My Thursday lesson was moved to Saturday this week, so instead I went to the barn on Thursday and worked Connor on the lunge in the manner Naomi had shown me, but I had not yet tried. I was feeling awkward about the unfamiliar way of lunging, and a bit discouraged, and seeing this set up from someone else's lesson did not help:
For the first time in my life, I am just dying to jump. Knowing that I can't even ride right now makes that really hard, but I'm staying focused on the goal of having a balanced horse and trying not to let those thoughts get into my head.
I had to lunge him in the indoor, which I'm sure did not help, but unsurprisingly, my lunge session did not go as well as my trainer's. He was not as relaxed through either the suppling groundwork or on the line, with and without side reins. I tried me best to keep the shoulder out going to the right, and to use the line and the whip as my inside rein and driving aid, but generally just did not feel comfortable or accomplished doing it. I think a little practice with her is in order.
I'm glad we're doing this, but it's so challenging mentally to come to the barn in jeans, and have boarders and friends come up to me and say, "What, you're not riding today?" and to explain "No, I've created a muscle imbalance in Connor due to riding really one-sidedly, and we're working through that on the lunge for now." Everyone gives me the sort of sympathetic look you'd give someone with a laid-up horse. And I guess he is actually sort of lame, in a sense. They understand, but it's still just hard. I can't wait until I can swing a leg over him again, but I'm being good for now!
In my last lesson wrap-up post, I detailed how my laterally-unbalanced body has led to unbalanced riding, which has led to an unbalanced horse. Since then, my trainer has worked with Connor twice, doing ground work and lunging in side-reins in order to both build muscle and teach him how to use himself. Today was another lesson, only I didn't ride, just learned how she is working him so that I can do it myself.
We are the furthest thing from a gadget-using barn, which is why my trainer and I had a good laugh over the very effective and somewhat gadget-y setup he's going in right now. You'll see it more clearly in the video, but he's wearing a surcingle, his bridle without reins, side reins, a pad in order to make his pony-sized surcingle fit, and a Horse Hugger. The Horse Hugger is an interesting and effective piece of equipment that goes around the neck and then drapes around the back legs, above the hocks, to serve as a gentle reminder to the horse to step under himself.
She started out by doing ground-work to get him warmed up and thinking about stepping under himself. I've talked about it before: the front feet stay on a large square while she asks the hind legs to engage and step away from her with impulsion without going forward. She also ideally wanted him to be stretching down with his neck since he's gotten so good at just curling and not using his back.
On the lunge line, she told me to hold the line like a rein and use it as the inside rein: same tension, same cues, and to use it in conjunction with my "legs" - the whip - to apply a sort of half-halt anytime I sent a cue across the line. She was firm about sending him forward into the biggest trot he could manage without cantering since impulsion is one of our problems, and I had to keep reminding myself to focus on learning how she was doing it instead of watching him. I've never seen him move that well before - ever. I was floored.
To the right, his poorer side, I was fascinated to see that he is actually swinging his hindquarters to the outside on the circle to avoid using them. In the video, you will see that the outside hind actually tracks completely outside of the outside fore (it's especially obvious in the very last frame). So much of what she wanted me to do in this direction was sending the shoulders out in order to help with that. I saw improvements, but a definite decrease in quality from the left side. Hence, the problem.
So this is my riding for now, until we can get him fixed, and me fixed. I'm enjoying it almost as much, knowing that we're working toward solving the problem (and getting closer to jumping again sometime!)
.jpeg)
