Gia - session 430 - dressage with Suzin

 Gia and I were back in the saddle today after about a week and a half off.  We started out with a lot of stretching at the walk, which felt pretty good.  As soon as I started to pick up the trot, she got fussy and naughty.  Each time, I focused on pushing her sideways into a leg yield or shoulder-in until she softened and behaved.  It only took a few minutes before she was going in a more consistent, steady trot without throwing a tantrum.  She did throw in a couple of small bucks here and there throughout the rest of the ride, but they were few and far between after the beginning.

Suzin had us do a LOT of changes of bend and direction in all ways.  We also worked a bit on shoulder-in, halts and rein backs.  Gia felt a little stiffer on the left side, but overall was fairly obedient and responsive.  I also worked on being a bit more tactful and soft with my cues.  She quickly learned to respond to them, even when they were very light!

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