Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Working back to where we left off... plus a cool picture



This is our most recent trot picture. You might need to click on it to see it in a more larger format. Anyway, when I first saw the video, my heart sank a bit because I thought "Wow, her trot used to be so much nicer! I hope this doesn't mean anything permanent has been done!"

I was a wee bit concerned. Until I happened across her SWANA inspection papers again from when she was a wee girlie. Let's revisit this again, shall we?

Head, Neck, Body: Feminine, low set neck, deep sloping shoulder, well formed croup. (7)

Legs: thin below the knees (8)

Gaits:
Walk - energetic, ground covering
Trot - energetic, needs more suspension and understep defined
(7)

And, bam! There was my answer. I had forgotten that we had to work for that lovely trot I was getting out of her before diagnosis, at the peak of our summer training (overload haha). Just like you use your muscles differently and more efficiently to walk correctly or to sit up even, so did she to get that nice working trot. She has a great walk and canter naturally, her trot probably came from her QH momma (okay, not to hate on QHs, because they can do just about everything, but most stock-bred QHs cannot trot like Qredit. If one could, it would be called a freak). We had to work our butts off to get that engaged, more defined trot, like this:



I think we had some engagement going, hmm? But that required a lot of serpentines and all kinds of sick loop-de-loop exercises and inside leg that made her step under, which required a lot of core use from Greta. This photo was a freakishly engaged moment. Normally she was nicely engaged and stretching through the bit. This time she was like "LENGTHEN WITHOUT RUSHING? GAHBLAGHAFARGA!" and her topline muscles to stretch through to the bit were probably saying "SCREW YOU!"

Now, we won't be doing sick, perverted 10-loop serpentines down the long side for quite some time, but it makes me feel better to see that she used to trot like that and we had to work to get her up to a working level+ trot.

And frankly, looking at that first photo, it's still not bad. Even for being a tad on the forehand her shoulder not being completely in front of me, she's tracking up, and that hind leg (and that's the leg with the recovering injury lol) is still engaged, and not because I'm telling her. I put no leg on her at the trot, so she doesn't strain that hind suspensory. To ask her to lift that shoulder and bring that hind end underneath her at this stage of the game would be ill-advised.

She's kinda fat right now too (we've both lost some riding muscle heehee) so that might answer some questions too. The only time I really can do some core-strengthening exercises are at the walk, which it is quite nice to be able to work through the basics. She stretching through to the contact amazingly well.

Yay, dressage, it's like watching concrete dry AND grass grow AT THE SAME TIME!

And speaking of engagement, here's that really cool picture I mentioned. This is Lucy pony and Ally at the beach. Is this horse round OR WHAT?!

8 comments:

  1. You will get it back. I get these exact feelings every winter. We cannot work and we seem to loose so much ground but it does come back. Though that can be hard to remember.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We can work through the winter, thankfully (yay, mild TX winters, with avg temps of 65!) but dang suspensory injuries can definitely slow things down haha! Taking it slow, for sure.

      Delete
  2. It'll come back, and both of you develop strength and flexibility.

    And that pic of the pony is SICK.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I thought I'd mention this since I've been following your blog from about the very beginning... between that time and now, your equitation has improved 10 fold.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much that means, especially since I personally think you are an incredible rider.

      Delete
  4. LOVE the new header :) Not gonna lie, I just looked at the pictures this time, lol. Forgive me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's okay. I was always a picture book child myself ;)

      Delete

Comments are greatly appreciated and, most importantly, Greta loves you for commenting ♥

Thanks guys!