Today I ran through the Grand Prix on both Majek and Victor. Majek's GP went reasonably well, considering he had a short break last week and today was his first day back to full work. Ernie helped me some, and corrected my perception of his warm-up tempo (I was riding him too quick and flat), which helped tremendously. His passage has improved considerably, much snappier with more elevation. His piaffe is still pretty weak, but it's far, FAR better than it used to be so I'm happy. I'm sure the big-time judges won't be very impressed, but if I consider that this time last year he was running backwards if I tried to do too much and was scoring 2s on it in tests (because it didn't look like anything at all), it is much better. The rest of the test was quite reasonable. If it goes at the show like it did today, I'll be happy.
Victor's test went quite well except for the pirouettes. I warmed him up by pushing the passage for more impulsion (lots of transitions forward and back there) and then pushed him for quite a bit extra impulsion in the test itself. It paid off well in many ways although it was a little rocky. The pirouettes on the centerline have always been tough, as he loves to get behind the leg and stuck. Also I put the piaffe on the spot and wanted maximum activity and he didn't much care for that so I had bobbles there. However I have to ride close to full power though to get the scores, so if I go a little over-the-top at home it gives me some space to back off at the show slightly. Still I can't back off much, otherwise he looks a little sluggish and behind the leg. Those CDI judges don't cut you much slack LOL.
Afterwards I schooled a few different configurations of pirouettes on the centerline, for instance starting the pirouette then 3 strides in yielding out in haunches-in position. Also I played with the tempo in the pirouettes, trying to make the pirouette a little quicker or a little slower. And since I only have 6-8 strides I have to get those tempo changes to happen immediately but without changing the pirouette itself. I was very happy with what I got. I have to school it on the centerline because the c-line presents problems that don't happen when I ride them in other locations. Also I'm hoping Leslie (Reid, who will be helping me some when I'm down there) will have some useful tips for those pirouettes.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will run through my freestyle again in the outdoor arena. It's been remarkably dry and warm for this time of year (mid to upper 50s during the day) so although we had quite a bit of rain earlier in the week I think it will be dry enough by tomorrow. I've pretty much got the freestyle memorized, but since our indoor is a slightly different size from regulation, I'd like to ride it in a regulation arena again before traveling south.
Earlier this week I upped the feed the boys were getting. Both horses look very good right now (particularly Victor looks like a lean, mean dressage machine) but they could stand a little extra weight before the 15 hour drive south. Already they get a large feed scoop (probably 4-5 cups) of Purina Ultium for lunch, one cup of rice bran, and a multivitamin in addition to good quality grass hay 3x a day. So I added beet pulp to their evening feeding; each horse gets 2 cups of beet pulp soaked, then we add 2 cups rice bran (for Victor) or 1 cup rice bran (for Majek), then a little bit of Ultium to top it off. Then stir it altogether. Basically it's a calorie-dense horse smoothie. They both love it. I will keep them on it for the next couple months with our heavy show/traveling schedule. My vet prefers this supplementation to alfalfa because it adds water and doesn't increase the risk of gas colic like alfalfa does.
Tomorrow morning is my last gym work-out before I leave. Twice a week I work out with a personal trainer and it has done a ton for my overall suppleness and fitness. I originally started because I sustained several muscle injuries in my early 30s and decided that if I wanted to continue riding professionally, I was going to have to do something to improve my flexibility and overall muscle balance. We riders tend to overuse certain muscle groups and under-use others (likely this is true of other sports as well). It is exhausting, and not exactly something I love getting up super early to do, but something that I view as necessary to my overall health. Plus it has improved my body awareness, control, and endurance in the saddle.
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