Well it was a quiet day yesterday, dry and sunny so just turnout and grooming. No hangover but a very late night (or rather morning) and a day full of festive feeding left me too knacked to ride.
Today was back to icey cold, nice and sunny but a stiff, cold breeze brrr. Moralejo was the culprit with the beans!! Started on the lunge as I find it really helps to get his back/neck loose and he was going well until he spotted the others in the bottom field! There followed a squeal, a buck, a rear, a rocking horse impression and then all four feet off the ground and p*ss off. He does this horrible canter where he paddles along with both back legs going at the same time as fast as he can, looks like a hare at a dog track and just as fast. I promise you that not many folks would want to sit on him after seeing his displays but he saves it all for the lunge, truly!!
After warming himself up and fully digesting his beans we had some lovely ridden work, the walk/halt/reinback/walk is working it's magic and using a click for the halt is making it really direct. I just need to time a vibration in the rein to keep him light in the jaw through the transitions, at the moment I'm riding one handed to guard my rein hand from coming backwards during the transition; my other hand acts as a *stay* to make sure I'm not cheating.
The trot was better today, riding constant changes of direction from the seat and thighs. Very sweaty horse when we finished, the downside of not rugging or clipping. Just done late hay and he's nice and dry so perhaps it's better to leave nature do her thing.
Hello Di, another eagle eyed friend.
5 comments:
how does that work with the hand, Trudi, I'm not quite sure I follow you? I know I have a problem with pulling a hand back towards me....
oh, and you've taken off the word thing....
I meant to ask, how's the arena riding? i take it it's finished!
What's the *word* thing Claire??
Arena is fab, really pleased with it; wet or dry it rides well but I admit to levelling it after almost every use and it makes a big difference.
OK the hands, I'll try.
Ride with your reins in one hand and then use the other hand to *carry* the rein hand ie cup the rein hand with the free hand. It's amazing how aware of any movement of the rein hand you become. I devised it for a student years ago who had a problem with dropping her left hand all the time, it really taught her to be aware of the problem because until you accept there is a problem it's impossible to address it. I've since used it on myself with good results. At the moment my hands distress me, they used to be much more *alive* but with so much time off I'm relearning everything, argghh
ah. ok.
and having just re-read vicki's notes from the eric herbermann clinic on her blog.....
your hands can't distress you as much as mine do me....
hands!! ARGGHHH!!!! Antsje always tempts me into backward hands :-( This is ome MAJOR issue I have and one I will be asking Mikes advice on tommorrow!!
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