I started really teaching the changes a few weeks ago. Romy had done them before but they hadn't really been focussed on and I hadn't done much with them since buying him. In my first 'changes' lesson with Sandra, she quickly realised that we needed to change up our way of going so rather than collect him into the change, I had to ride forward into a counter canter with my seat, ask for the new bend and then stop asking for counter canter, rather than ask for the new canter lead. Romy is VERY sensitive to my leg behind the girth (and yes, he showed negative to test for both front and hind gut ulcers!) and while sensitivity is a fab thing to have in a dressage horse, my overactive right leg, coupled with Romys overactive sensitivity can result in a few teenage strops from time to time. Romy understands what I'm asking of him now and other than the odd aforementioned strops (usually my fault for asking too much with the new outside leg) he is really starting to get them. HUZZAH AND HALLELUJA!
On the 26th of November last year I was kindly offered a slot to train with the Irish Olympic dressage rider, Judy Reynolds. Judy was really hitting the headlines as she was doing so much for the Irish dressage scene and she and her horse JP were smashing world records for Ireland across the globe. So I was excited to train with her. And of course, sods law, Romy started to get poorly. I had to pull out of that lesson so when I was offered another lesson with Judy this November and Romy was feeling great, it seemed somewhat fitting to see in the anniversary of his injury with a lesson from an Olympian! The lesson was at her family home in Kildare and the weather couldn't have been better. Blue skies and a crispness to the air, perfect weather for horse riding if you ask me.
I decided to ride without a stick and in a snaffle for the lesson and I didn't miss the stick once so I'm not going to carry one in future. I'll always bring one to my training sessions just in case but Romy really doesn't need any added aids at this stage, which I'm thankful for. Romy has been going really nicely in the Micklem bridle lately, which was good as we have just ordered new double bridle bits and they haven't yet arrived so don't have much choice!
After warming up and going through all of Romy's history, current training plan and areas to work on, Judy asked us to pick up trot and watched Romys way of going. The main thing I took from the entire lesson was the first thing she said to us and reminded me of throughout the lesson 'make him quicker behind'. Quicker, but not faster. Romy is a good learner and is always looking for the next challenge so he was willing to try this new quickness....I on the other hand was puffing after a while. After a little break she looked at the canter and did some canter trot canter transitions, something I had been working on with Sandra. I think I mentioned before that Romy often thinks passage when I half halt so Judy wanted to maintain the quickness into the walk. If I half halted and Romy started to slow down and think passage, I would ride him forward out of it and keep doing that until he kept the quickness and activity into the downward transition.
We then went to look at some shoulder in in trot. I had worked on the shoulder in with Sandra the day before so I was confident enough riding them and was happy when Judy seemed content with both reins. Her main comment in that movement was for me to be aware of the flexion at the poll rather than angle at the neck, which Sandra had also spoken to me about. I really do find shoulder ins quite tough if I'm honest....I think they're my nemesis!
On to the half passes in trot, Romy had no issues with the half pass right but in the half pass left I almost forgot who I was riding and rode it as I would ride a typical half pass, asking the horse to bend around my inside leg and controlling the quarters with the outside leg (cue aforementioned teenage strop in the form of a buck into canter and 'I REFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE TO TROT YOU WITCH HOOMAN'. Romythemostsensitivehorseintheworld doesn't like me reminding him, particularly with my right leg, so I have always had to ride his half pass left with more shoulder steering than leg control. Judy reminded me that he has to allow me to put his leg on him so that's something I will have to work with a little more at home.
We then went on to the canter and Judy asked me to ride the flying change as I would at home......right...this is the moment Victoria, what were you told....ride forward with your seat, check. Counter canter, check. New bend, check. Don't ask for the counter canter anymore.....he did it! He did come a little croup high which meant I couldn't feel if it was clean or not (it was) but for our first attempt Judy was complimentary. Yay! The other way (left to right) was slightly more....exhuberant shall we say so Judy got us to change the canter a bit. She wanted him to be quicker behind, and when I asked for that I felt like I was sitting on a bouncy ball, it was a great feeling! We did a few changes either way in a straight line 5 meters in from the wall and Romy did a super job so we left it there.
I was a little nervous to see how Romy coped the day after the lesson as I had two training sessions one with Sandra on the Saturday and the other with Judy on the Sunday but I stretched his legs on the Monday and he felt super! His hindquarters are looking stronger and his coat has definitely changed for the better since putting him on Baileys Racehorse mix and spirulina.
I feel like I have a good training plan in place now and hope to continue with my lessons every Saturday with Sandra and also train with Judy when she's back over. I think so many riders feel a certain loyalty to a trainer, which I understand, but I think like every service you need to shop around until you find the product that's right for you and your horse. Good trainers are hard to come by and I feel like this is a pretty good team I've got going on now. I don't want to jinx things but I'm feeling excited again about Romy's future! *touches all the wood around her in the hope that her horses legs don't fall off*
Until next time
V & R x
