Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Transitions with Gem

Had the MOST amazing ride on Gemini tonight! Every session is better than the last. Amazing.

I didn't have a lot of time and it was drizzling, so I knew rain was coming soon. I really, really wanted to spend some time with him and decided to tack him up and ride him in the arena. He started off a little tense but within a couple minutes, he blew repeatedly. I just think he is still getting over some baggage about having a rider on his back and he tenses up by default. We walked for a minute or two and then moved into the trot. He felt light and under himself and his transitions were amazing. When he felt soft and relaxed, we went to trot/canter transitions. He has become so in-tune to my seat and his transitions were the softest and lightest I've ever felt. I was seeking a nice working trot, but he wanted to go into the canter. We played with that a bit and I would reward him any time he stretched those legs out and gave me a nice working trot.

His transitions down were equally soft as up. I played with transitions through all 3 gaits and then added the halt a few times. I was so impressed by his try and attentiveness.

After about 30 minutes, I got the nicest transitions of the session and called it a day. We played with the gate a little, helping him learn to sidepass over lightly for opening and closing the gate. I tried to find him some grass to eat, but he wasn't all that interested. It was getting dark and wet, anyway.

Looking forward to some Gem time this weekend. The trail rides are really turning him around (as well as the play time, of course!).

1 comment:

Parelli Central said...

Sounds like you are doing all the right things, so it just falls into place - lovely!

Petra Christensen
Parelli 2Star Junior Instructor
Parelli Central