Tuesday, October 27, 2009

While the cat's away

...the girls will play.

Patrick and Lydia are in the UK for a few days which has left me free to play ponies and catch up with friends. Yesterday Di came over with the treeless saddle so we put it through it's paces. Bev joined us for lunch and we had a great chin-wag and a bit of a giggle and probably too much wine!!

The treeless feels very comfortable but puts you in a slight 'chair' position but to be fair to the saddle it's not a dressage model. Moralejo went really well in it and it remained balanced even in canter.
Di took lots of 'photos but there's something blocking me from uploading them on here or video to youtube, my browser just keeps closing the page down or the computer grinds to a halt. I managed to email a couple to Patrick's computer so here they are. The canter is definitely improving since I started working with the idea of the AI (area of influence) I think I probably drove Di mad with my enthusiasm but it is just so exciting to have found a way to ride my gorgeous boy WITHOUT him being persistently behind the vertical. We now have decent enough canter transitions, OK running on in the downwards transition but he's not tucking back and disappearing up his own rear!!
Today we had another great session and rode in excess of 30 canter transitions from trot, walk or through rein-back to walk and then canter. I interspersed them with the walk and trot work and each time he calmed down and worked sensibly in the new pace. We worked on the canter transition on the long side, no bend, and he was correct each time in his lead and I even got counter canter on the long side (it took a few goes before he trusted that he understood that I was asking the 'wrong' lead lol).
I'm scared that we're having too much fun, he LOVES this work, and that he may not stay sound; oh well live for today and today (and yesterday thanks girls) was just excellent.

Photos of Moo in canter up and open at the front, YAY!!!


7 comments:

bellecroix said...

Thanks Trudie for a yummy lunch and a lovely day.......6 bottles of wine!!! Did you not know Di's a recovering alcoholic tee hee

I like the word Fun!!! I am sure Moo does too

Di said...

Ho hum, you've found me out!! The pics look good. It sounds like he went just as well with your saddle? I thought he looked the best I've seen him. All the hard work's paying off.

Claire said...

hurrah!

nowt wrong with having fun, Trudi, leavens the work!

but 6 bottles? between 3? dear me, ladies...

trudi said...

no Claire that's not right at all, Di had five and Bev and I only shared one, hehehe

Di said...

Excuse me, I am here you know!!! I'll be contacting Claire about my rights against slander!!!

Claire said...

i don't do libel/slander, di! anyway, it was you complaining of illness inconsequence, not them! :-)

HorseOfCourse said...

Oooh
Yummy lunch, good wine and friends AND a good session with Moo?
Sounds like the best of days to me!!!!