Dressage Lessons: Just Be There
When you’re working on any kind of change, the initial excitement eventually fades and you’re faced with the hard part: maintaining forward progress while it is still hard but no longer exciting. It’s here, both in and out of the saddle, that I’m having to learn how to push forward and wait at the same time.
I mentioned in another lesson recap that I’m having to make the most of my lessons because lately I just haven’t had the time to ride as much. Big work projects, some volunteer stuff, injuries & illness, my munchkin going through a growth spurt that has him overemotional and eating 24/7 and birthdays continued that trend through out April.
BUT – my lessons were super productive.
A few weeks ago, my trainer had to reschedule my normal Tuesday lesson to an early morning Thursday ride. Just for fun, Thursday dawned cool and windy. To my surprise, Elf started work willingly and without too much fuss. Again, we work on influencing the hind leg through haunches in to improve his flexibility through the barrel and straightness. Again, we were seeing significant improvement – when I am able to access the hind leg to help him bend his body, his movement is stronger, straighter and allows him to reach further. It’s a challenge for me though. This exercise is a tough one for Elf – it’s a great strengthening exercise and exactly what he needs. Because it is so challenging, he needs me to there to help him. With my position and aids, I have to remind him to hold the haunches and keep the hind legs active even as the muscles get tired.
It’s not easy for me either. Although I feel like my position has evolved significantly after 18 months of regular dressage lessons, I’m still working on keeping my hips squares, upper body more upright, legs more draped and seat deeper than my hunter/jumper muscle memory. In order to best support him, my timing and position need to right there. The timing piece is one that I am especially struggling with. To be most effective, I have to correct his loss of balance while it is still very small to keep my corrections subtle (so he doesn’t through a hissy fit and fit the correction). Over and over, my trainer reminds me to “just be there” as we work through building his strength.
Right There
Out of the saddle, the same lesson applies. Whether it’s my efforts to eat healthier, work out, keep my priorities in the forefront or knocking out professional goals, the underlying plan is the same. Consistent, steady forward progress with quick, effective corrections when things get off course.
It’s frustrating at times. I know how important it is to make good eating choices, but I still have to fight the urge to swing through the drive thru for an easy meal. I know that I need to be more active, but too often the hours slip away. I know that scheduling family time, hours for writing and nt over committing myself are all essential components of what needs to get done. But it’s easier said than done. In the moment, balancing the forward motion with all the small things it takes to maintain the intended direction feels like directing a 3 ring circus blindfolded.
Its so easy to slip into a pattern of dramatic adjustments – yo yo dieting is mentioned in so many commercials, books and weight loss programs. It’s such an easy, and self-defeating, pattern to fall into! But just like the jerking the wheel when you take a too-sharp turn can make your car spin, nagging or overly sharp behavioral corrections can set you up for failure.
So for the next month or so, while I’m getting ready for summer (working from home with an out of school kiddo takes planning) I’m holding onto the idea that I can make progress by being there – in that spot where I know I’m making slow, steady progress. I’ll focus on recognizing when I’m veering off plan earlier, while corrections are small and relatively painless.
The goal here is consistency, and I can be happy with that.
This has given me a great mental image to use as we go through HUGE and WONDERFUL and kinda scary change. Just be there. Steady, reaching, moving. Thanks
I had a similar refrain in a recent lesson. Learned to just hold still and let the horse come to me instead of making everything a big argument. Sometimes sitting still and just waiting is the hardest thing. Probably why I can’t do yoga without going crazy.
It’s so easy to slip into that cycle of bad eating– I know that when I’ve worked 8-1 at the barn, I’m so tempted to swing by the Taco Bell down the street before the next shift. The same thing can be applied to riding as you said– but the shortcuts are even more important not to take there, right?! Thanks for the post!
Absolutely!
This makes a lot of sense! My horse and I have gotten to where the move up isn’t quite as exciting, but it also isn’t even close to easy yet, and sometimes it’s easy to want to just go back to what was easy and what we were good at. But if we just keep showing up, it will get easier!
Consistency is key especially in training and riding horses. Even if your horse doesn’t get the maneuver quickly working on your consistency and your riding always helps them get it in the long run. It’s always hard to wait on your horse, but being patient and waiting for them to understand it helps in the long run. I’ve found that rushing horses into things that they don’t seem to understand never helps. It might temporarily work but later on you will have to go back and start over again. I’m having the same issue with my horse on the barrel pattern. I’m ready to add more speed to our runs, but we are both having a hard time staying consistent on the pattern. As long as w both do our parts and stay consistent we will add speed gradually. It’s so hard to be patient but in the long run it will matter.
Same with losing weight and working out. I want to lose 15 pounds instantly and I get frustrated with the wait and the effort too, that I often just give up. I’m going to try to do better about it this month.