Today's lesson

The rain was pouring down in sheets, sideways, making me and my horse brace against it. I don't cancel lessons though, and KT showed up in her full length rain coat, complaining about the weather. I said, "I really didn't want to ride in the rain today, but oh well." My glasses were completely wet and I couldn't see anything.

I had spent the morning trying to get my horse dry because I don't like to start a lesson with a wet cold horse. It took two towels and two polarfleece coolers (one of which got Baasha hair all over me) and now both are soaking wet but in the house on a rack drying. This is why I need 2 or 3 of everything. My radiator is covered in multiple pairs of wet gloves, and my wet saddle is also in here.

First thing I wanted to see if KT could get Mara to do a turn on the forehand where she actually crosses her hind legs. She could not. Then she said perhaps Mara cannot physically do it, so she got down in the wet sand and took Mara's wet sandy leg and tried to cross it. One of them wouldn't cross at all, the other crossed a little. I said, "But under saddle...she can! How odd!"

KT said, "What is that bit - that's something for the trail, not dressage." I said, "You told me you didn't like my French link, that I should try an unbroken bit, and look, no chain."

But as I trotted around trying to maintain contact for one entire circle, I felt Mara bracing and defensive, and I realize I didn't like the feel of it either, so we switched back to a regular snaffle, which Mara also doesn't like. KT is gonna try to hook me up with an imitation Myler or a Happy Mouth. I'm not in a hurry to change bits, I just want to experiment and see if there's anything Mara likes better. KT told me to keep the Kimberwick for trail riding.

I did some leg  yields both directions and KT confirmed that Mara crosses over properly behind, one way better than the other, but she can physically do it. Why she can't do it from the ground is a mystery to me.

KT is good - she corrected my downward transitions telling me I was tipping back with my torso, and making sure I exhale as I ask. Also, when she told me to shorten my reins, she corrected me in how I did that. I'd completely forgotten the proper way to do this, from, well, the 90s when I began dressage. She explained how important it is to smoothly gather reins, taking the to-be-shortened rein in the opposite hand to steady it, not just releasing it and grabbing a new spot, she says it breaks the connection with the horse, and feels uncomfortable for the horse. I felt shame and realize I don't put myself in the horse's position like I should.  I realized at those moments that KT is good, that I should appreciate her expertise more, even if I feel our progress is slow/nonexistent at times.

I told her that I hired a trainer named Mell to take Mara out on trails. KT was offended, I think, and said she would do that for me if I'd have asked. I said, "You'd take this horse out? She's kind of a jerk on trails - she's not good like she is in the ring. She will stand there for a solid hour refusing to budge, and she really believes she is in lethal danger out there." KT insisted she would, so maybe starting next year I'll have her do it. Funny, I trust Mell implicitly, because I've walked with Mell in the woods with my horse and I know how she handles Mara's difficulties. I assumed KT wasn't brave enough to do this. We'll see.

Oh, then I found out Mell and KT both keep their horses at the same barn - or, perhaps the barns are next door to each other, I'm not sure. I said, "Mell says she knows you, and that you're a good trainer." KT was happy to hear that.

OK I'd better go sop up the puddles in my house under all my wet horse things....