for his big BFF.

And yet, life goes on without him.

This weekend, we had a schooling show where I did 2-1 and 2-2. Coming into it, I had high hopes that we were much more prepared than we were a few months ago. Taran is more through, better balanced, and has moments where he really shines in the movements. We'd had a lesson Thursday where his w/c/w transitions were really spot on. His counter-canter is stronger, and his transitions from medium to collected canter are actually starting to look like transitions instead of hopes and prayers. I'd even accidentally put on too much outside leg in the canter and he did a few strides of half pass (OMGOMGOMG). Plus, I'm trying out a new saddle that puts my leg in a MUCH better place, and really lets me sit around him.

Naturally, we nailed the warmup and then we both ran out of steam in the tests.

I find that it takes an incredible amount of core strength to ride a collected canter, and Taran doesn't yet the strength to do much collection, so I have to work really hard to help him. You simply cannot hold collection together with your hands, you HAVE to ride it forward and up from your seat and leg, and I just couldn't do it for very long in either test. The sloppier I got, the sloppier and less balanced he got. We had a lot of breaks, and a lot of very poor w/c/w transitions, despite the fact I know we can do those well. I also let him get very quick in the trot for 2-1, in part because I was soooo tense and that caused him to shorten up.

Like this was supposed to be a medium trot. Whoops.

If that canter were any less collected it would be a medium.

One of our more... expressive... walk/canter transitions. At least I know he can rock back on his haunches?

For 2-2, I realized that I didn't have the stamina to ride a tense test, so I made a conscious effort to relax and sit and slow down, and I think it helped. It was still a messy test, but it felt slightly less hurried and rushed.

A better centerline.

It's a shoulder in, can't you tell?

He can really step under himself if I ride him right and let him use his back.

When we were crossing centerline to do our two walk pirouettes, Taran took a HARD look at the shadow made by the covered arena. There's not much you can do when your horse has a moment except smile and kick on. Rather funny but we scored a 6.5 on both pirouettes.

OMG WHO PUT THAT THERE!!!

The judge's comments on both tests can be summed up to "Needs balance and collection and SLOW DOWN." Totally, 100% accurate. Sure, we can do certain things really well at home some of the time, but this is a whole new thing for us both and it's upping the game significantly. I feel like the tests were overall better than the one we did in June (really? June? Damn, that was AGES ago) but we scored about the same (57.7 on 2-1 and 58.4 on 2-2). So while certain aspects of our rides are better, we have a long way to go before we can really put in a solid test. Fortunately we have all winter for me to get into shape so I can ride better!

Taran 2-1

Taran 2-2

19 comments:

  1. he looks really great! and i've never actually ridden through a second level test, but i remember being straight up exhausted after our first run through 1-1 lol. congrats on showing improvement at the level - the scores will start rising soon enough too! (also fyi - vids are private)

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    1. Part of the tiredness for me is just being too tense and then working way too hard. If I relax it's not nearly so bad.

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  2. So exciting that you're out there doing this and Taran looks like a whole new horse!!

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    1. I'm pretty excited to actually be in the arena doing second, even if it's kind of a hot mess!

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  3. Brego was such a big, great guy. I know the place doesn't feel the same without him. I hope y'all continue to move forward and adjust as best you can.

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  4. omg second level is just an ass-kicker. Good riding! It's not easy!

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    1. I keep hearing that second is hard and then third is easy (in comparison), which seems like magic voodoo. Then again, this is the farthest I've ever gotten, so totally uncharted waters at this point!

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  5. Lots of nice moments in those tests! I think that judge was especially tough on the scoring.

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    1. I actually thought she was very fair and accurate, especially for an L judge. Regardless, we have a lot of work to do!

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  6. He's really looking great though. I remember 2nd being difficult. For me it was how quick the movements came up. You HAD to be prepared...not just mentally but physically. It was tough for me. Ya'll look fantastic.

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    1. The movements definitely come up quickly and I need to learn how to use the corners and short sides better to rebalance! Oh and also I need to be more fit hahahah

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  7. You have turned him into such a nice horse!

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  8. He has really turned into such a nice boy!

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    1. He tries really hard and he's so much fun to ride!

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  9. Each horse leaves a uniquely shaped hole in our lives when they are gone, you guys give all your creatures such fabulous care. Big hugs to you, and I love seeing how far you and Taran have come. Great journey.

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  10. It is so exciting to see you and Taran continuing forward. He looks great!

    Before the babies, I made an attempt to get Harley and I through 2-1. I completely agree about the strength and stamina required. I remember exhaling for every center stride. It was like yoga and weight training at the same time. Those moments of collected center are worth it though. So much fun!

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  11. It is so exciting to see you and Taran continuing forward. He looks great!

    Before the babies, I made an attempt to get Harley and I through 2-1. I completely agree about the strength and stamina required. I remember exhaling for every center stride. It was like yoga and weight training at the same time. Those moments of collected center are worth it though. So much fun!

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