The exercise for this week was as follows (ignore my shoddy paint skills- I realized I couldn't draw this out using just 8's and o's like I usually do):
These started off as poles and were raised to crossrails as the lesson progressed. First, trot the pole/jump on the top rail. Next, trot the pole/jump on the top rail and then add the next pole on the side rail. Finally, do the pole/jump on the top rail, the pole on the side rail, then the bending line to your corner. Change direction. Pay attention to your diagonals, and try to keep your horse balanced through these turns (which were actually pretty tight in my riding ring). To keep your horse interested, make different patterns with these poles/jumps (if you do the same thing over and over, you AND your horse might get a little burnt out). This exercise is very simple, but is a great way to get your horse used to going over jumps that are not in a straight line. With Ruby, the challenge was to keep her calm coming out of the side jump going to the bending line (she will rush the bending line and lean through her turn).
You and your horse should both be relaxed when going over these poles. For over-thinkers/over-analyzers, keep looking up and ahead- the more you focus on the pole, the tighter you will get! You can tell here that I am a bit stiff and am not following with my hands. It is important to relax so your horse can do the same!
To the right is a great picture of Ruby- this is how I want her to look: she is relaxed, her head is down, and she is extending over the pole.
This lesson was uneventful (according to our standards). No lesson next week because of travel plans, but I'm sure Connie has another interesting exercise up her sleeve! As much as I hate trotting around all lesson (and trotting jumps- I find that very difficult as I want to get ahead of Ruby when we come up to the jump!), I know this is getting Ruby fit. She sweats less and less and is able to keep energy up longer now.
No comments:
Post a Comment