I was fortunate enough to have R come out to the barn and take some video of Finn and I today, like I've been hoping to do for some time. As I'm delving into the Dressage, Naturally material, I wanted some "baseline" footage... this is where we started.
Although I have watched most of the video, I don't have anything to share yet. Shooting with R's fancy cameras often means the process of cutting the video together is a bit more involved, and my time was pretty limited this afternoon, for reasons I will get to in a moment. First, though, I want to at least share my observations.
As usual, I was impressed by Finn's rhythm, general relaxation and natural movement. There is no doubt in my mind that everything with this horse comes from and returns to relaxation (except when it doesn't, like when he totally looses over something that unnerves him, but we're not practicing our dressage in those moments). He may not fully understand how to combine energy and relaxation yet, but I think that's more physical than mental. And he goes right back to sleep in no time flat.
He is also not a horse that has trouble reaching under himself with his hind legs. Finn has a very naturally long and reaching stride. Now, that's not necessarily the same as him actually carrying and/or pushing with his hind end, but at least he's got a head start of sorts. Although his "neutral" trot can feel slow as molasses from the saddle, in the video it looks rhythmic and supple with a still decent length of stride.
Although I still often feel like I'm treading water on our discussion about energy, the fact is I saw a clear change in the video. His willingness to go is definitely increased; walk, trot and canter. Additionally, in the video it was plain that some of the higher energy trots I've been asking for are beyond his ability to perform in balance. To put that another way, I'm running him off his feet.
That, combined with having to watch myself (after already being somewhat discouraged to feel myself do this) fall into drilling him, really made it clear to me that I need a clearer and more appropriate picture of what I'm asking for. Often in my rides I get carried away by something I'm trying to accomplish and I work at it too long without pausing to appreciate Finn's effort or consider what I could change to make it easier for him. In this case, a more moderate idea of the energy I'm requesting and more commitment to getting it crisply and letting Finn understand his success would really improve the feel and productivity of our sessions.
I was really pleased watching Finn's whoosh-y yields out of the walk, too. Both his hindquarter and forequarter yields were really quite lovely, although I did have to clarify a little at the start since our focus had shifted to other things over the past few rides. We will, of course, continue to refine and build on those.
Now, to get to the reason why my time was limited this afternoon... I'm going camping, and I'm taking Finn with me. Yes, you read that right.
This is why I love what I do... because when I'm not working, I'm not working, and I get to do whatever I want. S had this trip planned already and asked me semi-last-minute if I wanted to join and I said: yes, yes, a thousand times, YES! We're going to Montana de Oro State Park in Los Osos, CA... 8,000 acres on the central California coast. And YES, there is beach access for equestrians. In fact, the beach is very near the horse campsites.
While the beach is one of the main attractions, fact of the matter is Montana de Oro is a veritable wonderland of gorgeous scenery. I can't wait to explore it. We're meeting a couple other folks there (friends of S) and we may stay as long as 5 to 6 days. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.
I doubt I'll make any blog posts from the trip, but I will definitely be taking pictures and hopefully get a video or two as well. I am really hoping the beach presents some options for taking our gallop to the next level yet again, letting Finn hold the faster speed longer to get comfortable there. Yeah, I'm dying for a good, long gallop!
And on that note, I bid you farewell. I still have packing to do. Sometimes I hate being a chronic procrastinator.
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