Lesson/Chiro Recap: Voodoo Magic

At the risk of getting so far behind because of show prep that I forget to post about this entirely, I figured I could come throw together a few thoughts. Because of when the chiro was scheduled to come to the barn, I took a half day from work last Friday so I could haul in for a lesson and then have Ruby adjusted after. It would have to replace my normal weekend lesson, with gas prices continuing to remain sky high. 

Red noodles take their job of helping me pack the trailer V V SERIOUSLY

TrainerB knew I needed some solid work on the elements of the test before the show, but she also knew asking for any significant work tracking right would probably be an issue. She super skillfully navigated that by having me do the majority of work tracking left with the work to the right done on the long side (so less bend required) and I walked the short sides any time we were trotting to the right - we didn't even attempt to canter to the right because there was zero point in setting Ruby off when she had been so clear with us the week before something was going on.

Princess Goatbeard lol

Amazingly enough, we got decent leg yields off the bat both directions when we worked on them, so we didn't dally there too long. I aimed (but was not terribly successful) at more consistency in the left lead canter - Ruby will have a few nice uphill strides and then just dive heavily on the forehand. Not having the best core strength (it's a work in progress), this can cause me to be yanked forward and then once she's plowing along like that it's hard for both of us to recollect the balance and move it to the hind end again. I also still have that narcissistic left hand so my tendency is to clutch and cause too much neck bend, which then leaves the right hind leg just trailing behind us on its own little trajectory. I was more successful this lesson at maintaining more appropriate bend and even working some counterflexion to help with overall straightness. We did end up with some decent quality work so I felt about as okay at the end of the lesson as I possibly could under the circumstances.

Snapped this to send to TrainerB that night to prove I addressed the goat beard before the show lol. 

The chiro was working on another horse when I finished, so Ruby got to hang in an empty stall (she would happily live at this barn full time if I wasn't a poor peasant lol). Once it was our turn, the chiro started out asking us some questions about the issues, and luckily TrainerB was walking by between lessons and was able to be a bit more articulate than I was about the issues. The chiro started on her left side and aside from some tightness in her lumbar, there wasn't a ton going on. Right side was a mess though, yikes! 

Ruby hasn't been adjusted in... a minute, so she started off a little suspicious about what this lady was doing, but she settled in to enjoy it pretty quickly! She was a little too "helpful" when the chiro was working on her legs - she wanted Ruby to just stand with her leg relaxed and Ruby was like HERE I CAN PULL IT ALL THE WAY UP, SEE, I'M HALPING. Definitely some ribs out on the right (which was TrainerB's initial guess). Also some stuff going on in her pelvis/sacrum and I believe her.... elbow? It's been almost a week now so my memory is fuzzy, lol. 

After her adjustment I headed home and turned her out - the chiro didn't have any particular limitations on what I could do, but I wasn't sure how much riding I would get done last weekend because of the rain we had late last week... of course after a long wet winter where my base was frozen rendering the arena unusable for large chunks of time, I forget how fast it drains and dries out the rest of the year, so DH actually dragged it Friday night and I was able to get plenty of work done over the weekend!