Lightbulb moments

[bornfreenowexpensive]

So procrastinating from my real work… And thinking about my super fun xc school that I had today. So since I had a lightbulb moment (and those do not happen often for me ;)), I thought it was about time we had a thread sharing our most recent light bulb moments.

Mine was pretty simple. I was schooling a corner fence. First prelim one I’d done in a while and first for my 6 year old OTTB. We are getting ready to move up to prelim soon so he’s green for these questions but a solid training level horse. My friends who were with me are pros and had me focus not on the front of the fence, but see my line through the fence and focus on jumping across the point on the back of the corner. This really clicked for me and helped us come nice and deep and my horse seemed to just get the question much better (I love this horse).

So what is your most recent lightbulb moment?

I could use a few in dressage soon but I think that may be just asking too much…dressage is not something I will ever be great in!

[asterix]

Actually mine IS a dressage lightbulb moment…which resulted in a very good score on the young horse this weekend, despite bobbles and inconsistencies…
My coach has been having me ride to points in the arena - could be cones, could be jump standards, could be poop piles. Pick a shape like a triangle and ride from point to point. To change direction she has me either leg yield off the line and half circle, or extend the line and half circle, then a half pass “feel” back to the nearest point.

Suddenly, riding a test became just like my every day schooling rides, instead of harder. The notion that you are always riding to a point translates directly into your figures and transitions in tests, so instead of it being one more layer to think about at a show, it is already part of the routine. Makes everything simple.

David O’Connor said the same thing in his SJ clinic the other week - always ride to something in the ring, drag mark, poop pile, whatever. Always go somewhere. You will find half your problems go away on their own, and you will be telling your horse do, do, do rather than don’t, don’t, don’t.

I picked points in my warmup and had the best warmup I’ve had in years. Lost a bit in the test due to the proximity of a fence on xc but still found it flowed so much better than usual.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Cool…I do something like that already but it is a useful reminder! I aim for specific points for transitions and am always riding to a point. I find it helps you feel their straightness better doing this. I ride challenge my self to always be accurate etc. I do still suck at dressage though Now the OTTB only on his 5th ride…well…same thought but laugh at the fact that he has NO idea what my leg means yet. It will come.

ok…we can’t be the only ones who had a recent light bulb moment!

[asterix]

[Winding_Down]

my most recent lightbulb moment = stop babying the baby horse! :winkgrin: I have been riding Lumi like a tb and that isn’t what he is. Specifically, I’ve held to the belief that if he needs to slow down and look at jumps, then I need to let him do that…

Sent a video to BNT who I ride with when I can and she just said stop doing that, put him in front of your leg, don’t let him slow down.

I felt like an idiot. Lightbulb flash was so strong that I was blinded for a few moments :eek:

So I competed him on Saturday and sat down and kicked/swatted the pucker whenever he slowed down and sucked back… at the jumps and I rode him FORWARD in the sj and… geeze oh pete, it worked! And I loved the comments I got from announcer/Brian OC. :lol:

I have a new horse now!

[PaintedHunter]

I’ve recently had a breakthrough in sitting the trot with the way I am allowing my hips to move and follow- SO much easier now tha tmy body figured out how to move. I suppose it also helps that the Ollmeister is also moving better and rounding more.

[Winding_Down]

[QUOTE=PaintedHunter;7676493]
I’ve recently had a breakthrough in sitting the trot with the way I am allowing my hips to move and follow- SO much easier now tha tmy body figured out how to move. I suppose it also helps that the Ollmeister is also moving better and rounding more.[/QUOTE]

PH, I love those lightbulbs at the sitting trot. It is so much about having a loose hip coordinated with a strong core and all those minute muscles in there! And the fun thing about dressage is that the lightbulb can go off again and again with position as we evolve in how we read our small motions…

[Winding_Down]

[QUOTE=asterix;7675756]

I picked points in my warmup and had the best warmup I’ve had in years. Lost a bit in the test due to the proximity of a fence on xc but still found it flowed so much better than usual.[/QUOTE]

Cool!

[gr8fulrider]

I’d been telling myself that when I ride my (hot, occasionally silly, greenish) horse I have to “focus on the horse,” which precludes equitating / excuses my defensive posture. A winter of lessons on school horses improved things greatly but I was resigned to riding less well on my own horse, who is no schoolmaster.

Then I realized in a dressage lesson a few weeks ago that if I treat every ride like a “seat lesson” the horse goes much, much better. Don’t march into the ring saying I’ve got to get her attention so I can have a productive ride after the initial bumps in the road. March into the ring focusing on seatbones, heels, neutral spine, shoulders where they belong et voila the horse is on the aids, relaxed, straight, forward.

I also realized I can do this-- both mentally and physically-- if I remind myself I have to.

Correct riding isn’t for when things are going well enough to focus on detail. It’s what makes things go well.