Monday, January 25, 2016

Christine Traurig Lessons: January 24, 2016


Gabrielle

During this lesson we allowed her to get tension out of her body by moving forward on the straight line following the track of the fence line in the outdoor arena. Gradually we added ten-meter circles in at the ends of the arena. The most important message from the lesson is that Gabby must remain obedient. I find this true in all aspects of her training, that she must remain attentive at all times and engaged in her work.

Christine emphasized that while working I have the ability to have my calf on her. With an inability to use the leg, the rider looses influence over the horse. We worked on using the calf in a secure way, by applying pressure that she then would yield to. Because we desired relaxation from this sensitive, hot, mare, Christine made it very clear not to apply the leg in a kick or a bumping motion, but in squeezes of the calf. 

Anytime that Gabby had a distraction that produced a reaction that took her away from work, I was instructed to keep my hands low (especially the outside one) and keep my calf on. Christine reminded me of the importance of the influence the outside rein can have when placed on the whither. For this reason, I held my strap with the outside hand during the warm up to ensure the rein was low and steady.

We also worked on the quality of the trot. Christine constantly reminded me to ride on and more forward into a steady accepting contact in which the mare then began to relax her neck and back. Working on the longside and along the track allowed my inside leg to have a positive effect of engaging the inside hind leg without the outside hind stepping outward, cultivating an improved connection in the outside rein.

Upon finishing the ride, I was told to continue to push the mare. In this set of work it is extremely important to maintain quality and enthusiasm. With the goal of Grand Prix, riders cannot forget this, as the last movements of the test are an extension and a demanding centerline of passage and piaffe. If the horse has the tone set from the beginning that they must exert the same effort that they began with, the final leg of the Grand Prix test in the future will be that much more successful. Good riding is not just about riding in the moment to improve the horse, but implementing positive reactions and ideas that will influence future training. 

Adagio

While Adagio was quite on edge for his lesson, the work was extremely beneficial to gain suppleness, thoroughness, and relaxation. We immediately began working on a twenty-meter circle at the trot. Using the outside rein to influence the shoulders in a shoulder in positioning, Christine had me supple him in the ribcage from my inside leg. On the open apart of the circle we would rehearse the shoulder in feeling while pushing the haunches to the outside of the circle with a strong outside rein in the sitting trot, and on the closed part of the circle in the posting trot we would allow him to straighten and move on. This allowed him to focus his energy on me, loosing his back, ribcage, and neck. I could feel as I worked through this and gave the inside hand that he stretched into the contact and relaxed his back. Working the lateral work along side transitions within the trot combines to create great suppleness and attention in a simple way that the horse understands. 

In the canter we rehearsed the same exercises, with an emphasis on the transitions between medium and a more collected canter on the circle. With a great degree of inside leg on initially, gradually I was able to gain the suppleness around the inside leg. Adagio then began to release his back and neck as we worked through the transitions. Going forward and back is not a matter of obedience for him, but an issue of suppleness. The transitions exists with or without the proper usage of his body and this is the most important reason to practice the transitions with an active inside leg from me to engage the inside of his body to produce the qualities of throughness and bend.

Then we worked the mediums and extensions down the long side with ten-meter circles at the end of the long side. The circle encouraged him to stay through his body and improved the balance of the canter. Also helpful was the use of shallow leg yields, all for the same ideas, but also to improve the straightness.

Finishing the ride, Christine has me work on traver on the circle around her. Taking the throughness of the back and ribcage that we created with the transitions within the canter, we collected him and gradually decreased the size of the circle. The most important aspect of this exercise for me to remember is to keep an active inside leg on for the bend and engagement. It is not enough to use the outside rein and leg to turn and forget the inside of the horse’s body. The quality of his pirouette work has improved greatly over time, and I could really feel a great degree of sitting and suppleness that was the product of the work previous in the ride.

I loved listening to Christine explain the principles that I needed to exhibit while riding. She talked much about the quality of all three gates, making sure that the walk is forward, attentive and marching. That during all work the rider must have control of the horse’s poll, not in a dominate way, but that the rider knows what the poll is doing and has the ability to position it. Not to say that the horse cannot stretch, but that the rider never looses the ability to have influence, a principle that applies to the horse’s entire body, keeping him attentive, respectful, and relaxed in work. I cannot wait to improve this week and prepare for more instruction.