When my coach Belinda Trussell asks me “what are you thinking” I can be fairly certain that whatever I am thinking it is not the right thing! In this instance I was riding through a corner. Ah ! Yes! The corners! Belinda then said: “After every movement the next corner is SO important. ”
“You can’t think, Ah! I’ve finished that movement, thank goodness and stop thinking about the corner coming up. You must think, right after the movement, I need this corner. That’s what is important. I want to ingrain this into your riding and your brain.” These are Belinda’s words to me in a lesson this past week.
She is right of course. It is so important. The higher you go up the levels in dressage, the more importance those corners have. You must be ready for the next movement which may start at the centerline. Flying changes! Half passes! Shoulder in ! Pirouettes! The corner is where you can prepare.
So there you have it. This corner thing needs to be in my brain. Part of my automatic response. Here is a video where just riding a corner and a 20 meter circle calls for constant vigilance. Bend, Bend, Bend! and Up, Up, Up! A big step toward success is always, always, be present in mind and aware of everything I need to do.
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