Progress on all fronts.
Caddy has had today off. I was looking at his neck while he was hanging his head over the door and it seems to me as if he has already put on quite a lot of top line. I guess that’s not too surprising really, since his natural headcarriage is long and low with an arch to his neck. He has the promise of developing quite a lot more substance, I think, as his hips are also wider than they were.
Tia did some lovely work today. Superhubby came home in the middle and came into the barn (yes it was still raining….) He hasn’t seen her work at home since I bought her and he went very quiet for a few moments. That’s either good, or bad :- ) Turns out he was very surprised at just how good she looked when she was working now. So that’s nice!
She is still struggling with canter transitions and today I had to try a new trick, or a very old one really, just new to her. She throws her head up and throws herself into the canter completely unbalanced. In the past with horses that do that, I’ve found that a good way to combat it is to do trot/canter/trot with only 3-5 strides of canter and repeat it until the transitions calm down. The key is not to worry about the quality of the transition, but to insist on the down at no more than 5 strides. Sooner or later, the horse realises that they are only going to get to canter for a very short time and it’s easier if they stay in balance. And to stay in balance they need a better up transition. She caught on pretty quickly, and seemed very happy to be told what a good girl she is when I stopped.
You may have gathered from my reports that she is not now starting every schooling session with restricted shoulders. I don’t know what happened, but she has suddenly stopped doing that and now starts every session with a swing, and keeps it going. Very pleasing!
Tetley was GRAND today. He seemed sound when loose schooled in the barn and it is normally so tight in there that it will show him up as not quite right. I rode and got some fantastic walk, superb trot, so I thought we might try for canter pirouette, which I have just begun to teach him. He’s got a 5 metre canter circle, so that’s a great start. It put a smile on my face just to feel the power of him!
I'm working tomorrow so everyone will have a day off unless it finishes early.
C
posted by cptrayes @ 4:32 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
maybe there was a generalised tightness in the muscles before you had her, and all the work is paying off in that they're now so toned up they're in the right place before you start, whereas previously they weren't?
sounds sensible, anyway ....
can you go read my blog please and give me some feedback on Molly? please everyone, i'm having a bad & worrying time ...
Claire, I have commented on your blog.
Tia may also be relaxing because now she knows what's going to happen when she is ridden...nice things!! The shoulder tightness might have been emotional.
You'll know Caddy's grown when you have to get him all new blankets, or else he ends up sharing Tetley's.
I have seen the sun!!! It's been days and days, and it's lovely out. However, the big rains and the leftover hurricane are heading this way. There is a flood watch in effect. Thank goodness I am on high ground.
Remind us of the URL Claire, I've forgotten it. Feel free to post on here if you can't persuade people to read two!
I've been in court today. If you want to see a tough guy of 19 cry try sending him to prison for the first time ...... Quite chastening really but he had to go - you can't go around refusing to do unpaid work you've been given for stealing a car, and then headbutt a total stranger after opening his car door! Never seen one cry before though :-(
I hope you didn't get drenched Jean.
C
Too bad the tears were for himself instead of for his victims. *sigh*
No rain yet, but the wind is picking up. It's supposed to arrive tonight and through tomorrow AM, just about when my friend will be riding her tests. My trainer, traveling down here on a 5 hour drive will be coaching her. He thought we could all trailer over to the showgrounds to take our lessons. I convinced him going to the indoor would be better. *L*
you knever know caroline, this might be one of those that learns something positive from prison (pigs do fly sometimes!).
thanks for all your helpful comments folks!
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