Sunday, February 8, 2009

Saturday's Lesson

Things were much improved in Saturday's lesson. We tried these rein aid things my Mom has. It really seemed to help. We spent the entire lesson just doing trot work and working on keeping my hands quiet. Sarah said I was good with my hands 90% of the time but in that 10% when I would have a little bouble the rein aids helped to absorb the shock so Werther could keep working and not use it as a reason to get pissed and stop. The leg yields and shoulder ins when better, I think I am getting a better feel of what I am supposed to be doing. Even though you have all this pressure on the reins, Sarah says that I really should not be using my hands much at all. I am also working on relaxing my elbow, something you need to a lot of in Dressage than in Hunters.  I have short arms, so I also have to bring my hands up a lot higher than a traditional position allows, but that way I don't lock my elbows in an effort to put my hands down lower. 

2 comments:

Kitty said...

It sounds like you guys are doing really good!

I have a pair of rein-aids that I take out now and then for a reminder on how elastic my contact should feel..they really help!~

Ellie said...

Thanks, it was a pretty rough week riding wise and I am glad to have ended on a good note. I'm going to use the rein aids for a week or two to help me until I get the hang of the intensity of contact dressage requires. I can definitely see how they can come in handy for a refresher too.