The clinic with Patrick was rejuvenating. Sometimes drilling for a big show like the finals can stagnate your training because you become so focused on the test performance that you lose track of the bigger picture. When the show is over you think, "Now what should I work on?" Patrick brought the bigger picture back into focus for me with both Lizzie and Willow.
In one step, while working on the piaffe near A with Willow, I got "it". When you have a horse that wants to take over and barge forward out of the collection, you must put the horse a touch deeper, softer and make an offer for a slight degree of stretching to the hand before you allow them to step forward. They can not pull against a contact that does not brace. Once I got this, I was able to move Willow in and out of the piaffe with much less tension. The lesson is that the feel for self carriage must stay the same whether you are working on difficult movements or easy circles. The horse must trust that you will not hold in the hand.
The breakthrough with my thinking for Lizzie also came from just a few strides. During my lesson on Sunday morning, I felt a few trot strides that swelled to a point of engagement and suspension that I have never achieved with her. Her knees came up, her thoracic band lifted over the whithers and she pushed forward and upward in the trot. Gerard and I had begun to scratch the surface of uncovering the "second trot" with her back in September, but she never really understood how to use her body correctly that weekend. The difference this weekend was two fold. One, she is stronger and can carry herself with more relaxation. Two, once again, I understand how important it is to not hold in the hand. The few strides before I put my leg on to ask for more suspension, she was super soft and submissive. This feel in the mouth was maintained. I was not half halting while I was seeking more engagement. I have new respect for the quality of this mare. Those couple of steps were what make this sport so addictive. I want more!!
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