Another day at the barn..

The Boss had one of those looks in her eyes.

A look that said, I found something interesting in a magazine.
A look that said, I think it would be interesting to try.
A look that said, On second thought, I think it will be interesting to watch you try.

At our barn, Dressage magazines run rampant. They multiply in the bathroom and end up beaten and abused in the aisle shelves. A select few have snuck into the camper. I cannot use the restroom, sleep, eat, or work without being in a ten foot radius of Dressage Today or the USDF magazine or .

Being an avid reader (28 books and 8 half-books in 6 months), I take full advantage. Only God knows how many articles I've read on balance and symmetry. On "making it fun" (they must be confusing Dressage with sleeping in...) and correcting shoulder- and haunches-in.

The Boss is no different. Immersion is everything.

"You know," she says, her voice taking on that excited lilt it only gets when discussing German philosophy or how to save money. "I read that in Germany they learn flying lead changes by dropping their stirrups, looking up to the ceiling, and just switching their hips."

"Interesting." I tightened the girth of my last horse of the day.

It's only later, when I toying with simple changes through the diagonal, that she brings it up again. I walk, stretching slightly. "Okay, I'm going to try it."

She pulls her feet up in her director's chair. All that's missing is the popcorn.

I drop my stirrups and give my inside hip a little swing into canter. He complies elegantly, maybe a shade heavy on the forehand. In my head, I let my inner voice keep time.

Swing, swing, swing.

Down the diagonal we go, eyes up, mind quiet. Loose but steady legs.

Swing, swing, swing. Switch.

Well. That's what I thought, anyway. The result was more like:

Swing, swing, swingSWITCH, swin-switch!, NoNoNoWhyAmICounterCantering, switch.

I ease back into my rhythm and do a quick calculation of what went wrong. Emphasis on QUICK, as any of you who have cantered the short side know. Relaxation, I remind myself. Don't get excited. Which is really freaking hard because lead changes are the bomb. The best. The reason I fell in love with Dressage. They are the crack to my addict.

We turn down the next diagonal, and once we straighten, I shut my eyes.

Swing, swing, swing, switch.

"Did I get it?"
"Got it."

Success!

And then, from the chair.. "Now do it on the other side.."

-- Girl