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Got my fix today- lesson with Fontana, and hopped on the Deputy afterward. The roads were a sheet of ice in my neighborhood, and it took almost 45 minutes to get to the barn (normally takes about 12). Got home and hubby was stuck- he backed off the driveway just a bit and couldn't get any traction. I dug the snow out around the wheels and then he pushed while I drove, and we got it back in the garage.
Fontana is really getting stronger in her neck and back- you can see it in her topline and feel it in the way she moves and holds herself. She is so darn smart too. I discovered today that if I pointed at her hind leg with the lunge whip she would step under with it more. We had an uneventful lesson- basically just conditioning by trying to keep her moving correctly, and she's accepting contact better and carrying herself better too. She was less forward today and I worked a bit too hard with my legs, but overall she feels like she's really coming along, and positionwise it was less of a struggle for me- she likes being ridden from my seat and I did a better job of that today.
Haven't ridden Deputy in like a month - decided to forego lunging as I didn't have a lot of time, and he was a little hot and skittish at first. He felt small and downhill after Fontana, but he's gained a lot of weight and it was nice to see him healthy and feeling good. It was my first time in Sue's saddle, a 16" Vega that is a little small for me, but it's got grippy leather and somebody put stay-tight or whatever that spray on stuff is and it grabbed me and didn't want to let go. When I pulled my leg free it made a sound like when you peel the cellophane off a fruit roll-up. At any rate it did work well to keep me stuck on Deputy's back while he expressed his high spirits.
He gave a small buck that felt big (I haven't had a horse buck in a while, I'm obviously getting soft) and put his nose up and broke to canter and went sideways a few times, which he's never done- he's never acted like a young TB stallion before. I got him going forward and working, and he put his back into it and got pretty round and tried hard to bend correctly and then move straighter, although it was difficult for him. We didn't work for a long time but I was satisfied with the effort he put forth.
Nadia and Wally shone today- Peggy had Nadia really push him and he had a lesson in accepting the whip- Nadia taps, Wally kicks out, and Nadia taps again, repeating untill he actually steps under and goes forward. Man, can that horse move. He's getting stronger and looking less green, and his potential has always been amazing but today they really stepped it up a notch. I told Nadia I thought he could do well at FEI young horse tests, as he reminds me of the horses I see competing in them on Dressage Unlimited (if you're curious visit dressage.com). Peggy said she wants to do them with Rikki, and I'm sure she'll be phenomenal. It's really fun to be excited for your friends- the great thing about cheerleading is you don't get the upset stomach and nerves you get when showing yourself.
Fontana is really getting stronger in her neck and back- you can see it in her topline and feel it in the way she moves and holds herself. She is so darn smart too. I discovered today that if I pointed at her hind leg with the lunge whip she would step under with it more. We had an uneventful lesson- basically just conditioning by trying to keep her moving correctly, and she's accepting contact better and carrying herself better too. She was less forward today and I worked a bit too hard with my legs, but overall she feels like she's really coming along, and positionwise it was less of a struggle for me- she likes being ridden from my seat and I did a better job of that today.
Haven't ridden Deputy in like a month - decided to forego lunging as I didn't have a lot of time, and he was a little hot and skittish at first. He felt small and downhill after Fontana, but he's gained a lot of weight and it was nice to see him healthy and feeling good. It was my first time in Sue's saddle, a 16" Vega that is a little small for me, but it's got grippy leather and somebody put stay-tight or whatever that spray on stuff is and it grabbed me and didn't want to let go. When I pulled my leg free it made a sound like when you peel the cellophane off a fruit roll-up. At any rate it did work well to keep me stuck on Deputy's back while he expressed his high spirits.
He gave a small buck that felt big (I haven't had a horse buck in a while, I'm obviously getting soft) and put his nose up and broke to canter and went sideways a few times, which he's never done- he's never acted like a young TB stallion before. I got him going forward and working, and he put his back into it and got pretty round and tried hard to bend correctly and then move straighter, although it was difficult for him. We didn't work for a long time but I was satisfied with the effort he put forth.
Nadia and Wally shone today- Peggy had Nadia really push him and he had a lesson in accepting the whip- Nadia taps, Wally kicks out, and Nadia taps again, repeating untill he actually steps under and goes forward. Man, can that horse move. He's getting stronger and looking less green, and his potential has always been amazing but today they really stepped it up a notch. I told Nadia I thought he could do well at FEI young horse tests, as he reminds me of the horses I see competing in them on Dressage Unlimited (if you're curious visit dressage.com). Peggy said she wants to do them with Rikki, and I'm sure she'll be phenomenal. It's really fun to be excited for your friends- the great thing about cheerleading is you don't get the upset stomach and nerves you get when showing yourself.
