Change of Bend

While I loved riding twice a week with JL, the one little fly in the ointment was that she isn't a dressage trainer. And that's not to say that hunter trainers aren't effective at flatwork, but dressage trainers have totally different tools in their tool box.

One exercise that Chemaine is having me do is to change the bend at every gait, even the canter. Especially at the canter. Speedy loves his left rein. He loves it so much that he has a hard time letting it go. No matter how many times I promise that he'll get it back quickly, he still likes to keep a tight hold on it.

Being heavy on one rein is of course very much against the dressage rules. Our horses need to be even on both reins. To help Speedy let go of that left rein, Chemaine instructed me to think of changing the bend a lot. I really didn't know you could do that. I mean, I know how to use a counter bend to help a horse lift his shoulders and to let go of the rein, but I had never thought of doing tiny changes of bend. Now that I know it's a "thing," I find myself using it all the time, especially coming out of a corner. 

For the leg yield and trot lengthenings across the diagonal, Speedy wants to fall out on his left shoulder as we come through the corner. To help me keep him up, Chemaine had me think of coming through the corner on a counter bend so that I don't lose his shoulder and fall towards the rail. It's amazing how much better he can work when his shoulders are straight in front of his hips.

Photo by Lori Ovanessian - 2012

Over the weekend, I worked on changing the bend at the canter in preparation for the change of lead through trot. The exercise goes like this:

• left lead canter circle at C
• cross the diagonal H-X-F but as you come through the corner, push the horse over onto the left rein keeping your left seat bone forward.
• Before X, transition to trot with the horse already on your new outside rein
• After X, pick up the right lead canter
• Cross the short end on a right lead canter. If you need time to re-balance your horse, circle at A, if not ...
• cross the diagonal K-X-M but as you come through the corner, push the horse over onto the right rein keeping your right seat bone forward.
• Before X, transition to trot with the horse already on your new outside rein
• After X, pick up the lead lead canter again and repeat as many times as needed.

Speedy is fabulous at changing the bend while on a left lead canter. It's hard to get him on the right rein, so when I give him a nudge to get on the left, he gives me a brisk yes ma'am and makes the change instantly. This sets us up for a very nice downward transition to trot and picking up the right lead is a piece of cake.

Switching from the right bend to the left bend while on the right lead canter is a whole different thing. The problem is that it takes me a lot longer to get the new bend which means the downward transition is a bit rough and we both have to scramble to get the left lead before we run out of room - I ride in a short court.

On Sunday though, Speedy got better and better. I run through this pattern at least three or four times without circling at A or C. The more we do it, the more he anticipates the change in bend, and the softer he gets on the left rein. When I see Chemaine this next weekend for lessons, I know this is one thing I want her to help us improve.