Cob Jockey

I was supposed to have more or less back-to-back lessons on Connor last weekend, with one on Friday and one on Sunday, BUT on Saturday our roommate called to let us know he had taken an "exit" COVID test for school even though he had no symptoms at all, and tested positive, so we are now quarantining until Dec 2.

It is the most first world of first world problems to say that the only thing I'm upset about is that I'm going to miss riding and lessons, but I think you'll understand when you see how Friday's lesson went. Connor is educated to the point that every lesson, I'm learning in leaps and bounds and I'm so bummed to have to pause that!

On Friday, she asked to get on him first to "show me where he's at", and I had a hard time keeping my jaw off of the floor watching them go. Since mid-September, just over two months ago, she's taken him from being a maybe First Level horse with an incorrect understanding of collection to where all the pieces for 3-1 are passably there.

Full disclosure, her standards for someone being ready for the level are pretty high, so I'm not saying she WOULD show him 3-1 tomorrow, but she COULD.

I got on after her, and I'm going to put the two GIFs of both of us doing the same things on him to show you how differently he goes for her vs me. Not to throw myself under the bus, but to show the difference between a skilled rider that remembers to half halt and me, lol.

Even just warming up, he's a different horse. Look at how different his neck shape is, how the top of his neck is longer than the bottom:

Her warmup walk

My, uh, "just got on" walk

She's militant about never letting him get stiff in the bridle, and told me that "95% of the time, if he feels stiff, the right answer will be to apply the right leg and right rein and hold until he softens". She also said "It means something to him if you close your legs and then briefly close your hands now, put him together." Hello yes these are the kind of first toolkit adult amateur slow learner instructions I am here 👏 for 👏. 

I know the medium trots below aren't scoring an 8, but WOW you guys, the feeling of closing my legs and having INSTANT POWER is something I am not used to. This required a whole other level of core engagement to stay with him. 

Her medium trot

My medium trot, where you can see my abs just completely peace out in the middle from the unexpected force of holding him together

You can really see the difference in her canter vs mine. Mine has less energy (although this WAS 40 minutes into the ride) and the balance isn't nearly as good. Those two phrases could sum up the major differences between our riding in all gaits and movements. I'm not upset about it though, having a horse that I know understands how to go well means I just have to learn how to ride him well, I no longer have the responsibility of also teaching him to go well.

Her collected canter

My collected canter

She didn't intentionally show me any flying changes, but she did attempt a canter half pass (she hasn't done many with him and warned me it was a work in progress) and he gave her a change as a wrong answer. I think it's pretty cool that he knows what a change is well enough to be willing to see if it's the right answer to an ask he doesn't quite understand yet.

She also did a few things I didn't get to do but was happy to see, such as this extremely balanced counter canter. No more motorcycling and hanging on for dear life! 🙌

I did get to do shoulder-in but the Pivo missed it, so you'll just have to watch this clip of CGP and trust me when I say it is so accessible and easy now, it's kind of amazing. No more struggling to manufacture a S-I that's mostly neck bend for me!

I was just on cloud nine. More to come.

Connor and I ran through our 2-2 test last night.  I really, really love that test.  All of the movements seem to improve Connor as the test goes on (maybe because these movements force me to remember to half-halt, hahaha 😳).  Even the canter work doesn't suck in this test, there are enough interesting things that happen in it that it doesn't feel like a slogfest.  (Ahem, nothing like 1-3)


The one thing we really don't have are canter-walk transitions, although they have improved.  But, I'll settle for a "too many trot steps" for now, since we've got everything else in 2-1 and 2-2 going pretty well.

We actually have a lengthened (maybe medium?) canter and a medium trot now - or at least as medium as we will probably get for the time being.  I laughed when the 2nd level Castleberry Cob's pro rider/trainer said last weekend that his mediums suck.  I've heard so many upper level Cob Dressage riders say they don't really get good mediums until they get the half steps that I have to believe it.

I'd take him, mediums and all.  PS - he's for sale!  Cleaned up at championships at Second, currently schooling all of third and some of fourth with a USDF gold medal pro rider/trainer in Colorado. PC: Me

The key to success is going to be KEEPING MY REINS SHORT. Everything comes up so fast in second level, if my reins get even slightly too long I suddenly find myself scrambling through the next movement.  If my reins are short, he stays put together and we can do everything pretty easily. 

Doesn't this Breyer look like Connor?  It even has the right number of white feet, although his are one foreleg and one hind leg.

Regardless of how the test goes and what the score is though, it's going to be a great weekend.  Sunny and a high of 68 degrees, we're in the good barn, and I'll be showing with Karen and Hampton and a few people from my barn.  If you're there, come find us!

Last night's ride started with my horse squeaking.  Yes, squeaking!

I thought I'd ride him in the grassy field since a lesson was going on in the outdoor, so I tacked him up (as usual), led him to the big outside mounting block (as usual) and threw my reins over his head (as usual).

And he must not have been paying attention or something, because as I threw the reins over his head he exhaled so hard it sounded like a squeak, and cat crouched and scrambled backwards.

Dramatic re-enactment.

And that was when I decided to head into the indoor, where I slogged through a whole lot of missing gerbils for forty minutes.  It got steadily better, and then at about 39 minutes in he had a full on meltdown about his hair touching his ears.  Like...violently shaking his head for a full 20m circle.

I tried a couple of different things, and finally settled on just pushing him through it in the sitting trot with quiet, following hands - and I got a solid 5 minutes of what might be our first true medium trot ever, and then another five of moving between medium, working and even a little extended trot.

Like, I haven't ridden a true medium trot before, but I knew it when I felt it.  He was pushing into the bridle from his hind legs with so much impulsion, but it was contained tactfully in my hands. His back was lifted, everything was so round, and he was moving quickly, but I could bring him back to working trot and keep the same rhythm by just sitting stiller.

If anyone had walked by the indoor, I would have begged them to take a video, it was that amazing to ride.  I had the thought that this is my first real preview of what he could be as a Dressage horse while I was sitting that trot.  And it was HARD work.  Putting him together is really physical right now in terms of my seat and legs.  But the results are amazing.

I quit there.  We were both kind of wondering WTF just happened, in a good way.

"WTF just happened?"

When we got back into the barn, a teammate's horse was getting his teeth floated.  Her dad said, "Wow, Connor looks like he worked hard."

Why yes, yes he did.

"Glad that's not me."

Now to get that kind of work out of him without the 40 minutes of missing gerbils preceding it.