February 12, 2011

GREAT job today!

Blue likes to start out stiff and a little short behind - he's old, we get it - so encourage him to stretch early on and keep the suppleness as you ask him to stay light off your leg aids and through the bridle. Work to establish a strong outside rein, and when he allows, raise the hand so that the rein and bit are talking to his lips instead of the bars of his mouth. This in itself takes some training of the horse, but soon he'll figure out it's much more comfortable!

Good work with control of the shoulders today. The inside flexion stayed and was much easier to attain - several times I even had to say let the neck stretch out. The square exercise was a good one for you two, however it lost its clarity around the corners. Part of this was traffic, but the element that is important to maintain is accuracy. So, make sure that if the exercise is corner-shoulder in-straighten-corner, that you are just as deliberate about the straightening as you are about the angle and topline through the shoulder in. The last piece down the rail was BEAUTIFUL and would have marked well in a test. Remember, short, correct pieces are better than longer, strung out ones.

In the walk-canter transitions, I saw some REALLY wonderful improvement today. To the...right? (I think??) he really worked for you when you were able to control all aspects of him. Managing the shoulders, the flexion, the frame, and the correct lead are all little pieces in the big picture and I know when you're both learning this can be especially difficult. I had you lower and widen your hands several times in order to help him with this, and it worked very well to show him how to come a little longer in the neck and active from the hind leg. The left (second direction) was a little stiffer, and he used the trot-steps evasion more in between the canter walk and walk canter, but this is normal. One, he was probably tired, and two, the old dog is learning new tricks, so give him some credit :)

As far as your position, I would say that in your shoulder-in work, you must mirror the angle you'd like more with your shoulders and keep the leg long. In the canter, make Blue respond to an outside leg that is a few inches behind the girth - though you are wonderfully flexible, touching him in the flank is a little too much of an aid :)

Overall, I felt today went wonderfully. The gaits are really starting to develop, and some of the canter today was show-ring quality. I am excited for your progression and I think we will start using more lateral work here fairly shortly to see what we can't knock out this show season.

Love the new saddle!

LD