Week at a Glance

I was excited for my first lesson in over two months.  Unfortunately the weather was not very cooperative, with strong wind and rain, but historically it hasn't been a problem.  And aside from having trouble hearing my trainer, it was great!  One of our best rides yet!  We didn't canter, but had probably my most successful sitting trot ever.

Cupid's trot isn't the easiest to sit so I get in the trap of making his trot very small, almost a jog, to make it easier to sit.  On this day I don't know what the difference was but we had the perfect engaged trot and it just came together.

The exercise was a medium trot on a 20 meter circle, then shoulder in to shorten and sitting trot in a 10 meter circle, and continue back onto the bigger circle until I start to lose it at which point I post and increase back to a medium trot.

My next lesson a week later it took a lot longer to get that same level of engagement and connection.  (If only progress was always linear!)  But we had some nice moments, and I'm actually starting to get the hang of proper contact - I can lightly feel his mouth but don't feel like I'm hanging on his face.  I know it's really basic and I'm kind of embarassed it took this long but I just rode with loopy reins so long anything more felt like pulling.  I am happy with the new Myler level 2 bit.

The canter work felt good, more balanced on the left so more even both sides.  Except I was having some problem with my right leg getting short (usually it's the left!)  In our leg yields Cupid was a bit sticky moving off my left leg, but after a little reinforcement with the whip it got better.  The sitting trot didn't quite come together, but at least I could recognize and try to correct when it started to get a bit jog-ish.  We did transitions between walk and sitting trot.

In a sea of mud

I try to give Cupid variety in his work.  It's a bit harder in the winter when we prinarily stick to the covered arena, though we can do some poles or jumps, in hand work, lungimg or driving to mix it up.  But when the weather allows I try to get him out of the ring.

We did a little bareback ride around the ranch even though it was a bit windy, and Cupid was very good passing by tarps that were rattling, and new piles of wood from a tree that got knocked down in the storm.  But he did have to stop and stare at a blanket on the ground, lol.   Nothing bad, he just thought that doesn't belong there.

That doesn't belong there!