Impulsion vs. Tension

Hrm, not sure where I'm going with this but just wanted to point out that there is a difference between a horse carrying itself with impulsion and a horse who is carrying itself with tension. I guess I was just thinking about this because Bunny was having some patented snot moments where she just wanted to drop her shoulder and run toward the fence, and then she had some nice moments when she relaxed and swung out. Her speed stayed the same, but her stride changed.

Anyways.

All I can think of is transitions transitions and more transitions. If we don't go in the field tomorrow, we'll either school outside or on the dirt road so we can focus on rhythm without too much turning. I have been reading reading reading, and as I suspected, everything comes from wet saddle blankets and downward transitions. Now I just have to get it so she will come back to me without throwing her head around. I use such a light contact (usually), but when she runs through my hands she has consequences, namely a firmer contact on one rein ;) Of course, being the little horse that she is, she anticipates it when she runs through my hands, so she throws her head AND runs. I can and do ride her almost entirely off my seat in our flatwork, but man, the little snot anticipates EVERYTHING, and usually bracing and resistance is involved.

So, of course, we do the exact opposite. I guess until she settles down and realizes that we do things on my terms, it will just be something we work around. In the meantime, she is definitely coming along. It's just irritating, I guess.

See, this is my competition at BTB. Not expecting to place above her, but I at least want to be noticed (and not because my horse is flying around like a maniac, hahaha.)



Now how the heck do you compete with that?? I guess, again, it comes down to impulsion and developing suspension in the trot, and control in the canter. The horse in the video is the same age as Bunny, but I have no idea what background it has. Especially cause my pony's only been under saddle for a year, max, according to Yet. So I think we're doing pretty well- Bunny is a lovely flat mover, but we're still dragging our toes in the dirt.

Anyways.

This is our canter on our bad side. Note the driving seat going on here. I have to pushpushpush her in her rhythm, hahaha. In the second trip down the long side, you can see my more passive seat. I am carrying a whole bunch of tension in my arms- I need to fix that, because even my passive seat is pump-y.





And this is our trotwork. Now that she's carrying her head well, I need to let go and quit trying to funnel her down. Remind me, because I forget how stiff wide hands make me.



And this is our hallelujah trot. This makes me feel like we have hope, hahahaha. And man, for a tubby barely-15.2 baby, she looks tall and skinneh. Wut.