Gia - session 220 - Dressage lesson with Suzin - walk to canter to walk transitions

 Gia and I had an intense dressage lesson with Suzin today.  We started out stretching down at the walk.  That was pretty good almost immediately, so we did a few walk/trot transitions until she wasn't coming up against my hand.  Then we worked on stretching down into the trot.  When that was solid on a circle, we started moving around the ring in a variety of figures - serpentines, half circle reverses, inverted reverses.  Whatever she needed in order to help her find straightness in her body.  I was constantly evaluating which rein was lighter and which was heavier.  I had to remember to keep the weight in my reins equal, and then correct Gia's straightness based on that.  She's quiet sensitive, so sometimes it was the right that was heavier, but she would quickly respond to my corrections, and then it would be the left that was heavier.  She will need to work on finding the middle ground, but it's a much better problem to have than if the horse doesn't respond at all!  

Suzin also had us do a bit of work on shoulder-fore and shoulder-in to help Gia become straighter.  Sometimes we also used baby leg yields to straighten.  Finally, she had us work on walk to canter transitions and then canter to walk transitions.  Gia picked up on what I wanted much quicker than I expected!  She was a little surprised when I first asked for the canter transition from the walk, and she gave me some quick trot steps before breaking into the canter, but after only a couple of tries, she gave a solid response!  

I think it helps that she often "asks" me if she can canter.  She is often trying to break into the canter when we are trotting.  Sometimes, it's when I ask her to speed up at the trot, and sometimes it's when I am asking her to be straighter.  She confuses those requests with the canter cue, and she is such a people pleaser that she offers that up as an answer.  If she was a kid in a classroom, she would be the one practically jumping out of her seat with her hand raised, saying "ooh, ooh, ooh, I know the answer!!"  It's a great attitude to have, so I am careful not to fuss at her when she gives the wrong answer.  I try to simply correct her and then move on.  I definitely don't want to discourage her positivity!  

When coming down from the canter to the walk, I had to brace with my entire body until I got the complete transition I was asking for, and then relax completely as soon as she walked.  It only took a few tries for her to understand the request and give me a nice transition in each direction.  The work Gia is doing is hard, but her attitude makes all the difference, and it makes everything feel much easier!