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Jan. 14th, 2011 08:14 amGood ride last night (ha, do I sound like a broken record yet? If so, yay!). It warmed up to 50 during the day, and was still in the upper 30s by the time I got to the barn. Of course the downside to a thaw is the mud, and Trudi had a nice facial with mud plastered over the entire surface of her cheeks, and quite a bit on her neck as well. Makes me want to leave a blanket on her all the time just as a mud barrier for the rest of her. I always sigh when I know it's going to be warm for several days when I pull it off, and think about how dirty she'll get. :)
Laterals at the walk were good, trot to the right was really nice- to the left, the left hind is still more of a challenge. Haunches in to the left at the trot was uneven and stuttery- helped some to sit and kind of go "ok, what can I do here. Am I sitting as tall and straight and centered as I can? No? Fix that...". I also managed to use my whip perfectly at one point- it was like taking my finger and poking her in an exact spot, and she just moved over with no fuss. It wasn't a tap or a tickle, just a tiny push right there, with me staying right where I was as she just stepped over.
There was a really good feeling to things overall- she was glad for the warm weather and the exercise, and she tried hard for me. Canter is still developing though it has a long way to go. There are times now where I ask for something, and she's listening for it- she pays attention more often, and usually when she makes a mistake neither of us gets all upset about it, because it's made in the spirit of "Is this what you want?" I rode sort of with the feeling that I was proud of her and of how she would carry herself like a grown up horse, just sort of sweeping grandly along, and she really responded to it.
Cats were a nuisance though- they kept popping out from under the benches and behind buckets as we rode past- they would streak out of the corner and tear partway across the arena. It was bad enough to startle me, so of course it spooked her. I worry about them because they get to playing and chasing and don't always notice the horses and sometimes run in front of them. They are sweet kitties, just young and playful.
Laterals at the walk were good, trot to the right was really nice- to the left, the left hind is still more of a challenge. Haunches in to the left at the trot was uneven and stuttery- helped some to sit and kind of go "ok, what can I do here. Am I sitting as tall and straight and centered as I can? No? Fix that...". I also managed to use my whip perfectly at one point- it was like taking my finger and poking her in an exact spot, and she just moved over with no fuss. It wasn't a tap or a tickle, just a tiny push right there, with me staying right where I was as she just stepped over.
There was a really good feeling to things overall- she was glad for the warm weather and the exercise, and she tried hard for me. Canter is still developing though it has a long way to go. There are times now where I ask for something, and she's listening for it- she pays attention more often, and usually when she makes a mistake neither of us gets all upset about it, because it's made in the spirit of "Is this what you want?" I rode sort of with the feeling that I was proud of her and of how she would carry herself like a grown up horse, just sort of sweeping grandly along, and she really responded to it.
Cats were a nuisance though- they kept popping out from under the benches and behind buckets as we rode past- they would streak out of the corner and tear partway across the arena. It was bad enough to startle me, so of course it spooked her. I worry about them because they get to playing and chasing and don't always notice the horses and sometimes run in front of them. They are sweet kitties, just young and playful.
