Making Lemonade

Horses and disappointment go hand in hand, I know that.  But I still can't help but feel a little disappointed that all the plans I made for this summer are slipping away, one by one.  But I'm lucky this is actually a relatively minor setback, and Cupid's well-being is most important so instead I will focus on some positives (taking lemons and making lemonade). 

As of our checkup last week, following the doctor's recommendation I have been riding him every other day on a long rein, after a light lunge to warm up.  Though we are limited in what we can do, I can still use this as an opportunity to work on the following things:

- Two point!  Since I've been focusing primarily on dressage the past 2 years, I haven't been riding in my jump saddle as much.  But I can practice two point while we trot and canter around on a loose rein (bonus, no hanging on for balance!)  After about 5 minutes I can feel it in my calves, usually the left one first. 

- Straightness - I try to ride Cupid a few feet off the rail and most of the time we are pretty good about straightness.  Our bigger problem tends to be cutting corners so that's something we can work on.

- Prompt transitions - Depending on Cupid's mood, some days our up transitions are better other days our down.  I'm focusing on getting them prompt, and without him raising his head, both on the lunge and when I ride.

- Equitation - Since we're keeping pretty much everything else simple, I can focus a bit more on my position: keeping elbows bend, sitting upright (meaning feeling like leaning back to me), and feet underneath me instead of behind.