Friday, October 9, 2009

Freestyle Patterns with Z

OK, it's time to get back to L3 Freestyle with Z. This is our toughest savvy. She's impulsive and it's tough to keep her relaxed when we're bridleless. We've got a nice pattern set up for our Freestyle audition. Now, we'll just practice it until it makes perfect sense to her and she can stay relaxed throughout.

We're using a question box, barrels for a figure 8, a tarp, a pipe for an obstacle and for sidepassing over, a jump, and an obstacle that we drag. We'll canter depart from the question box and show canter to halt. I'd like to get it good enough that I never have to correct with the neck rope or stick. I'd also like to do it bareback, but I don't have to. I'll stand on her back to complete the 10 mins of film. I'm excited and ready to get this accomplished.

We practiced moving the fore and hind bridleless and some sideways. Then we went and started in the question box. We practiced left lead canter departs from the halt and trotting the pattern relaxed. The question box will help us with our flc's. She gave me a couple of very nice flying lead changes during our session.

There are times she gets annoyed with me and I think I finally have it figured out. She doesn't like when I use phase 2/3. It's soft phase 1 or phase 4. Anything in between is weak and lame and she resents it! So, I have to get better about asking and then going straight to promising. She's demanding that from me.

I had Gem tied off for riding and planned for time with Tina, but the weather turned and I wasn't feeling well. Tomorrow it snows, the front is moving in. We blanketed horses, got the hay out, put the heater in the water and called it a night. I wanted to do more. At least my audition course is set up and I know where I'm headed.

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