No fair weather riders here!!!

I had my dressage lesson with the FEI instructor on the island today, in torrential downpour! I called to see if it was still on, and apparently, they are tough out on the island and ride rain or shine. So, I borrowed a gaudy yellow raincoat, donned jeans and my old helmet, and proceeded to arrive to my lesson looking like an unprofessional fool. Luckily, everyone else was bundled up, so it didn't seem to matter.

Wet pony, wet rider

I rode a lovely, huge gray Trakehner (my favorite breed!) named Jack, who was confirmed third level dressage. He was absolutely a schoolmaster, and just plodded along steadily, waiting for my aids. Honestly, I don't know if I've ever ridden a more submissive, quiet horse (excluding deadbroke trail horses). That being said, he was not the easiest ride in the world - he was quite lazy and took a much stronger aid than I am used to on my little, sensitive Morgan mare... He would respond when asked, but it took a bigger ask. I am going to be sore tomorrow, both horse and trainer made me WORK for that ride!

I really liked the instructor, though her method was EXTREMELY different than my trainer's. In a way, that different approach helped me figure out some position problems I have had and several things clicked, even just in a half hour lesson. On the other hand, there were some things I disagreed with; first, she used a tie-down on the horse. I'm a gadget minimalist, so I dislike using artificial aids to get a desired look, such as roundness, since many times they can be used as a shortcut, rather than addressing the underlying issue. The trainer stated it was to "put him in that round place so we can focus on real riding and not just flexion." Personally, I'd rather spend a half and hour trying to get a horse to work correctly than strapping them down and being able to 'do more' but with less true work.

Well, I'm Bracy McBraceArms, but the horse looks good!

The trainer also emphasized big posting and a lot of weight in the stirrups, which is almost the exact opposite of how my trainer asks me to ride (calves and heels wrapped down around the horse, not pushing out on stirrups, and small posting). I can see how it was beneficial on this horse, who was bouncy and needed posting to encourage momentum, but it was very different for me.

She really helped me figure out how to connect my upper body and seat/lower body, though. She described it as anchoring your elbows on your hips, to connect the seat to their mouth and bring the energy back towards your center. She also talked about using my upper body weight as leverage and think about how the weigh was transferring to my seat, which can only be achieved when your chest is open and upper body upright (I have a tendency to go into the 'hunter perch' from my years as a jumper).

Overall, despite the rain and blisters on my fingers from lack of gloves, it was an awesome experience and helpful to ride with someone new every now and then. I can't wait to try these techniques on Miss B!