Second Lesson with Liz

Liz said I had better rhythm today and Griffin was actually going straight.  She could tell I worked on what she said last time.  She is so positive!  I love it!  We talked about the last two weeks and how I was wondering whether he was straight enough.  In the last lesson I was thinking she had me bend him beyond what I thought was straight and so I wasn't sure how straight was straight.

So the idea is that there is dressage riding and therapy riding.  What she and Joanna are doing when they ask for more bend when he seems to me to be going straight is to over do it a bit with him.  He is so stiff that if we go past straight he will start to stretch.  He needs to bend more especially in the corners so we have to overdo it a bit in order to get him to bend properly.

* Liz pulled on his bridle to turn his head and his neck stayed straight instead of bending.  She had to press on his neck and pull his bridle to get him to bend.  So that is what I need to do.  Turn his head in a bit more than "proper dressage" would have him and give him leg like I learned last time.  (Put my weight in that leg and kick him like a soccer ball with the side of my foot.)  This will help Griffin learn to bend and stretch his muscles so he can be more supple. *

The other big thing we learned today was that I have been riding with my stirrups too long.  She had me stand up in my stirrups and I barely cleared the saddle.  It also took my upper body to get me up enough to open my hips forward in a posting motion.  Too long of stirrups causes me to not be able to open up enough so my back has to push my body/pelvis forward.  i.e. I cannot open my hips because the saddle is in the way.

Liz asked if I feel more secure when using short stirrups in jumping.  I said I don't necessarily feel more secure but I feel secure.  That is a sign.  If I can move freely and sink into my heels with short stirrups that is a good length.  We shortened my stirrups two holes.  She said I looked more balanced and my shoulders relaxed more so she could "see my neck".

When I was riding with long stirrups I tended to look like I was steering a bike.  Hands wide apart and turning to steer Grif.  When riding with short stirrups I was able to keep my hands in front of my hips.  Especially on the corners she had me hold my outside rein next to his withers to hold him in.  She said not move the rein out to steer him.  Steer with my legs and the weight in my leg soccer kick NOT with the reins.

Two holes may have been too short but I was definitely riding too long.  Play around with the length. Pay attention to whether I can sink into my heels.  My legs will relax into a longer position by themselves if the stirrups are the right length.

Other thoughts:
♘ Hold the reins steady in front of me about the width of my hip bones.  With each forward post push my belly forward "until it touches Griffin's neck".  (LOL!)
♘ Relax into longer legs and let my shoulders drop.
♘ Think about my biceps touching my shirt.
♘ Keep looking ahead of the motion to where we want to go.


Oh, and smile from my liver!
(Okay, so that is from Eat, Pray, Love but it is good advice.)

Liz said I made significant progress from two weeks ago.  Well of course!  This is big, basic stuff she is teaching me!  I felt so much different yesterday in my lesson with Joanna.  The soccer kick leg aide makes a huge difference!  I am sure the stirrup length and not steering with the reins will be big too.

This is good stuff!

Lesson with Liz

I just had a great lesson with Liz.  Here are the key things I remember:

♘ When walking give a leg aid on one side at a time like you are walking. Left, right, left, right.  Kick, relax, kick, relax.  Use the inside of my lower leg and thigh.

♘ Keep my head looking two letters ahead.  Keep my eyes looking where I am going - about 45 feet ahead of me.  Like with jumping it helps him know where we are going and not focusing on where we are or almost are.

♘ He is crooked like a banana on it's side not like a hot dog.  I need to keep his body straight.  Shift my body onto the leg he his bulging toward and kick him like a soccer ball back into a hotdog shape.  Kick at the girth not his ribs.  Kick and relax.

♘ If he is not responding give him a tap with the whip.  I shouldn't have to keep telling him to move by kicking each step.  If he isn't moving forward I should give him a thump with both legs. If that doesn't work try a tap with the whip.  I shouldn't have to work so hard.  Keep the whip on my right in both directions until he stops bulging that way.

♘ When asking for a canter think slow like I'm about to ask him to stop.  Relax and sit back like I am holding the front of the saddle and leaning back.  Ask with the outside leg back a bit then with the inside leg at the girth.  Keep reminding him with outside leg, inside leg, outside leg, inside leg.

♘ Sit back and think Lead with Your Stomach.  My shoulders will go back by themselves.  My hips will open.  Turn my toes out and use the back of my calves.  Yes, the back.  The idea of my feet being parallel with his sides was developed by men.  Their hips are different.  Women need to move their toes out to help open their hips.  You can't open your hips with your knees in!

Liz said my position is good when Griffin is straightened.  Relax my shoulders and sit back and push out my stomach.  Keep him straight and make him do the work - not me.  He has to hold himself up.  The wear on the inside of my right thigh of my breeches is from my allowing his crookedness and me sitting funny in response.