Gia - session 111 - Back to the trot!

My session with Gia started out with the same intentions on the lunge line.  However, Gia was a bit frisky and ready to go today, so I spent less time on the transitions, and just allowed her to keep the trot, in an effort to get some energy out.  When she anticipated a transition, I had her do the opposite.  Sometimes she would anticipate the down transitions, but most of the time, she was anticipating the up transitions, especially to the canter.

On a funny note, she has definitely been paying attention to the timer I use to keep track of her minutes on the lunge line.  She knows that I will be asking her to trot after the first timer goes off, signaling the end of her walk work.  She is super relaxed at the walk, but as soon as she hears the timer, she gets prepped for the trot, and sometimes trots without me asking.  Same again when the timer for her trot work goes off.  She knows that the canter work is next, and she often moves into the canter without me asking at all.  This can be good and bad.  I know she is definitely paying attention, and I love that she is eager to work, but she does have to learn to wait for me.

Butch would do something similar whenever I would time his trot or gallop sets.  However, Butch does not have the work ethic that Gia has, so the second the timer would go off, he would screech to a halt.  I would often push him a little past the time, just so he would remember that he has to listen to me for the down transition.

So, once her lunging work was completed, and she had relaxed and gotten some energy out, I hopped on. 

I started with the same stretching work at the walk.  I think I got a deeper stretch, and for a longer amount of time, today than I did on Monday.

Then I decided that we were ready to move into the trot today.  I decided to video all her trot work today, so you can see what it looks like when a horse is coming back into work.  You also get to see how she starts out tight and tense, and then how she ends her trot work with the best stretch we have ever gotten under saddle at the trot!

I basically asked for the same work at the trot that we had been doing at the walk.  She was much tighter to the left, so I focused on getting her to flex and bend to the left, regardless of which direction we were actually travelling.  I focused on keeping my arms close to my side, to help keep her straighter, as well as keeping my weight equal in my stirrups to help her stay more balanced.  I also nagged her with my left leg, pushing her ribcage to the right, and my left fingers, asking her to flex, or look, to the left.  Anytime she would soften and reach down, I would follow her with my arms and reins. 

This work requires a lot of lengthening and shortening of the reins, so there are many times in the video where my reins are quite long.  In a working trot, my reins would be much shorter.  Although, I am aware that one of my weaknesses is that I tend to not carry my hands out in front of me enough, and let my reins get too long.  Just ask my coach! ☺

Overall, I was very pleased with Gia's return to trot work under saddle.  She did not feel tired or overworked at all, so I feel comfortable that the amount of work is just right, for now.  I plan to add a little more trot work each day until we are back to where we left off.