Making the Best of Riding the Hill

Making the Best of Riding the Hill

Just because Ellen hasn't crossed the river, it doesn't mean that she hasn't been putting the hill to good use.  Dante has come so far with his work in the arena this winter, she is not willing to put it all behind.  She is making him work on the hill.

First of all, she isn't letting Dante take advantage of her anxieties--as he has done so often in the past.  If he hears a distant noise and wants to stop, Ellen gets him moving as promptly as possible.  Since she is being so vigilant, he is not being so reluctant to move.  He stops--then he goes right away.  It seems like he is already stopping a little less.  If she keeps up with it, he will stop less and less, since it isn't getting a break when he does.

Ellen is still a bit nervous when the airplanes come over.  We are very close the the airport, and they are very low when they go over the hill.  He has spooked at the planes--causing much anxiety for Ellen.  To combat it, Ellen taught him to stop and stand as the planes go over.  I'm glad to say that he hasn't spooked a single time at a plane this spring.  She decided that she will still let him stop, but she is making him walk longer before stopping, and she is asking him to walk before the plane is completely gone. This speeds up the whole process of riding on the hill.

Since Cole has a faster trot than Dante, I often just walk behind them when she trots until they get far away from us.  One morning, I watched them trot away, and I noticed a distinct improvement in the way he was trotting.  He was striding better, lifting his legs up higher and they had a very steady tempo.  When she stopped, there was joy on her face.  I asked her what she did, and she replied, "I used my Cole thighs."

One day in the winter, we were riding in the arena together and we thought it would be fun to switch horses.  Cole has the exact opposite trot from Dante.  Where his is slow and smooth, Cole's is fast with a lot of suspension.  Within just a few strides of trotting Cole, Ellen realized she had to work a lot harder.  In order to keep from getting thrown off the saddle on to his neck when we post, we have to connect our knees snugly to the saddle and actively engage our thighs.  It is hard to explain, but if you ride him, you learn to do it quickly--or else.

Ellen experimented on Dante.  She wanted to see what happened when she used "Cole thighs" on him--and the results were beautiful.  Dante rounded up, strided further and looked lovely.  Who would have thought it would work on the trail, too?

The beauty of it is--if Ellen practices getting longer, prettier strides in the park by using "Cole thighs," she not only can keep up with the other horses better, but she is forming a good habit for riding in the arena next winter.

She has also been sharpening her transitions and making Dante trot longer distances before stopping him.  (or letting him stop on her own.)

Riding on the trail can help improve your arena riding and riding in the arena can help improve your trail riding.  For that matter, just about everything that you do to improve your horse will help everything else that you do with your horse.  Everything is interconnected.  The skills Dante and Ellen learned in the arena this year are helping her on the hill--and they will help her when she gets across the river.