#shoulder-in

[jefaisducso]

If you don’t practice your dressage movements bareback in shorts whilst semi-drunk what’s the point in having a dressage pony even.

[queerrider]

I am IN LOVE with this horse, OMFG.

He’s 20, his name is Xander, and I’ve been working around him for about a year, but he’s been retired for 10 years. He went lame and his owners couldn’t afford the test to see what the problem was… until a couple months ago. The vet said it was something that could be resolved in a month or two. He’s been slowly introduced to work, mostly lunging, and a few rides with a small rider. Now he’s well enough and fit enough to carry an adult rider.

He’s 17 hands, the tallest I’ve ever ridden, and he is SUCH a good horse. I knew that before I rode him, of course; he is just SO adorable. He’s curious, affectionate, INCREDIBLY well behaved, and according to his owner he used to love his work. Riding him, though? That was… awesome.

He’s clearly excited to work again. I was a little scared on the first ride, because of how excited he was, but it was nice to ride a horse that was happy and sensitive. I managed to calm down a bit yesterday on my second ride, and I tried some shoulder-in, which I’ve tried on other horses but never really had any success.. and he DID it! My instructor was very excited to see that. She wants me to keep riding him, and I am so excited. He’s gonna teach me so much.

[neighborhooves]

3/7 午後 雨だったので午前はオックスフォードで買い出し、午後に少し雨が弱くなってから自分だけ騎乗。リズのレッスンで、最終日だからとPapillonでドレッサージもジャンピングも。動画をたくさんとってもらえた。 両手前の20x20でフリーウォーク、フリートロット、それからウォーキングで輪乗り。駈歩ではスパイラル。輪乗りでも直線でもleg yielding、shoulder in。直線の駈歩でquarters in?後ろ足が切れ込んでる？くらいでとても良いとのこと。bendが足りないのではなく、flectionが足りないとのこと？ 内方拳。 Papillonは横運動もとてもやりやすかった。肩が先行しているなと思って正そうと試みると、すぐに反応してくれる。正しくなるというより、言ったことをそのままやってくれる。ただ、shoulder inで後ろ足がロープから離れてしまったとき、正し方がわからない。若干のleg yieldingをさせる？ 彼はめちゃくちゃハミを取るので、乗っていてかなり引っ張りあう。それでもなお、前ではなく上にピックアップさせなければいけないので、かなりきつい。動画では全くそんな風に見えないのだが。動画で口元を凄く舐めているので、強すぎて不快なのかと聞けば、comfortableだよ、味わっていていいことだよと。試合ではベルトで口を閉めさせるけど、泡がよく出ていいことだと。 ミディアムトロットでは、脚を使いすぎて焦らせがちだとのこと。拳を譲るだけ。屈撓を保持するため強くもって脚を使っていたのだが、充分にハミを取ってくれているから、譲っても屈撓してくれるはずだとのこと。 ジャンピングパドックで低めのコース。コースを覚えられない。ジャンパーを着ていたので、背中のラインが見えないことに後悔。ツーポイントを安定して乗れるようになった。Papillonがショートカットしようとしてくれるのを、初心者むけに大きく回ってもらうのが大変だったくらい。外から見てそのズレは分かりにくいのだが。 その後、View Hill Schoolまで一人でトレッキングしてきていいよーと。キャンターもしていいけど気を付けてね、と。結局Papillonは慎重になっていて、放し飼いの犬とそれに怒る女性がパドックにいるのをとても気にしていたので、怖くて戻った。リズに報告すると、慎重なのは良いことだよ。安全第一。ただ、あなたはきっとできるから、次は言い聞かせてみてごらんと。怖かったら隣まで車で行って、怒鳴ってあなたを叱咤してあげると言われたら笑ってしまう。 雨が強くて完全に今日は乗れないと思っていたのだが、全部させてもらえた。とても可愛がって？もらえたステイだった。今までのステイで、騎乗も英語も不十分だったのがもったいないなあと。ヨシキさんのことはリズは覚えていて、あなたのことも思い出せるだろうから、次に戻ってきたらやったこととやりたいことを教えてねと。最後のステイにするつもりだったが、惜しくなってきた。

[neighborhooves]

3/4 午前 ベッキーのドレッサージレッスン。週末なのでキッズもたくさんいたが、大人のレッスンに入れてもらえた。前回まではキッズのグループに入って、お姉さんのレッスンだったのだが。やったー！ Watsonは本当に思慮深いというか意識が高いというか。脚にもハミにも敏感というよりも理解が早く、正しさを教えてくれる。 shoulder in 最初の右手前がびっくりするほど簡単に出来た。角度もストレイトネスも完璧。しかし左手前は全くできなくて常歩から。インサイドレインをもっと開いて、インサイドリッグ。手と脚を同時に使えるようになろうねと。 leg yielding 左手前からだが、肩が先行したり首が曲がったりして上手くいかない。左に鞭を使うとよくなる。右手前は美しくできた。完全に左脚が弱い。すこし左腰が痛くて、左足がやや痺れている？のが原因か？ その後は駈歩でループの練習。みんな上手くて5mとかやっているのだが、2mで。Watsonは駈歩でビンドを作るのがとても簡単。コーナーや円周上で、アウトラインをとても美しくつくれる。左脚が外方のとき、もうすこし後ろに。 ウォームアップのときには上手くできたのだが、レッスン中にはあまりラウンドさせられなかった。割りとハミで喧嘩。

[neighborhooves]

2/27 午前 リサとお客さんの方のシャーロットとキムとでリズのレッスン。 Flyがもうびっっくりするくらい重くて、昨日あれだけ動いたのは長鞭が長かったからなんだろうなあと。グループで圧倒的差をつけて一番下手だった。邪魔をしてしまうのが申し訳ない。 ウォームアップで全くリラックスしてもらえない。頭が下がらない。もっともっともっと脚を使って前に出させて、しかし焦らせないでと。指はこのときはあまり使わなくていいとのこと。良い隅角をつくることを考えるべき。 4人で20m円で速歩駈歩。正しく描けないし、そもそも前に出せないので遅く、内側を通って追い抜いてもらう。 Lisa: 2 2m loops and an 8m circle on B Charlotte: 2 2m loops Kim: a 5m loop me: a 2m loop を駈歩でやるのだが、自分は普通の駈歩すらできなかったので駈歩で内方姿勢をとる練習。 その後、肩内へ。Lisaは隅角で小さい円を描いた後に肩内をEまで、半円と半円で手前を換え、肩内を隅角まで。駈歩のときにフライングチェンジが上手くいかなかったら、その瞬間に、換えさせる方の外方で鞭を使わせていた。飛ぶが、しっかりピックアップさせられている。 自分がなかなか上手くいかなくて、リサに乗りかわってもらえた。最初はかなり怠けていたが(自分がそうさせたので)、めちゃくちゃ脚を使って、内方の鞭を片手に持ちながら肩内したりしていると、とても良くなっていた。前足がすごく上がる。 自分とキムは一辺をギャロッピング、速歩で小さい円を隅角で、Pまで肩内、駈歩、ギャロッピング。始めは片手鞭でぺしぺしやりながらでないと出来なかったが、最終的に両手手綱でどうにかなった。この時には昨日よりも上手くできていた。昨日よりもまっすぐで、ハミも外れず良い感じで。 reasons why we do shoulder in ・increase a connection ・feel straightness of your horse ・improve your legs especially inside ・move your horse's fetlock? 夕方にキムと受けた口頭レッスンで言われたこと。たぶんこんな感じ。 自分は脚をもっとつかうべき。弱いのもそうだけど、そもそも少な過ぎるとのこと。恐れるなとも。欲しいのはスタミナと筋肉。 2時間乗ってへばってきて、脚の使えなくなったら襲歩で前に出させて、何度かこのまま死ぬんだなと思った。とりあえず走らせるので、その力のまま速歩にさせられず、テンポをコントロールできない。もっと正確なもっと小さな円を、ちゃんと隅角で。

[neighborhooves]

3/26 午前 再びのFlyで再びのマカーラ？Machela?のレッスン。(名前を覚えてくれていた)キッズやお客さんとだが、部班ではなく。 あの折り返して手綱に付けるものはMarket harboroughと言うらしい。日本語でなんだっけ。それを始めは2つめに付けていたが、上手くいかなかった。テンポやポジションが安定しない。lazy?怠けてる？かも怒られてるかも分からないけど、聞けばひたすら脚を使って内方の指を使えとのこと。 3つめに変えると、理由は分からないがとたんに良くなった。びっくりするほどの前進気勢を、安定してハミに乗ってやってくれた。隅角や円周上でいちいちハミが、とくに外方のものが外れるのは、後半ではなくなった。 leg yielding 肩が先行しがちだが、特に問題はなかった。短蹄跡で曲がるときにハミが外れがちで、気持ちも落ちてしまうのは、もっと備えてやるべき。馬の頭と自分のヘソは前を向いて、体重は内方に。 shoulder in ビンド？bend?が強くなりがちだが、脚を使うと改善できた。脚で四肢の位置を変えてくれるのが楽しい。馬の頭と自分のヘソは内に。 三湾曲が横運動よりもよっぽど難しかった。もっとbendさせて円を大きく。 駈歩はまっすぐ走らせないとかなり内側に倒れられてしまう。とくに右手前は反対駈歩かと思うほど外の肩が動いて、内に切れ込まれる。速歩を挟んだ駈歩の手前変換(なんかややこしい名前。simple changeは常歩らしい)は、ちゃんと意識しないとダメだった。 とりあえず脚が使えない。しかし、accurately?正しく？乗れてるよと何度も褒めてもらえた。たぶんそれぞれのペアだとあのグループで2,3番目に上手く乗れてたと思う。He's so happy with you!

[whichchick]

Bird for a spin yesterday after work.  (I know, I know.  There’s going to be a lot of this, mixed in with “project kid for a spin” and “Tank for a spin” and so forth.  If you don’t want to read about incremental horse progress efforts, probably should unfollow now.  In the warmer months, there is a lot of horse blogging going on up in here.)

The other day on Denny Emerson’s facebook, he posted:

Greg Fuess asks---

"My question is how to develop that plan! I read lots of books, all of which give details, and no clue how those details fit into an overall plan. For example, my horse would put the brakes on fast with the crossed rails in front of the jump, and I know that you work up to that. But how? Why? I need a overall approach that is lacking in my horsemanship as it relates to eventing."

The thing is that training is largely being able to troubleshoot and connect the dots between “Where The Horse And I Actually Are” and “Where I Want Us To Be”.  It takes experience and knowledge and stuff to be able to get from “I can get my horse to canter, but I can’t pick a lead” to “He takes the lead I tell him to take in reasonably pleasant and balanced canter departures.”  

The first thing is to check yourself.  If you are not cueing correctly and in a balanced fashion, your horse has no hope of success.  I’m going to assume you know how to cue correctly for a canter and how to tell if you got the lead you wanted.  But, obviously, if you don’t know these things, you have no business at all trying to teach your horse about leads until you get your own shit together.

The second thing is to check that you’re setting the horse up for success -- in the trot-to-canter departure, start on a nice trotted 20 m circle.  Make sure he’s bent the right direction and is thinking “circle”.  Start on his stronger side first, so that he’ll be more likely to get it correct on the first try.  Like, if he prefers the left lead, do the first try to the left.  (If you do not know which side your horse prefers, you need to work on your horse awareness so that you can be a better teacher for your horse.)  

And then make sure your canter departure cue is clear and obvious -- step to the inside, put outside leg back, sit and rock (or whatever it is that you do).  If he gets it right, canter some (at least ten or fifteen strides) and lots of GOOD BOY and a walk break and much petting and such.  If he gets it wrong, drop to strong trot, regroup, and try again.  If he’s wrong, it’s best if you don’t get more than about three strides of canter before dropping to trot and trying again.  

For the less-preferred side, it’s going to be harder for your horse (and maybe his less-preferred side coincides with YOUR less-preferred side, so work extra hard to be correct for him so that both of you can get better) and may take multiple tries.  If he’s really, really one-sided, you will need to troubleshoot the problem and possibly work on stuff like “step the hq over off my leg” and “establish the correct bend” so that he can actually do what you’re asking.  Most horses, though, have two working leads without remedial work.

Now, stuff like getting canter leads on demand is pretty straightforward.  Horse already has and uses two leads and it’s a simple one-shot thing because once he’s cantering, he will probably stay on the same lead if you’re just trucking along.  Canter lead is a low-level skill, like being able to back up on command. Most competent horse trainers can install a decent back-up on a horse inside of thirty minutes.  It ain’t rocket science.  If  you think it’s rocket science, well, yeah. You are not a trainer.

Stuff like “I want my horse to be able to do shoulder-in” is more complicated because there are more parts, more balls in the air, and the horse has to hold the shape as he trucks along.  It’s not a “take this lead” it’s a “here, hold this shape and go forward and don’t bulge and don’t break at the shoulder and don’t let the hq skew off track and also gather up a bit and keep decent forward motion and ...” Shoulder-in is a more complicated movement, one that requires pretty granular control of the horse and the ability to have subtle adjustments to his body and shape.  You need more “language” with the aids to explain shoulder-in to your horse, more finesse, more understanding from him about the aids.

So I have here a green horse and I want him to be all shoulder-inning down the trail.  (Real life example:  Bird.  Shoulder-in is not some platonic ideal movement you can only do in the sandbox with perfect footing on a 30K warmblood.  Get over that right quick.)  How do we get from Stop-Go-Left-Right-Back greenbroke to “shoulder-in”?  What are the dots between “green broke” and “shoulder-in”?

I don’t know all of the dots.  I’m seat-of-the-pantsing it, but we’re getting there. Here’s our journey to shoulder-in.  

First off, horse needs to understand that when I pick up the reins, instructions are coming and he needs to listen up.  Mostly Bird works on a loose rein b/c he’s doing hill marches and trail work for overall balance and muscle.  (He’ll be 5 in June and is still growing.)  But sometimes, I need him to do more and listen more... that’s the beginnings of contact for him.  I typically pick up the reins when we are going to DO STUFF (leg yield, trot-walk-trot transitions, turn on hq, turn on fh, circles, proper hill descents). 

Over months and months of riding, Bird has figured out that if I pick up the reins, we’re going to do more than just truck down the trail.  He has started to anticipate instructions, things-of-interest, when I gather the reins.  (He’s clever and likes to learn stuff.)  Now, when I gather the reins, he automatically balances a little back (because many of the things we do require him to be more balanced on his hq instead of forehandy and also he now has better muscles to do that b/c has been practicing it).  It’s not great yet and it’s not super-reliable, but it’s there and enough to be going on with.  (You get to know how much is “enough to be going on with” by experience and practice.  Usually, with horses, if you can’t get whatever new thing you are trying to actually work, you need to buff up one or more of your fundamentals.  Go back and work on them and try again later.)

Secondly, he needs to understand and be OK with the fact that sometimes we do ongoing instructions with continual communication.  In circles and in leg-yields and in teardrops, Bird gets continual instructions on how to be from the reins and from my seat and legs.  All of these activities have continual steering and shape instructions.  And while we do them, I am working on my riding, being mindful that my body is supposed to be helping Bird know how to be and how to move.  These exercises build a language between us where I can adjust a very small amount and he understands and responds with the correct amount of change and also get him used to the idea of continual input.  He’s getting decent at this.  Not as good as he will be one day, but way better than a ‘greenbroke’ horse.

Horse needs to know about bend, making and holding a bend as per my instructions (rein, seat, legs, blah blah).  We do that with circles and teardrops (in teardrop, you make a half-circle, then straighten and rebend (a tiny amount) the other way for leg yielding.  It’s great for getting horse on board with the oilcan snap into a new shape.  The oilcan snap will pay dividends later.) so that he has a good idea of bend.  Leg yields let you say “not so much bend” and “don’t pop your shoulder” so that you can correct incorrect bend or excessive bend.  He’s getting very good at this... practically a model leg-yielder.

So now we are at “rebalance a little when I pick up the reins” and “understand that sometimes I’ll have ongoing continual instructions for you” and “understand how to make a bend -- how much bend -- hold the bend -- stay bent”.  It’s now time  to start looking at shoulder-inning.  (Note that I as the rider know what shoulder-in looks and feels like.  I know where we are going so that I can release/reward when we get there.  It’s best if at least one of you knows the destination.)

With a warmed-up and attentive horse, now I can get a good solid forward walk, establish a bend on the front end, keep the bend correct, and hold the hq straight so that horse does that shoulderblade rolling thing that is shoulder-in. Let’s say I get a step or two.  Great!  Now I ask for twenty.  (NO!  This is new and hard for your horse.  I know you’re all excited and shit, but NO.  At the walk, get a step or two each way?  Awesome! Stop asking.  MUCH PRAISE.  Loose rein walk break and then go do something else.)  

Don’t get a step but get a sort of “neck-over” effort?  Ok.  Try again, with a little more leg/seat support.  If it’s still not there yet, go home and work on your bending efforts.  Spend some time on “move off my leg” stuff like turns on hq, leg yield, and the Brannaman exercise of end-swapping.  Revisit the shoulder-inning in very small doses every couple of days.  

Remember that new lateral work takes a lot of muscles and balance from your critter and that he likely doesn’t HAVE the muscles and balance to do this shit very well at first.  A few steps at the walk is plenty to start.  You can ask like four or five times per side (space these out amongst other activities) per ride and if you get two or three steps each, you’re doing great.

When you can put your horse in shoulder-in at the walk reliably, start trying for it at the trot.  See if you can do some trot steps.  Once that works OK, be shoulder-inning at the walk and pick up a trot without losing your shoulder-inning.  How good is your shoulder-in?  Can you shoulder-in right and then go straight two steps and then shoulder-in left?  Play with this toy (and attend to your horse’s fitness and ability) so that you and your horse understand it and can do it, as it were, at the drop of a hat.

I get that in other worlds, worlds that have nice dressage arenas, people get to shoulder-in by way of, say, 10m circles in the corner and then they “carry” that correct bend up the long side of the school.  This is a fantastic idea because the long side of the school is an effective leg aid to keep the hq from swinging out.  It’s training wheels for shoulder-in and I bet it works awesome.  If I had a school, I would do that too.  I don’t have a school.  I have fields and dirt roads, so my shoulder-inning is on hard mode and requires more effective leg aids. Still gonna try, yo.  

How’s it going?  Not bad.  Bird can do a couple of steps at walk pretty reliably and actually did the shape in trot for the first time yesterday.  So excited.  He’s better to the left, so will get extra “to the right” practice as we go on.

People who let lack of facilities stop them from doing stuff are, basically, whiny sad sacks of complete wimpitude.