But another great week of rides on Arwen. Or, I guess more like week and a half since I haven't posted since the end of December. Either way, she's been angelic. We had one day were she was being a little heavy in my hand and distracted (I was riding alone at night, the vet was out, and there was just general ruckus around the barn). That ride I ended just untacking her in the indoor and letting her work up a sweat on her own, which she did. She ran around and around and around for a good five minutes before she was like "okay mom, that was fun. Now where is my dinner?" But every other ride was pretty much what it has been lately. She can still get speedy (if she didn't she wouldn't be my girl) but the main difference right now is she's listening to me and looking to me for decisions, and I think trusting me more. Like when I ask for her to collect in the lines, she's collecting, instead of pulling against my hand, charging through, and leaving out a stride. When I ask her to put in an extra step at the base, she's doing that too. When I ask her to leave a little long or move up, she's doing that too (although, that was never really one of our big problems). I really think a lot of this change can be attributed to the change in the placement of my upper body. Instead of leaning at her neck, and pulling (sending conflicting messages of go and stop) plus really trying to ride more off my seat and leg, she is a much more willing to listen and not throw my input to the wind. I'm also letting her come into lines with a lot more pace, which I think reassures her that we have enough impulsion to actually make it over the jump, and she doesn't have to throw herself over it (which I think makes her nervous/angry).
So really, I think it all comes down to clarity of communcations. My communication with her has improved a lot. When I want her to slow, all I have to do now is remember to sit back, and take a little bit of feel, and 99% of the time, she responds really, really well. This change in my position has also caused what I call her "e-brake" to come into effect, which I definitely didn't have before, lol. When I sit back and whoa her, she will slam on those brakes, hard! Clearly I need to finesse my downward transitions a little now but I'm just happy she *has* an ebrake now. Last year at this time I was probably spending a good quarter of the arena fighting to get her to come back to me, and now it will only take a few strides, if at all. Depending on what we just jumped, she will land fairly balanced and carrying herself, and therefore less likely to scott out from under me on the landing side of the jump. Still sometimes happens after combo with tight striding (like the 3-2 stride combo we had set up, she likes to jet through those things) but over all, it is very much improved. So...yay!
I also have to throw in there that I've been feeding her SmartCalm Ultra. Honestly, I don't know if it actually does anything but she has been this super horse ever since I started giving it regularly. I started it up pretty much right when she came back into work after being off, so I guess that was around November/December? I think I'm going to continue it, only because I'm now afraid if I take her off it, she'll become the fire breathing dragon agaon. Although, it could also just all be in my head (which is highly likely) and I might as well be feeding my horse a $50 every month for all the good this supplement does. Luckily, I think Arwen would like to eat both the pellet and a $50 bill (its paper! And crinkly!) so whichever way I go, she'll get something in her belly.
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