Squeezing Calves = Speed
September 12, 2017
I didn’t want to
ride today. Thanks to my granddaughter, I was battling a daycare stomach bug.
But I knew it had to be done as I have worked on the jumping components with
Erika but not dressage. I am choosing my days very deliberately now. After this
lesson, I will only have time to fine tune what has been taught and hope for
the best.
Battling waves of
nauseousness, Romeo and I headed to Merry Hour. We had a lengthy walking
warm-up as to save the stomach bouncing for my lesson! I rode the test for
Erika. Hopefully, we will have time in the next two weeks to work on connection
and bend but for now it was all about accuracy; when to ask for transitions,
how to aim at letters, the judges vantage point and those darn circles. Or in
may case, ovals.
We broke the test
down and worked on making the circles round and using the corners. Don't throw up. Don't throw up. It was
a good lesson, leaving me with lots to lay awake at night and memorize. Erika
asked me to ride it one more time using all of my new tools. Nailed
the centerline, circles not so egg like, got the correct lead on canter.
Yippee! We were almost done. Canter down the side, downward
transition to trot and then a walk. Wait…WHAT IS HAPPENING??? Romeo
was getting faster and faster! We went reeling around the corner toward the
judge’s box (Erika). Trot!!! Trot!!! What the hell, Romeo??? I
quickly run through my checklist. Oh crap! Squeeze with thighs to slow
him down, not calves. Damn it! Having turned my brain on autopilot, I quit
thinking about each move. Things were going so well.
Erika:
What was that?
Me: Curse, curse,
curse! I was squeezing with my calves, not my thighs.
Erika gave a small
grin and a shake of her head. Calves = speed. Grrrrrrr. Stupid,
stupid, stupid mistake! I picked up where we left off and other than
that sudden bolt of speed instead of a downward transition; it wasn’t a half
bad test.
We made it back home
before serious stomach issues overtook me. I am looking forward to the
schooling show this Saturday. I received a funny phone call this week from the
show organizer asking why don’t you just jump the beginner novice course?
Because I don’t want to die! I explained the situation at Jump Start.
The dressage test is a higher level than the jumping components. My brain is
too overloaded and old to mess with memorizing two tests. “You won’t qualify
for a ribbon but we can do it.” Well, ok. I'm sure it would have been a blue one! Ha!
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