United States Eventing Association

I have a confession to make: I am addicted to taking lessons. I know, I know I need to be a more independent rider who can think for herself, solve her own problems, and my trainer isn’t always going to be there. But I just love taking lessons. During a lesson I actually feel like I am accomplishing something and improving both myself and my horse whereas when I ride alone (especially doing flatwork) I feel like my horse and I are regressing and the ride often ends up in fits of frustration for both human and equine. Oh and another thing – I think lessons are just so much fun. They are like my version of going to a party.

Typically my week goes something like this: Sunday I have a lesson. I feel on top of the world – my horse and I are actually communicating and hey we might actually be able to tackle that first horse trial without falling on our faces. Monday I can’t wait for the clock to strike 5:00 so I can get out of my cubicle and head to the barn to practice everything I learned on Sunday. The Monday ride normally goes alright, we have moments that resemble Sunday. Tuesday I am still determined to recreate the feeling of Sunday. Wednesday rolls around and well maybe we will just have a nice easy stretchy day because we worked really hard for three days in a row. Thursday I decide I need to get out of the ring and attempt to make myself go out to the barn before work so I can go on a hack while it’s still light out. Friday I decide that I really need to go back to working on my flatwork so I am ready for my lesson on Sunday – I get frustrated that I can’t do it and give up. Saturday I decide that since my lesson is the next day that there is no point in fighting with my horse since my trainer will just fix all of my problems tomorrow so we just go on a hack. Rinse and repeat. Probably not the most productive schedule, huh?

Since I don’t have anywhere close to the unlimited resources required to have daily lessons and my trainer is headed to the eventing mecca (also known as Aiken) for a few weeks a plan was needed to get myself out of the cycle. Enter last night’s flat lesson.

Typically I haul out to my trainer’s for lessons, but last night she came to my barn at the same time that I normally ride and we went step by step through the way a ride should go when I am alone. I even wrote it down after my lesson so that I can study it before I get on and picture my trainer’s exact words in my head. Here is the plan that we came up with for the next few weeks while she is gone:

1. As soon as I am mounted my horse needs to move off my leg. She tends to like to hang out at the mounting block and refuse to believe that we didn’t just get all tacked up to take a nap in the ring. If a nudge doesn’t work move on to a kick. If those fail use the dressage whip to tap her butt. Or in last night’s case the large tree branch as a dressage whip couldn’t be located.

2. Walk for about 10 minutes without stirrups. I like to raise my legs up and get tight in my thighs so it is important for me to get my legs as long and loose as possible. During this walk my horse must be on the bit and marching. Once she is on the bit and off my leg I get to pick up my stirrups.

3. About 20 minutes of trot and canter both directions. Remembering to constantly pay attention to my horse’s ears as these are her tell-tale sign if she is about to spook or come above the bit. Lots of changes in direction and transitions. Never let her take an inch because then it will be back to square one. She needs to be constantly round and working moving off her left side into the right rein since she is always falling through her left shoulder (going both directions). End this section with stretchy trot – slowly take and give until she is reaching down to the bit from the base of her neck not just poking her nose out.

4. After a short walk break drop my stirrups and let my leg hang long and pick up a slow trot (on the bit!) and do a sitting trot for as long as I can manage.

So that’s the plan for my rides for the next few weeks – hopefully I can stick to it and detox from my lesson addiction! Of course there will be hack days and off days thrown in there, but I am officially declaring February my month of independent flatwork.