Pleasant Day

What we did: groom, no stirrups posting trot for my strength in Try's field, obstacle course for fun, shower--clean ears and teats. Lovely day--cloudy, not hot, enjoyable activities, etc.

Obstacles: Kathy Cheever made me think of it after talking about ACTHA obstacles--see photo below. Anyway to have a no stress day I set up
1. Barrel to side pass--Try offered to sidepass it away and then come back.
2. Cavaletti pole--vertical straddle--wait until she figures it out--she knows it
3. Ball to kick--nice pleasant energy
4. Small jump--walk/trot and offered canter.

These are all things Try knows, does well and that we haven't done lately. Carrot slice treat to accomplish each well.

If I do this again any time soon, do not repeat--mix it up, different obstacles or do different things with the obstacle or do them riding, etc.

More canter exploration in bareback pad.

Groom, games out back for relaxation--stuff low energy that Try does well. Bareback pad: Long easy passenger walk in the ring. Exploration of body position in bareback pad--walk, trot, canter, downward transitions. canter: Forward position is good for my strength and learning rather than slumping and relaxing everything way back on pockets but Try prefers the latter and has more relaxed canter in that posture. Online sticking together clean ups leaving the ring. Finished with shower and dwell time.

note: watch my arms moving at trot, I can see the need to get back to 3 laps no stirrups. Note also...canter rhythm always lost in same places ie coming off the rail and away from the gate suggesting my need to anticipate and an emotional thing for Try.

 Warmup on my pockets: western pleasure walk and jog.

Try really prefers the western pleasure slouch, everything loose and relaxed in my body sitting way back and super loose rein. I still want to be able to have a  good position--even bareback.

Comparison of video of today my attempts for a solid position with the relaxed on the pockets video from last week:

I am striving for..sitting nearly vertical but slightly forward, legs in proper alignment rather than forward of the girth, open solid torso. Below is the on-the-pockets video--walk/jog/lope.

Monday

Groom, games in the field online and liberty: circling, figure 8, backing, shoulder and HQ flexibility. Dwell. Long freestyle ride in her pasture: walk/trot/flexibility. Canter in dressage saddle in the ring playing with my position and quality of canter alternated with walk for relaxation. Walked around the farm after. Then shower and bath and more dwell.

Try had a lot of tense energy and the plan had to go out the window.
1. She was great at matching different energies I set in circling.
2. Some nice backing. Sideways--driving her front end when the HQ lagged really worked.
3. Played gently with cutting game at liberty with two sticks.
4. I wanted to do a true passenger ride and Try really did not so we trotted in her field full out for a good while until her energy changed.
5. Then we went to the ring for concentration in cantering (dressage saddle)--played with interrelation of my body position and quality of canter. Changed exercise to--when the canter is good we walk til she relaxes--took a while to get the relaxation and the canter got better and better.
6. Went to back paddock and hung out a while and Try ate grass gradually moving up close to me.
7. The wash stall was still busy so went for a ride around the farm and stopped and talked to Jim and Try ate grass.
8. EQ bath and hangout while BA and I talked about body positions for canter.
9. Treats and rubs in Try's stall.

Planning for Monday

My plan for today is to study my notes from Dan's lessons and come up with some really different things for Try and I to do today. Tomorrow I will likely play with bareback canter some more from the stand point of my position. BA said she would take a quick look. 

1. I have been playing with being on my balance point and completely relax my legs down especially my thighs as well as checking that I am opening my chest as Kathy has noted these issues.
2. BUT what body position from me does Try prefer? what body position brings relaxation for Try--really using her HQ rather than pounding on her front end. Actually, even on her own in the pasture she pounds with big energy on the front end--having the lessons with Kathy has helped a lot and I get intermittent ?15 strides or so that are nice and soft then something happens and we lose it. 
3. I have been studying Karen Rohlf's book this summer and concentrating so far on the relaxation and energy issues and perhaps should dig into balance as well as in--how can I help Try find the balance of HQ/FQ or how can I correct myself to avoid getting in Try's way?

Saturday with Try

Connection: I thought this would be important and was not sure we would get to riding. Liberty--simple, responded quickly. Figure 8 did a couple times and reward a nice clean one at the walk. Then one nice one trotting the circles and drawing to me. Quit as the connection felt nice, she was relaxed and pretty responsive.

In the ring bareback: did not touch bridle for walk and jog laps--used carrot stick just a couple times. Worked on energy and gait transitions--Try gaining energy all the time. Then canter laps--about 1.3 miles worth--this was confusing as I had a plan and goals and it got thrown out the window to work on different stuff going on in my body position. Will see if I can clarify it for myself this week.

Steps 2 right, forward, left, forward: sorta.

1. HQ: even bareback I want to be able to ask Try to use HQ and not be falling on forehand.
2. If she does get heavy on forehand then remember to use circling.
3. I have learned: I am absolutely secure and can move away from being concerned to focus on other things while cantering in the bareback pad.

considering Try

I woke this morning with the thought that Try is always unhappy this time of the year. It is hot and the insects of various types are bad so being in her pasture late afternoon, overnight and into the morning is not necessarily relaxing and pleasant. The greatest comfort is being in her stall during the day under the fans etc and she tends to stand in one place and sleep. The problem with that is boredom. She seems cranky about leaving her stall part of the time and annoyed that I am not taking her out of the stall to do things (graze? especially) as much as she wants. Short term play with a task--riding and on the ground and in the ring and back paddock have been going well. She does seem much happier after a good workout and shower--takes away the tension and irritation she feels.

She has been particularly disinterested in dressage work--of course, issues with my tension/body position when something goes awry does not help. (Homework for me relaxing my position in the canter especially and if something changes that threatens my lower back to go to 1/2 seat.) In the lesson Thursday with Kathy it took 1/2 the lesson for Try to quit focusing on the gate and escape--if fact, if Kathy had not been coaching me I likely would not have broken through  to get the nice trot we finally found. The trick for me is being to anticipate and give Try other things to think about than the gate. Try was relaxed after we finished the lesson and when I saw her later--after her shower and in her stall, she seemed very pleasant and content.

Devon - filming and photos before he leaves for horse show

Video is soft touch only--did not ask for flexion and he maintained both directions for several minutes. No wonder people buy horses that are well trained for a purpose--what a revelation.