Schooling Video

Hopefully this blog will help me to track Emmie's progress throughout the year, so I'm starting with a little flatwork video from today. I had to balance my phone on the arena door so it took lots of editing to take out the not-in-view parts, so bear with the repetitiveness!

I think there are a few things to like and lots of things to work on , but that's all good.

You may need to change the viewing quality on the video, as it is automatically going quite low on my computer.






Things I like:

• She is nice and relaxed. This has been a big issue with Emmie as she is half TB and shows it at times - she's very hot, very mareish and has been quite difficult on the flat in the past. She starts out in the video relatively tense, but I feel she starts to relax and by the last trots she is moving much more freely and swingy. 
• She's moving uphill (for her). She is built long and croup high so it can be hard sometimes to feel like I have her off the forehand and working up, but she felt really nice and light in front today. There is still more to come on this front, but it's only April!
• She is definitely stronger through her back than she has been at this time of year before, which I credit to doing more flatwork over winter, her new dressage saddle, and also working  her in the EquiAmi over poles once a week. I feel that this sets her up really well for the rest of the year. 

Things I don't like so much (this will be a longer list because I am very critical of myself!)

• She goes quarters in on the left canter, she has done this since all her treatment a couple of years ago and is probably linked to her previous back/hock/sacro issues. She doesn't do it when I'm jumping or when I'm out on fields, but as soon as she's working in a more confined space on the flat I lose control of the quarters! I need to push her forward more as that brings her straighter, and also fix myself as I slouch one way which won't help her one bit!
• She's tilting her head round corners. I don't have her in quite a good enough connection from leg to hand and need to use my seat and legs on turns a lot more to make sure she stays connected. She also comes a little behind the vertical at times.
• I want a lot more push from behind, but as I said before, she will get stronger as the season progresses and this is something that definitely improves with time. I also want to work on having her in a bit of a longer, lower frame as she naturally has quite a high and round head carriage and finds stretching long and low difficult. 
• I need to wrap my legs around that horse's sides!!!
• I need to be more consistent with my hand position. 
• I need to work on my core strength. I did half a session without stirrups yesterday though, so was feeling it a little bit today!!

So in the next few weeks I want to be working on:

• My position! hopefully I'll be able to get out for some dressage lessons, but even on my own I need to do more no stirrups work and work on my core. I've been slacking over winter!
• Getting more push from behind and more lift through the back. Better connection from leg to hand. 
• Work on the shoulder in and leg yield. She's a bit bendy and I lose shoulders and quarters all over! I also want to work on getting her straight in the rein back. 

Next time I do a video I will aim to show some lateral work and medium trot. Neither one are particularly strong areas for Emmie, so I will have plenty more things to work on!