Too Cold!!

All this week it's been in the 30s in the morning - way too cold for this California girl!  On Wednesday Cupid and I took a vote, and it was unanimous in favor of staying in the barn and not riding. :p 

Big nope to leaving the stall!

So on Thursday I forced myself to tough it out and do a lesson.  The covered arena was being worked on, so we went to the outdoor.  Cupid started a little fresh, and I was pretty much just trying to survive the cold and not really using my seat to slow him.  As I suspected, he got tired of speed trotting pretty quick and settled down to work.

I continued focusing on my upper body, primarily arms.  We had a few nice moments going to the right, where my trainer said Cupid was on the bit.  The left was more difficult, I just can't seem to keep my right hand from floating forward, or resort to pulling the inside rein.  My trainer was telling me to make sure I'm not on the inside rein as I ask for canter, so I was pushing my inside hand forward and then realized I have no contact at all since my outside rein isn't engaged but try as I might I just couldn't get coordinated to do it.  I may have to revisit holding the whip in both hands to keep them together.  Not surprisingly we struggled with getting the left lead, but I felt my balance was so bad it almost wasn't even fair to ask.

Sensing my frustration, my trainer had me trot in a 20 meter circle, then counterbend on the circle to feel the outside rein.  Then use my inside leg to straighten him (resulting in a slight inside bend, since we were on a circle), keeping the outside rein steady.  Then I would ride a 10 meter circle to the inside of the big circle, pushing my inside hand forward to test the connection.  Then when I was back on the big circle, big trot a few strides, collect a bit and back to the outside bend when I feel I'm starting to lose the connection.

On Friday we had a fun day with cavaletti and poles.  Cupid was pretty pokey, but I blame it on the cold.  Keeping him going in the canter was somewhat laughable, we did break gait several times.  But we did get the left lead canter on first ask, starting from the right lead and going down the diagonal with a trot change before we get back on the rail.  We did a circle exercise over a pole and 2 cavaletti, first starting to the right at the trot, then canter.  It was a little sloppy with us breaking into the trot a few times, but otherwise ok.  We took a walk break before doing it to the left.  We started at the trot, and were able to pick up the correct lead and go once through before we broke back to the trot.  I let Cupid trot a bit (because it is cold and it is hard work keeping him cantering!) but eventually we got the canter back and made it once around.  I told him he's a good boy and ended on that.

He'd rather wear it over his face then lift his nose from the bucket long enough to get it over his head!