Play day with horses

Had a great day today! Planned for a play day with friends and their horses. It's always such a great boost to get together with like-minded people to study the same things and grow and help each other. We had the whole day to do this - what a treat.

We started with Reka and catching game. Jen was curious what that looked like, so she watched and commented while I was in the round pen with the filly. Reka understands the game, but her wary nature makes it hard for her to let loose. That's ok, we'll get there.

Then, we played "Can You?". In this game, we take turns following each other. So, Jen will come up with a "can you", perform it, and then I will try. I chose Tina for this day and she did great! After a while on the ground, we tacked up for riding. We worked on the cloverleaf pattern and transitions. Tina was right with me and I was proud of her! I used the confidence snaffle and then after a while went to the rope hack. Tina was learning to be soft in the turns and follow my leadership. She was fidgety with the bit at times, but overall she's learning how to use that larger bit.

After a few hours, I decided to give Tina a break and pull Gem out into the action. Gem and I warmed up briefly then got back into the pattern with Jen. We worked on leads and canter departs after a while, too. Gem and I struggle with the left lead, so this was a good day to work on that and figure out how to set him up better. Jen was working on feeling the leads and asking for the canter as softly and nicely as possible. They've made huge progress with this summer!

It was far too windy for a trail ride, so we played in the front pasture - circling each other and being each other's "eye" on the canter leads and departures. Gem was pulling to the herd a bit, but we were able to get some nice things accomplished. I'm working on really feeling the lead from behind and not cheating by looking at the shoulder. I want to get consistent with feeling the lead after a stride or two from the hind end. Jen focused on the departs and getting Lynx to leave nicely and without a hop or an over-reaction.

We did another catching game session with Reka in the afternoon and again, it was better, but not good enough to put on a halter.

It was a great day!!

a couple of gentle catching game sessions with Reka.

Tina trotting patterns and Gem Online

Nice night! Cool and breezy...

Started with Tina in the arena. We did a little groundwork, but I wanted to focus on riding. We rode the bowtie pattern at just the walk for a bit and I was asking her to feel of me and talking specifically to the inside fore as much as possible. Then, we trotted the pattern for a while. She was relaxed and calm and very responsive. She kept pulling to the other side of the arena and after we'd been riding about 40 minutes, I decided to let her take me where she'd been wanting to go.

My arena has some weeds growing around the edges and that was what she wanted! Some of the weeds must be her favorites. I let her take a few bites and then we went back to work. It was a nice, confidence building ride focusing on building softness.

Tomorrow we'll go back to the large circle and work on transitions on the circle. We'll also get some cantering in.

I then pulled Gem out for a little Level 4 groundwork. We didn't spend much time, maybe 30 minutes. Worked on transitions online, sideways, and teaching him to follow my focus on the feet to change gaits. He was soft and easy, but thinking about the herd more than I'd like. Still, we got some nice things done. I drove him from zone 5 through the trees before going back to the barn. He did nicely with that!

A good night with a couple great horses.

Cloverleaf and Transitions

Rio groundwork in treeless, great on the ground!

Z and I in arena, opening gait, cloverleaf transitions wtcb, leave the property with no issue whatsoever, eating grass as reward.

KK and friend on Rain, Rain afraid of bridge - gotta fix that. Sidling over for mounting going very well! KK can do it.

Quick ride with Z

Had a short amount of time after work to hop on a horse and I chose my main mare, Z. A blizzard was moving in and I knew I'd be struggling to ride for a day or two, so I wanted some quick and satisfying riding. Z was happy to oblige! She can be moody and cranky some days and cheerful and accomodating on others. Today was the latter.

We warmed up and then I tried to jump the barrels with her. She was giving me nose and neck, but not the feet. No worries, we went for smaller jumping. Then, we opened the gate together (we've gotten pretty good at that) - keeping constant contact on the gate at all times.

Then, some patterns (figure 8, question box) followed by some lead change practice with canter departs from the halt. We finished with halp-passing and sideways. She felt really great- responsive, happy, engaged, and eager to please.

We practiced the gate some more before going in. I got her feet trimmed and her left fore has a little wall separation which is interesting since she hasn't had a long wall or a lot of flare. I'll keep my eye on it.

A nice night with my mare!

Play day with the Parelli girls!

Had a fantastic day with friends and horses from 11:30am until 7pm!

I started off with Gem, just wanting to do some ground work and get him moving. He was excited with all the horses around and even reared a few times during COD on the circle. I thought about riding him and spending the day with him, but I really wanted to be with Z after giving her the week off for her hind leg injury. I really, really want to finish L3 freestyle, so I put Gem back and asked Z to come play.

Jen played with Rio in the beginning, too. She was curious how he'd feel to her and what I thought of him versus how she'd think of him. She did very well with him but could feel the "buzz" he gives off. He's an extrovert for sure and probably a RBE innately. He's a very cute little horse and Kendall is dying to ride him. I'll let her this week.

I realized when I switched horses that everyone was warmed up and ready to go! I was not and I tacked Z up quickly and played on the ground very briefly. She ended up in a "bad mood", pinning her ears a lot. She was listening and doing what I asked, but not happily. I tried to stop and help her get "in the game" several times. She was slowly improving, but I realized I should have warmed up stronger so I could ride softer. She wasn't off, which was good. She was just feeling annoyed and let me know often.

We did patterns first and even Kendall wanted to join us. She rode Rain and tried the patterns a few times. We partnered up and we all took turns going through the patterns mirroring each other and trying to stay in synch. We did some "follow the leader", but that didn't go so great as we didn't do a good job of staying in a line and following what the leader did. At one point, Chrissy was trying to hold Cowboy back and he got insistent and got his head low. I believe he's reaching to get more reins as Chrissy's learning to ride with a casual rein, but sometimes holds pretty tightly. Jen and Amy thought he was ready to buck - I didn't think so, but still, Chrissy needs to be safe.

She asked me to ride him and I did. I checked his flexion, then rode him in some large circles at the trot and canter. He was doing pretty good for me, so eventually Chrissy decided to get back on.

We moved to drill team and tried to synchronize going forward, backward, sideways, and swinging the gate. We didn't look too good, but we were having a great time!

Christy and I went through the 8 bends and Z did a good job of demonstrating for me. She's learning to yield the hind in fore however I ask, with her head in all positions (bent into the turn, straight and bent opposite of the turn). That's pretty cool! Amy and I played with sideways some and I tried to do some sideways on Cowboy. He's pretty bracey, but he was picking up what I was asking. Another couple sessions and he'd be great.

At one point, I grabbed my dragging obstacle (a wood step thingy) and the other horses and riders followed. Cowboy and Lynx showed off their "cowy" nature! They were both ready to herd that obstacle and show it who's boss! That was very cool to watch. Amy took a turn dragging it and helping Molly gain some confidence about this moving wood thing.

Jen practiced trot/canter transitions on Lynx and looked really confident and strong! Jen and Lynx have made great strides this year and they're looking beautiful together. Amy rode the whole day bareback - way to go Amy! Christy showed off her stick riding skills in the patterns and her calm Thoroughbred. Christy and Bently have a very nice relationship - he's a big boy, too! Kendall didn't last too long out there with the horse-crazy big girls. She was pretty bored pretty quickly, so we lost her early on. Chrissy stayed out pretty much the whole time and I imagine she was feeling pretty good after not riding her horse for several weeks while rebuilding her confidence after a horse accident.

About 4:30p, Jen and Amy started to head out and Chrissy, Christy and I decided to hit the trail. Chrissy wanted to ride Rain so she tacked her up and off we went. Before we left, Christy and I played with the teeter totter and the pedestal obstacles. I jumped the barrels with Z a few times, too. I can remember when I was afraid to do that!

Z led the whole way on the trail, which was good for Z - she likes to lead the trail. Chrissy was doing nicely on Rain, too. She's learning to give Rain more freedom with the reins and I imagine it's tough for them both as I ride Rain bridleless for the most part. I ride her in a rope hack, but I rarely use the reins as I'm often ponying 1 or 2 horses and use my hands for the lead ropes. Rain and I have a language and it's probably tough for Rain and a new rider to figure things out together.

At one point, we met another group of riders who had a pretty aggressive German Shepherd. Their dog came at Deuce and the two of them started to fight. Oscar then jumped in so we had a 3 dog scrapple. Of course, our dogs weren't listening to us anymore and I decided to ride Z right into the middle of the dog fight to break it up. Z was so amazing - she ran right in and broke up the dog fight with me! She didn't hesitate or ask a question - she just did it! It was a great moment for us. I was very proud of her.

At one point, there was a short but pretty steep downhill and Rain hustled down. I'm not sure if Chrissy had her head tight or maybe Chrissy's body was tight, but at the bottom Rain crow-hopped on the fore and Chrissy went off. Dang it!! She was ok, a sore elbow, but basically ok. Christy and I tried to make light of it, but I know Chrissy was feeling her confidence falter. I felt so bad for her and tried to remind her, each fall makes up her experience. Experience is what makes us good with horses. We don't want to fall off, but sometimes we do. It teaches us and helps us develop our seat. We keep riding because we love it and we want to conquer our fears and master our horsemanship. I hope Chrissy won't stay off a horse's back for long, but she's going to have to learn to relax in the saddle. I'm thinking PPL in the arena for a month or two could work wonders.

We encountered the people again with the aggressive dog and Z and I took off ahead to get my dogs away from their dogs. We went about 50 yards ahead, not far, but Chrissy was fighting with Rain who wanted to come with Z and I. She hopped off (good girl!) and once things settled got back on. When she got back on, she felt like she and Rain just weren't partnered. They just couldn't get it together - Rain had her own ideas about what to do and Chrissy was struggling to figure out how to take the leadership back. She hopped off and decided to walk. Christy and I headed back - I rode Rain and ponied Z. It wasn't far for Chrissy to walk - maybe 1/2 mile before she could get a ride home the rest of the way. Not a great way to end her day, but she'd had a ton of break-throughs and I hope she sees the good absolutely outweighed the bad on this day.

Christy had a long drive home and so we said our goodbyes. She'd had a great trail ride, maintaining a good partnership with her horse the whole day and feeling confident on the trail. I was just glad to have these great horse women share a gorgeous fall day with me and my horse. I spend a lot of time alone with horses and I love the camaraderie and feedback from a group. It was just fantastic.

2nd Go-Round on Sunday

After missing Saturday completely due to kids b-day parties, coooold temps and snow, I was pretty gung-ho today. So this is my 2nd post of the day...

I wanted to ride Mr. Gemini on my new pattern course with the question box. Wow! He was awesome! His stop got soooo good and his canter depart from the halt was soft and nice. Gemini has a talent for getting me to work harder than he does, so it was amazing to feel him anticipate the question box, keep his energy up for it and stop in it with the slightest suggestion. Wow.

We did figure 8's and circling the barrel, also. He was really a great partner today. I tried to open the gate with him, but he is not sensitive enough to my leg. We worked on moving the fore and hind w/o reins and I'm starting to build to bridleless riding with him. Before I rode, we worked on circles cantering and he's getting better about maintaining gait. We practiced trotting sideways on a fence and falling leaf at the canter. I rode him around the yard and house first before going into the arena for the pattern work. He didn't want to go down the driveway and I decided not to stretch him that way today. Why? Dunno - just didn't seem like the way to go today.

I never got to ride Rain today and I didn't get any feet trimmed because an old friend came to visit. I've got multiple hooves needing attention and Rain needs some work. I'll try for tomorrow.

Nina and Tina

Had a fantastic session with Nina today! Maybe the best yet. We started with tacking up and some warm up on the ground. Warm up was very interesting tonight. I've upped the game and asking her for more advanced things. She's jumping with ease, circling better all the time (maintaining her gait and taking responsibility), staying out of my bubble, following the feel I give down the line and understanding that it's safe to try.

She was feeling extroverted and playful, so we practiced falling leaf and s-patterns for a bit in the arena. The playground was getting too tight and crowded for the amount of feet-moving she wanted to do. At one point, her adrenalin got the best of her and she galloped off. She came back and we started again. We practiced more figure 8's, circle game with consistency (tough for her because she's so extroverted), leading up and maintaining the space between us no matter where my feet go. She was doing great, working hard and giving me very soft responses. By the end, she could walk a couple circles without going into the trot and I knew it was time to ride.

I'm still using the rope hack, but ground working her in the confidence snaffle. For now, it's about soft responses to the pressure from the halter. I took her into the round pen and made sure she was ready to ride. I mounted up with ease and she was confident and stood perfectly still. She's got this part down pat now. We played with lateral flexion for few minutes until I felt that she'd really turned loose to it. Then we worked on forward. I want a forward movement on my suggestion, not after a lot of commotion, so I play with this quite a bit. We also follow the rail and I ask her back to the rail whenever she leaves. This will set her up nicely for future work. Then we practice bow-tieing back to the other direction - asking her to follow the feel on the halter and follow her nose where the halter suggests it to go.

We're ready to trot. She's nice and warmed up to having a rider on her back and she's ready to move a little fast. We practiced back up and that needs work. Our halt is simply a bend at this point, also. We'll continue to build strong fundamentals so the advanced work comes easily. She's doing so well - I'm proud of her! And she's gotten so big!! I think she's 16hh now. She's gorgeous.

After, I sprayed Nina off and played friendly game with the water from the hose. She was standing still by the end and I tied her off to let her soak on the session. She cocked a leg and relaxed for 90 minutes or so while I halter Tina to see what she knows.

Tina was on the track and saw me coming out from the barn. She came trotting from the other end of the pasture - looking forward to some interaction. Although the horses are spending time with her, I'm sure they haven't "accepted" her yet. She's going to need more time to feel at home here. She seemed genuinely happy for the time and attention. I haltered her, asking for some partnership and give while I tied the halter knot. She holds still, but doesn't quite understand why I want her head turned toward me. She's a very quick study though, very eager to please. She'll be a quick learner - I noticed that right away.

I lead her toward the barn and through the water and rock patch on the track. I love this track feature. It's so good for the horses to walk over rock and water every day. She wasn't too sure about the water, but I waited and asked her to re-approach when she retreated herself. I didn't push, only used some driving game to move her feet when she was ready to re-approach. It only took a few minutes, a foot forward, then back, then two steps forward... She will do it easily next time I'm sure.

We then played with the vinyl strips a little. I'd like her confidence strong for those quickly as she'll need to know she can go inside if the weather turns. Right now, they are like a brick wall to her. We'll work more on that tomorrow.

Then, the fly sheet. She'll need to wear that until the mosquitoes fade away (I hate mosquitoes!). A lot of approach and retreat, growing the size of the sheet by unfolding it while asking her to tolerate it and retreating as she got calmer. She seemed tolerant at first, but she was introverted and not blinking. It's good to know that there's some introversion there, in her mind. She seems quite left-brained, but very extroverted typically. She doesn't seem to use her mouth for her curiosity, except when she's checking my hands for treats. I won't be using any, unless I think we need them for motivation. With her extroversion, I don't think that will happen. We'll see...

After 10 minutes or so, I felt that she'd gained some confidence about the fly sheet. It wasn't where I'll want it at the end, but it was a good place to quit and she was able to wear it. We dragged it around next to us and that bothered her quite a bit. We've got some desensitizing to do.

Once I had her sheet on, I wanted to see how well she could tie. Two other horses were tied so she wasn't alone and she seemed to do ok. Soon, I'll add stimulus while she's tied and help her find the release on her own (moving towards the halter/tie to release the pressure instead of fighting it).

Tomorrow I'll start trimming her feet. I got some pics of her and her hooves for comparing later. I'm looking forward to getting some concavity built and bringing in the flare on the hoof walls. She's got very overgrown bars as well. She's going to move even nicer on properly trimmed hooves. She's going to be fun! I like her mind, she'll be great to play with and start.

Most of the time while I played with horses, Chrissy stood with Lakota tied after grooming him. She had dental work done today and she was feeling a little slow and tender. She played with Lakota a little, but mostly she spent UDT with him. He's truly warmed up to Chrissy and he seems to know he's her partner. It was nice to watch her spend time close to him, relaxing, w/o him being mouthy or bothersome. She's got the "love" down, now for more development of "language" and "leadership". She's doing so great.

Can you??

Nina and I, Chrissy and Lakota.

I ended up working late, still on the phone at 6pm. Unusual for a Friday night and I was anxious to get some horses going. I came out to the barn, thinking to play with Nina and maybe put another ride on her. I got her haltered and started tacking her up. Chrissy was looking for a little coaching, so I thought I'd use Nina to show how I'd get things done and talk to Chrissy while I played.

We started with squeezing over the barrels. Nina wasn't too sure, but she tried her heart out. She put her hoof on, hung her head over, really tried to figure out what would make me happiest. Once she stopped trying, I would send her around the 1/2 circle to try on the other side. We did that for a few minutes and the first time she jumped, I sighed, cocked a leg and stroked her face. Then we walked away.

Chrissy gave it a try with her horse and had him squeezing over pretty quickly. She's still figuring out how to use phases and how to motivate him to go forward the speed she's asked.

We then played "Can You", a game where one leads, does something with their horse and the other then tries it. We played with left front over a log, back legs only on a bridge, figure 8, and back over the barrels. Chrissy had a little bit of trouble with figure 8 and I tried to help her keep her horse moving. He's not very motivated at times and she can keep working on having a plan in her head before beginning to execute.

Nina did a great job with the figure 8, she was jumping the barrels with ease on the first ask by the end of the session and our communication was improving rapidly.

It was getting dark and it was time to go in. I didn't get to ride Nina, but it was good to tack her up, practice some ground work and never get on. She's coming along very nicely.

Cloverleaf with Gem

Great session! Working on maintaining gait at the canter on the circle on the 22, then isolating the ends with soft asks (suggest). Squeezing over barrels isn't great yet, but he's getting it. We also had some nice figure 8's after a few minutes of him getting with the groove. He struggles going from the left eye to the right eye. I'll try to back up more and give him more of a release on that side.

Then, cloverleafs in the arena in the western saddle. Transitions and looking for softness and snappy transitions. His back up is very nice, but he over collects. Not sure how to fix that. Maybe I need to use just the stick in zone 1 and no reins at all. I got the most beautiful transition from trot to canter and we stopped on the X of the cloverleaf and called it a day for arena time. He's doing so great.

We went to the barn and started working on mounted sideways. That's tough for him and we haven't done very much of it. I tried to use the carrot stick to motivate him to move, but that didn't work so well. I need to go back to isolating the ends and getting him softer - right now I'm doing too much work.

It was a really nice session with him and I'm trusting him more than ever. We'll keep growing like this together and have some great things going in no time. We need to work on confidence away from the herd.

I redressed Z's wound and cut off more necrotic flesh. What a mess. Dang it.

Relaxing with Z

I spent the day doing chores... stacking hay, managing weeds, fixing fence. I wanted to be sure I spent time with Z, the other horses could take the day off. So, with so many chores accomplished, I haltered my levels mare and tried to make a plan. I really didn't have a good plan, just to spend some time.

It rained for about 30 mins and I decided to trim Lakota while it was raining and Z was waiting. I got his front feet done, but he was not so cooperative and I wasn't up for the back feet. His feet are so hard, too!! I soaked them in water to help me get the trim done. I was happy with the shape we ended with and I got some good frog trimming and bar trimming done. I'm trying to lift his solar dome more to help him find more comfort on rocky terrain.

After the rain, Z and I headed out. The mosquitoes are so bad that it's hard to do anything that requires standing still or nearly still. Gotta move! So, a little warming up on the ground, working also on confidence with my new big pedestals. Then, I mounted and we headed towards the trail. I was thinking to practice transitions, but I was feeling very ADD and we goofed around on the jumping course for a bit. We jumped while I practiced keeping my tailbone to the cantle. Then, we headed down the road. She was so soft in the bit, softer than normal and she's normally quite soft. I'm not sure what we did last time that made her so soft, but it was nice. I tried to whisper to her with my hands to match her softness.

We stopped occasionally so she could grab some of the various plants and weeds that she finds so delicious. It was just a casual time and I occasionally asked for walk trot transitions and walk backup transitions. The mosquitoes were hideous and I just couldn't imagine them getting any better further down the trail, so I let her graze and then we headed back. I'm annoyed, and I'm missing the trail. No amount of spray seems to keep those bugs away. I will try to trailer some places this week, places where maybe the mosquitoes haven't completely taken over.

Anyway, Chrissy had dragged the arena since a little rain had moved through and I decided to take Z there. There was a breeze now and the mosquitoes all but disappear if there's a little wind. We practiced cloverleaf, then feeling the leads and asking for the correct lead, then a little isolation of the ends. It was a nice, casual and very fun session. Z's level of partnership has really gone up a notch lately and I'm enjoying her immensely. I can't imagine it can get better and yet, I know it can. If this was all I ever got from her, I'd call it wildly successful.

Z and I pull it together

Wow - for the first time in my life, dependable and consistent flying lead changes!! We used the figure 8 pattern, worked on transitions and my feeling her lead and asking for a specific lead and we got it down! Z was with me, our backup was so soft and responsive, our departs were light and beautiful. It was simply the best riding we've done. I kept my tail to the cantle, Z's ears were up, she knew what to do and stayed calm. She was as happy to walk as she was to canter.

Before riding, we worked on the difference between asking for zone 4 away and zone 4 towards. The mosquitoes were so bad, we didn't do that long and skipped to fixing our falling leaf pattern and keeping her shoulder from falling in. That went very well and she was not caving in after just a few "discussions". What a good girl!

We've come such a long way!!

Gemini in the rain

Had a successful, but shorter than I hoped session with Gemini. His catching game in the run was beautiful. He partnered very nicely, bending his neck around so I could halter him in front of my stomach while in Z2. We went to the arena, started on the ground, practicing the rock slide and falling leaf. Moving his fore w/o moving my feet from 22ft away is a challenge. He's very in tune with me, which is nice, but he seems to get a little lost. So slow and easy, one step at a time, we got some nice movements.

Then, my plan was to do cloverleaf with transitions. I also wanted to practice getting the lead out of the trot that I asked for every time. Z and I are struggling a little bit there, but I realized with Gem it was a piece of cake. Why? Because he canters slowly, thoughtfully, rhythmically. Z canters like she's running from a fire and her rhythm is erratic. It was great to feel that I can actually get the canter lead I ask for with Gem. Now to develop that with Z...

Gems canter departs were so soft and I was focused on asking with the correct hind struck the ground. We got some very nice transitions up, like butter. It made me full-on smile.

As we were getting really warm and having nice success, the rain started. Bummer. I took him into the barn, trimmed his feet a little, then when the rain stopped, we went back to the arena and played with the other side (the left lead).

Pushing the envelope with Kime

Amazing lesson! Really pushing me to take things to the next level. I watched some of Jen's lesson first, then let Miss Z catch me to warm up for our lesson. We ended up going from about 1:30 to nearly 5pm. I was tired!! Some notes:

1) Falling Leaf - Z's shoulders are caving in. I need to move the fore around more and keep the distance between us the same all the time.

2) Modified Rock Slide - moving Z1, then Z4, then Z1 again the other direction. At the end of the 22, I could influence the zones, but Z would not stop moving when I stopped asking. How interesting! I worked on bringing my life down more clearly and quicker.

3) Back-up - we started out just showing transitions on the rail. We got our backup card pulled because it was slow and I was working harder than she was. Sometimes I get our back up good and then other times, it's like moving her through cement. Is it just me? Anyway, Kime helped by adding a ton of commotion in Z1 while I when through the phases. She became our phase 4. That helped, Z got lighter... Now, how long before I add the cement back in? lol

4) Transitions - if I feel the need to use my reins, then use them effectively and drop them again! I was not being clear and not being effective, which forced me to hold the reins more than I needed.

5) I have tight shoulders. Yup, I sure do.

6) Tailbone to the cantle! I love this one. First time I really could visualize what I wanted my body to do and get it done. This really helped me round my lower back and keep it that way.

7) My horses pushes me up in the rising trot and I control my down. I know that. I wasn't doing it though. Also, the sitting trot is a backwards rising trot. This means that I push myself lower and deeper on the diagonals. This is the way to ride the trot bareback. Ohhhh!

8) We used the western saddle at first, then switched to english. I've been gripping with my legs in the english saddle. Turns out my legs are stiff when I ride english. If I swing my legs a little, I find a lot more harmony. How interesting is that?

9) We did ride the rail, transitions, and then a ton of passenger lesson at the canter. I realized the canter PPL in the english saddle was a little harder for me. Neither is very difficult, but I have to keep building my independent seat in the english saddle.

10) 9-step backup! Remember, the horse doesn't move back until step 8! If my horses starts to halt on step 5, keep her forward until step 8. This builds the soft feel on the reins and prepares the horse for contact and finesse riding.

11) LEADS! Detecting the lead, knowing the lead, bringing my lead hip forward, asking for it from the hind and not the front. So much to know and I've got a learning curve to ride still. I was a little chastised because I'm not always asking for a specific lead. Apparently, I'm too advanced to not be that particular. Doh! We rode around at the PPL in the canter and I called out the leads. With Z, I was wrong a lot of the time! If I sit in the lead position, and I'm in the right lead position, it should feel better. I had to do that a while before I started to feel the difference. Wow! I've gotten pretty far w/o this info. Now, I have to rebuild some skills with that knowledge. What a blast! It's like building a house. It's one thing to build the frame, it's another entirely to put the electrical system in. So, I'm now going to be very particular. Lead arm out and moving, lead hip forward, feel the hind lead take off. Time to pay close attention to the feet at the canter. Also, if I could get Z to canter a little more slowly, that would help a ton.

12) Swing my legs at the canter in the english saddle - at least until I get more fluidity. Lean wayyy back and keep my tailbone to the cantle. And at the trot, follow with the shoulders. I do that at the walk, time to follow-up at the higher gaits.

13) Z and I were both cooked when it was over. I was starving, we were both sweaty... Z had given me her all. I'm learning so much with her and she's a great horse for this. She has tons of go and endurance naturally and when I'm a good leader, she'll never quit me. I'm lucky. She's a champ.

Thanks, Kime!

Harmony with Gem and Cloverleafs

Cloverleaf with Gem, both directions at least 20 mins each way. Harmony, soft, really nice! All gaits. I realized that I can ride Gem in so much more harmony at the canter than Z. Actually, the harmony is better at all gaits. Because he's LB, thinking, even at higher speeds. Z is not always doing that.

Then, up and down the driveway at a walk. Chrissy following on Lakota/Cowboy. Her horse is bracey, tried to give her some help, but she's got to find a place of resolve and assertiveness she hasn't found yet. She's doing great, either way.

Gem was amazing and calm and willing. I've never ridden him alone to the gate. That was a first for us. He would have gone farther. I let him eat grass for quite a while at the gate. He was content and satisfied with me on his back. So interesting.

Then, Z for some cloverleaf at trot and canter. In rope halter, Z was braced and RB. I rode her each direction until she started to think again. How interesting. She goes RB at the canter and we have to get out of that pattern. Poor girl - I've missed that. We know what to do for our coming sessions. I also focused on making sure my thighs aren't tight at the canter. I felt a change and more awareness of what I do when I ride Z at faster gaits. I have to relax more too... for both of us.

Oh, and I have saddle sores. I've been riding too much. So funny.