Friday's Ride!!

Today I got to ride again:) Well I had decided long before I rode today what we were going to work on and wow did I find a lot of things out about myself as a rider. You see I am reading Jane Savoie's book Cross-Training Your Horse: Simple Dressage for Every Horse, Every Sport and I decided this evening I would work on Navajo moving off of my leg and stopping. Moving off of my leg because that is one of the first things you work on in dressage (or at least that is what the book says). As you can tell I am going by the book or at least trying to:) Anyway I wanted to work on stopping because of last night!
Ok now for the ride. Well we walked down the strip and he seemed like he didn't want to go fast at all..hehe. I have found that if I work a bit on moving his hindquarters, backing, moving his forequarters and just warming up really seems to make him perk up:) Anyway since the yard is torn up I used that to walk around like you would cones. He did well with that. I got him to go off my leg real well but then I felt like I was forgetting something. I told myself that it is really smart to know half of what you want to do and not the whole thing when you are out riding so I didn't really work on that because I didn't want to teach something and then have to go back and fix it just because I forgot what I had read earlier :D *Side Note: What I had forgotten was ok when your horse doesn't go off your leg with a light aide, you are to "Punish" your horse by getting them to go forward either by popping a whip or kicking. Now this sounds mean but the purpose is to get them to go forward. After you get them going you slow them down and try it again with a light aide. If they do it right then the punishment is worth it:) If they don't do it right then just repeat. Just a little explanation..and if you have a problem with this take it up with Jane Savoie :D So you see Navajo wasn't going off my leg and I remembered that you have to "punish" them but then I forgot what you are to do after that :D So you see why I didn't work on it..sorry for the sidenote:D * So then I started working on stopping. I pull my stomache in and kinda push my seat front. Also pulling back on the reins along with the cues till I establish the fact that I want him to stop with just my stomache and seat :D Well doing this made me realize a lot of things. One I pull on the reins to much (don't know why other than that it was a habit and one I need to break). I need to lighten that and hopefully not do it at all eventually. Navajo does good and he was getting what I wanted by the end, stopping wise. I as a rider need to work a lot on the stopping cue to execute it correctly :) I am thinking if I work on stopping and not pulling on the reins as much that might take care of my problem of him trying to go home when he thinks he is done (that was one of the only problems for him today). So that is what I am going to work on for this next week!! It was a bit frustrating because I didn't feel like I did much with him and that I just ended making things worse but I think if I work on me and him a bit and work on the basics we will be good or at least better!! To make things or at least me feel worse I lost my glasses for a bit. Well I had gotten off of Navajo to lead him home and work a bit on some groundwork!! Well Navajo reached back to sniff me and was to high and knocked my glasses right off. Well you need to know that I am practically blind without glasses. Anyway I took Navajo back to the barn so he don't step on them and got Mom and Rachel to help me find them. Thank God we found them. So I am good. I went and groomed Navajo and loved on him and told him how good he did today despite me being and not so good rider :D Well now I know what I need to work on and I think with some help we will get better yet:)