A short post to day that yesterday we had a much better ride! I changed my approach, eased into the one-handed loping after getting some good work done with two hands. It seems to have done the trick for me and Abbey. She does like to cut her corners a lot, which means a lot of inside leg, but we are working on that.
She does seem to stumble a little every now and then... kind of like her back end just drops out from under her. K hasn't noticed it in her rides, so I am thinking it is operator error on my part. We have a lesson Monday, so K will watch for it then. L took some video and I hope I get to see it soon!
K's little daughter, Miss A, was at the barn last night. She is three and very precocious. She set up the cones and made up her own pattern for her and her little black mini, Noodles. Man, kids are good for the soul! They were adorable, and he is so sweet with her. We all had a blast watching the two of them walk and trot around the arena, and laughed so hard when Noodles decided to take five and drag Miss A back to his stall for a break. She is tenacious and didn't stand for that kind of disobedience. Out they marched and back to her pattern. She loves horses so much and her self-confidence is amazing to behold. I love seeing her at the barn, and she really likes Abbey. "And how is Abbey doing today?", she asked me when she came into the barn last night. SO grown-up, you can't help but smile. And she isn't just parroting, she always has follow-up questions to whatever your answer is.
The barn is a wonderful place, for a lot of wonderful reasons. If I could live there I think I might.
Kids are so wonderfully unpretentious!
ReplyDeleteMy Koda stumbles every once in a while, when he momentarily tunes out. It's not a very reassuring feeling. I try to make sure he is "with me". When he doesn't listen to my cues and tries to cut a corner, one short circle right away back into that corner we missed cures that. Last thing my horse wants is more work!
Thanks for the tip! I think you are totally right about that. I paid more attention last night and asked for more in our trouble spots and the loss of her back end didn't happen at all. So, as suspected it was another operator error :) The corners are the big trouble spots, and I will remember your tip about doing a cirlce at the lope if we have a lazy misstep. Would not have occured to me. Thanks!
Delete