Winter sucks, as far as I am concerned. Last week was the second time I was sick this winter (tonsillitis this time, and a cold on top of it), so didn’t get to see Becky. Just the weekend past, we had gale-force winds and intermittent rain – not rideable weather! I started to get as jittery and snippy as an addict without a fix.
Today though, even though it is a weekday, I managed to get out to ride, using the fact that I had an equine dentist coming out for Becky’s yearly teeth-check, as an excuse.
I am sure that in the two weeks that I haven’t seen Beckster, she put on even more weight! I am seriously beginning to worry about spring grass, which is not too far off. Normally, winter is the time when Becky turns from a candidate for The Biggest Loser to having somewhat acceptable dimensions. This winter – she lost not an inch! I am afraid that I will have to lock her up in a private yard very soon, to avoid founder.
The ride though went very well. Marina came out too and continued to teach me and Becky how to do a shoulder-in. Of course, as per usual, my first few attempts felt as if I had zero coordination. Having hands short enough on the reins to be able to catch Becky as she tried to put her shoulders too much in or too much out; but not too short to be able to reward when she softens; sitting deep in the saddle and keeping my inside leg looong… so as to be effective in keeping her hindquarters moving. Frankly I was starting to wonder whether an octopus would’ve had an easier time controlling all his limbs than I did. We managed though, and when I finally rode a good shoulder-in along a straight line, I felt like I managed to ride a dressage test. :-)
As Marina explained to me, a shoulder-in is a great tool for riding a circle, as, in a circle, I am always riding with the shoulder just slightly to the inside of the hindquarters. So, keeping that thought in mind makes it much easier for me to catch Becky whenever she loses her bend, and reestablish it. Secondly, as with anything that requires Becky’s full attention – and a shoulder-in most certainly does! – it brings her mind back to me from wherever it is that her thoughts go wondering (like when she is thinking about being with the other horses in the paddock). So I end up with a calmer, more responsive horse. Thirdly, the concept of a shoulder-in should help Becky with her balance in the canter, as she tends to want to throw her shoulders out when going into a canter, and overbalances herself.
So, it’s all exciting, it’s all promising, and next week I will try to put it all into practice on a trail ride. I haven’t been out of the arena for a while again, and it’s time we poked our noses beyond the gate. Hopefully the weather cooperates.
Happy riding everyone!
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