Gia - session 169 - more of the same

I warmed Gia up with the usual today.  I added in some leg yield at the trot, to help her get straighter.  I mixed in canter work with the trot work as well.  She did great with her canter to the left, but she was a little stuck in her canter to the right.  I had been working on getting her to be a little slower and more organized at the canter, which she responded quite well to when tracking left.  However, when tracking right, she keeps wanting to bow her body to the outside, causing her to lose her balance, and then get too quick.  We worked on trying to get straighter, and then becoming more responsive to the slowing and collecting aids after I asked for the canter.  The last canter to the right was slightly better, but it did take a few tries.

Then we ventured out into the field again.  

The water was super easy, so I let her play for a few minutes before coaxing her back out.

Next, I approached the ditch.  She still stopped about 2 feet in front of it, and would not go forward, so Danielle helped us across again.  Gia only needed help on the first try, and then she did the rest on her own.  On what was going to be her last time over, she accidentally knocked the ground pole, and scared herself when the pole moved.  We had a little bit of "airs above the ground", but I was able to quickly regain control.  Then I had Danielle straighten the pole, and we went back over it.  There was no drama either time after that.

Finally, we approached the bank, both up and down.  She didn't hesitate at all in either direction.  She is definitely starting to feel more confident about it because she started to try actually jumping off the bank when we headed down!

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