Gia - session 416 - dressage lesson with Suzin - lots of lateral work!

 Gia and I started out with a good stretch down at the walk in our lesson with Suzin today.  Once I picked up the trot, she was a little stiff, but definitely no naughty moments.  After a few more transitions, she was much softer and more obedient.  

We did a LOT of lateral work at the walk and trot today - leg yield, shoulder-in, haunches-in, etc.  I used the lateral work, especially the shoulder-in, whenever she got distracted by the many "new" things going on today.  That really helped her to focus, but it also improved her suppleness.  She was really offering a lot of nice movement today!  At one point, after a really good shoulder-in, she felt like she wanted to lengthen.  So, I let her stretch her legs a little across the diagonal line.  At the end of our ride today, she begged to stretch down at the trot.  So, I went with it, and we worked a little on her balance and tempo while she reached lower.  In everything she did, she seemed a lot happier in her work today!

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