Dressage-y

I'm making an effort to be a better, more consistent blogger this year, so here's my first post of 2020 to try and get off to a good start!

First off! I bought a dressage saddle!

It's a 17.5" (although rides more like a 17" IMO) Devoucoux Makila! I snagged it off of a local friend for a great deal a few weeks ago!

Not that I was necessarily looking for a dressage saddle at the time, but I saw her post and the saddle was about as perfect as I could ask for in a used saddle, plus this particular one was local so I could try it on!

It pretty much fits B like a glove which is great! Since his jump saddle is a Devoucoux I had a good feeling about it going in and I wasn't disappointed! The seat feels a touch tight for me but a lot of that I attribute to not being in dressage tack for so long.

I rode in it for the trial, and while I felt a bit out of place, I knew it would work for us! A few days later, I did our first at home ride in the saddle!

And I definitely looked (and felt) like a fish out of water. You could tell I'm a jump rider in dressage tack. We got a productive w/t/c ride but it was a bit awkward due to my ineffective aids adjusting to new tack.

I spent a few more days just doing the basics. Super light w/t rides, but for longer periods, mostly just getting my butt in the saddle longer in order to feel less awkward.

By the time I got another set of photos on the first of the year, it was definitely looking better. Still a bit awkward and I still was flopping around a bit (being sick didn't help either) but it was better. I was straighter in the saddle and my aids were actually being somewhat effective.

Yesterday, I was able to bribe ask Micaylah to help me out a bit by just being some eyes on the ground (and also convinced her to take some photos!).

I pretty much really needed her to tell me things I already knew. Somehow it's just so much easier to do things when people tell you, even if technically you know what you're doing wrong in the first place! The big three were: 1 - Hands Up! (Not in my lap and not piano hands!). 2 - Tuck your Hips! (Not getting into my natural jumper form). 3 - Stay upright in my shoulders! (I have a tendency to give here instead of at my elbows). 

It was so helpful to have those reminders! As my body would inevitably revert back to some of my natural bad habits, having someone remind me "Thumbs on top!" Or "Tuck your hips!" brought me back to a better position. 

And in the photos she took, I finally have a few brief moments where I don't totally look like I don't belong! It's still very few moments right now, but the moments are getting more frequent and lasting longer at least!

I still feel a bit like I'm "playing house" in a sense, but it was nice to hear some positive feedback at the end of my session with Micaylah, as I do really value her opinion on dressage stuff! I'm hoping to hit at least one of our local rated shows this summer with him, and of course we will keep working on our dressage stuff at the local events/derbies as well!