1/17/08
Lesson on Miaren

I got a lesson this weekend on Miaren. He's good
for my riding, because he works better when I ride correctly.
Unfortunately, that's the hard part. He also makes me feel
sloppier, because he feels so elegant underneath me.
Just a neat, fun horse to ride.
We had rain the day before, but my 'arena' drains pretty quickly..
 

Like working with Nero in the beginning. Meg had me concentrate and ride every stride, to work at getting one good circle that was steady and soft.
It's difficult to see, but that's Miaren sticking out his upper lip. He had an opinion on walking around in a steady frame.
 
He was good both ways, but heading downhill I really had to remind him what I wanted.
A little stretch break.
 
A little fussing, when I asked him to come back into the bridle, but look at that hind leg reach.
The trot was easier for both of us today. I worked him during the week, and we're getting more comfortable.
 
That doesn't mean the carousel horse doesn't come out every once in a while. The second I feel it, more leg. He's young, and he'll figure it out.
A little better, but there's so much to think about. Here I was working to keep him out on the circle. We get some stiffness when he's thinking about that request and stops thinking about the softness part.
 
Relaxed isn't bad for now.
Then there's that moment or two when it comes together. After seeing a few of these pictures where everything works, I can understand the judge's 'moments of brilliance' comment.
 
On to the canter. 
So much to work on, but so much to work with.
I adore his canter. I need to fix my own position, but he makes it easy to be still and ride.
 
Of course the corners are a bit awkward. Right now I just want us to stay upright.
The arena has no real borders, so I can get a bit panicky about staying in the boundaries. We've got time to work on round and pretty once there's a little more trust on my part.
 
I do like the jump in every stride on the straight bits. He can feel strong, but he doesn't seem to pick up speed, really, it just starts to feel like 'more' canter.
The down hill slope, across the diagonal, and I'm laughing at my trainer, because she's saying come back to the trot. Asking Miaren to slow down wasn't getting through, and I was wondering if we'd have to practice our counter canter as we headed the other way.
I'm happy to say that we missed running into the photographer and the corner helped us 'establish' the trot.
 
My reaction after the canter work. 
My other horses don't canter like that. It was a completely different feeling. And this from a horse who's not even 5 yet.
And wow, the trot work after the canter. Now if I can just get shoulders back, chest out, legs still, someday we might be elegant.
 
And so happy to stretch down when I asked him to. He actually made me a bit nervous here, because as I fed out the reins, there was no horse in front of me.
A few times over the trot poles. He stayed soft and straight.
 
With the cross rail up, he tried for a runout, but I kept him straight, so we slowed to a halt. Then his answer was to set his foot on the jump and rock the pole until it fell. Then we walked over and through the debris.
Set a bit lower we jumped through a couple of times.
 
Set a little higher he thought about running out, but I made him go between the standards.
The next try he was thinking a little more forward and straight and didn't seem as worried.
 
Then taking it as a canter stride. Not a bad note to end on. I thought he'd be bolder about jumping, but in a way this is good for my confidence. If he were pulling me to the jumps at this stage I'm not sure that I'd trust what would happen on the landing side.
As it is, I'm not that worried about landing in a canter and taking a turn around the pasture.
 
Nero and Mo found the lesson entertaining. Nero had his go first and Mo is just fat and fuzzy without much riding happening.