All The Kings' Horses

 Gia and I started out with a nice, stretchy, relaxed free walk in our lesson today with Suzin.  When I picked her up to medium walk, we did a few halt/walk transitions, and a little bit of rein-back.  Then we moved on to walk/trot transitions.  I had to do a few of those over, because she was against my hand, but they did get better.  We worked on a lot of exercises to help with straightness, like shoulder-in, leg yield, circles, changes of direction.  I had to be more aware of my seat bones, and making sure that they were equally weighted, or a little more weight in the inside seat bone.  I noticed, at times, that either my hips would freeze up, and then my seat bones didn't really touch the saddle at all, or they would get "stuck" in the outside.  Those discrepancies led to Gia being more crooked, and doing things like throwing her haunches-in.  When I focused more on equal weight in my stirrups, equal weight in my seat bones, and equal, but light, pressure in my reins

 Gia and I had a lesson with Charlie at CDP yesterday.  She was quite distracted by a lot of stuff going on, so I had to work a little harder to keep her focused.  We did a LOT of transitions, and she had to be super obedient, or we went back and did them again.  She was very much anticipating the canter transition, so I kept going back down when she wanted to go up.  I also worked on making my cues even softer.  She was also a bit over bent at times, so I had to work on getting straighter.  We did a lot of leg yield out, and then shoulder-out to help with her straightness.  By the end of the ride, she was much more focused!

 We had drill team practice today, but it was offsite at a new venue.  I wasn't sure how Gia would react.  It was a private farm, and it was nice and quiet, but sometimes that can be spooky too.  Once she was tacked up, Danielle took her for a walk around to check stuff out.  She was worried about a few things, but once she touched them, she seemed to settle quickly. Once I got on, I walked her around the arena, but the only thing she wasn't sure about was a ground pole (of all things).  After I let her check it out, she was fine.  Our first test was the walk/trot/canter test.  She actually did pretty good!  She did put in a few bucks at the very beginning of the first canter, but I kicked her on, and she quit bucking and got down to work!  We have to do simple changes in this test, and she even performed those quite well!  In her walk/trot test, she was practically perfect, and she was nice and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon!

 I worked with Gia in the round pen today lunging over jumps.  I warmed her up by trotting over a ground pole several times in each direction.  I had all the "scary" items, that I like to put under the jumps, very near the ground pole, so she started out VERY reactive and trying to bolt away from the pole.  I kept pushing her around, and she did eventually get over the pole. As I raised the pole to a small vertical, then a larger vertical, she did fairly well, and jumped the jump properly.  Next, I added a towel draped over the pole.  That scared her a lot, and she didn't want to go over it at all.  Once again, I had to keep pushing her on and encouraging her.  Once she got over it the first time, it got easier the next time, and the next time.  I kept on until she went over it without fussing at all.  After each jump, I gave her a small treat and a pat.

 I took Gia for a hack on the trail today.  She was a little hesitant about getting on the trail, but once there, she was pretty good.  She walked quick, and not terribly relaxed, but she did keep walking on the whole trail.  She was nervous about a junk pile when we came back out, but I did get her to get close to it and touch it.  When she did, she got a treat.

 Gia and I worked with Suzin today on our flatwork.  We started with a nice, relaxed, stretchy free walk.  Then we moved into a medium walk, and did a few transitions.  Throughout the ride today, she was a little against my hand, especially my left hand, so I constantly worked on softening her to the left, as well as pushing her off my left leg.  When we moved into the trot, we worked on a lot of lateral movements - leg yield, haunches-in, renvers, shoulder-in, shoulder-out, etc.  My main goal was to get Gia equal in both hands, but slightly bent to the inside.  I tried to use the appropriate lateral movement to help me achieve that goal, depending on how she reacted, and how she felt.  I asked for some canter in the earlier part of the lesson, but she was really against my left hand and leg, and we weren't very successful with the canter to the left.  There was a little bucking and sucking back, and she just didn't soften into it and go forward.  We went back to the lateral wo

 I took Gia to the Sedgefield Jumper show today.  She warmed up fairly quietly on the lunge line, even at the canter.  Under saddle, she walked almost with any hesitation up to the warm up ring.  In warm up, we started right out in a fairly nice trot, and I worked on keeping her shoulders straighter.  I tried a few jumps at the trot first, but she did not elect to pick up the canter on her own.  So, I started to ask for it on the flat, but continued to focus on keeping her shoulders straight, whether she got the canter or not.  The first few attempts were short and tense, and there were a few bucks.  As we got going though, and I kept the shoulders straight, she relaxed and cantered around the warm up quite nicely.  She had a harder time picking up her right lead, but I didn't make a big deal out of it. We entered 2 open jumper classes at 2'6".  On our way to the first jump, I worked on getting the canter.  It was a little touch and go, but once she started jumping, it was

 I lunged Gia over the same jumps today that I did last week - black pipes, white pipes, "flat" tires.  She was very relaxed, and almost lethargic, for her warm up and the two pipe jumps.  She stopped at the tire jump, in both directions. again today, but once she checked it out, and it didn't kill her, she went over it.  I sent her over it several times, until it was easy.

 I worked with Gia in the arena today on her flatwork.  We started out with a nice stretch at the walk, although I did have to encourage her to march on a little bit.  After bringing her up to the medium walk, we did a few walk trot transitions.  She was a little "sticky" at first, but after a few times, her transitions got smoother and more obedient.  I also worked on keeping her outside shoulder more to the inside, or a little counter bent.   When I started asking for the canter, I worked on catching her outside shoulder, which wanted to "pop out" during the transition.  I would "abandon" the transition, push the shoulder back over, and then ask for the canter again.  I also worked on keeping the connection very light, but also keeping my fingers very active.  The first few times she tried to pick up the canter, she was very tight and tense, and did let out a few bucks.  Once we got through the above issues, she was able to move into her canter much more

 I started Gia's ride today on the hills at the walk and trot.  She had to collect going down, and stretch going up.  She was a bit all over the place today, but managed to come together eventually.  I also added a few halts and rein backs as I was going down the hills.   When I asked for the first few canters, I did so going up the hills.  She was fairly responsive, but she did throw in a few bucks here and there, when she got frustrated.  I focused on keeping her outside shoulder pushed to the inside to keep her straight, and that helped alot.  We went over several different jumps in the field, mainly focusing on the canter and the straightness.

 I took Gia for a hack on the trail.  The trail, itself, was not hard for her at all!  Even the muddy area - she just marched right through it.  However, getting past the large junk pile on the way to the trail was very scary for her.  I allowed her to stop, take everything in, and relax, before asking her to move closer towards it.  I did keep at it with her until she finally touched items on the pile.  Hopefully, it will be less scary next time!

 I took Gia out to a different field to lunge over some jumps that she doesn't typically see, today.  She warmed up just fine and relaxed.  Her first two jumps were very good.  She took a jump made of large black pipes, and another made of pvc pipe.  Then I introduced her to a tire jump that she has never been over.  She stopped at that one on several attempts before she finally got over it.  I just kept encouraging her, as she sorted it out.  By the end, she was jumping it very well.  

 I took Gia out to the field today to work on the hills, as well as a little jumping.  We started with walk and trot on the hills - collecting going down and stretching going up.  When she felt straight and obedient and a little more supple, I started moving around the field and working over the jumps.  My main focus with the jumping was just to keep her straight, especially in her shoulders.  That was fairly easy today.  I was hoping, as she got straighter and more balanced, that she would pick up the canter on her own, especially after the jumps, but it never happened.  She went over all her jumps at a trot today, with no actual jump.  She did feel fairly relaxed and obedient though.

 Gia started out very relaxed in her lesson today.  We started with a nice free walk, and then moved up to medium walk.  We did a few transitions between walk and halt, and then walk and trot.  She was a little against my hand at times, so I kept my fingers moving, and encouraged her to step under herself better.  At the trot, we also worked on bending, leg yield, shoulder-in, etc for straightness. Once she felt ready, I started asking for some canter work.  First, I asked for a shoulder-in at the trot.  Once she had that, I cued for canter, and circled.  At first, she was a little against my hand, so I just kept my fingers moving, and kept bumping her with my leg until she softened.  Eventually, the canter became softer and easier, and she kept it longer.  When I first got down transitions to the trot, they were sloppy, but by the end, they were much more organized.  

 Susan rode Gia first today.  Gia started out a little bit "stuck", sucking back, not wanting to go forward.  Susan eventually got her more in front her leg, loosened up her neck, and kept her straight.  When I hopped on, Susan had me ride her on VERY straight lines, with a light connection, making square turns, and getting her inside hind leg under her better.  Gia felt quick, but light and responsive.  We also got a good canter transition in each direction.  There was NO bucking today!

 I took Gia to the War Horse schooling and show this weekend.  On Saturday, we schooled stadium and cross country.  She warmed up fairly quiet on the lunge line, even when I asked for canter.  Her canter to the right was not as balanced as her canter to the left.  In stadium warm up, she was quite relaxed.  In the arena, we trotted back and forth past the "scary" judge's stand a few times, until she was less worried about it.  On course, she was obedient and well-behaved.  On cross country, she was also pretty relaxed, and more confident than last time.  We jumped all the green as grass jumps, most of the starter jumps. and a few of the beginner novice jumps, including the ditch and banks.  She only stopped at one or two jumps, but got over them the second time.  The banks and ditch, and even water, were no problem at all! On Sunday, she warmed up still fairly quiet on the lunge line, but it probably took a little longer since she had overnight stall energy to work off. 

 I took Gia for a hack on the trail today.  She only hesitated in a few places, and only very briefly.  For the most part, she marched along on the trail.  She was quick, but she did keep going, even when we reached the muddier area.

 Gia and I started our lesson with Suzin today in the arena.  We warmed up with a good free walk, and then a little bit of trot work - bending, transitions, etc.  Then we headed out into the field to work on the hills.   Suzin had me work on collecting Gia going down the hill, whether at walk or trot, and then ask for a stretchy trot as we were going back up.  Both of these helped her to use her hind end better.  She struggled with both for the first few laps, but then really started to give a good stretch, and seemed better balanced going down the hill as well.  I had to make sure to keep her very straight as well. Suzin also had us add halt and rein-back, as we went down hill.  We had to work on staying very straight and even, but Gia gave me several good moments in rein-back.  She also had us do a little turn-on-the-haunches on the hills.  This was a bit harder for both of us, but we did manage to get a couple of decent ones.  On the last few trips up the hill in each direction, I a

 I took Gia to CDP for our lesson today, and, once again, Susan rode Gia first.  She had her moving quite nicely, and there were no hints of bucking!  Her main focus was on keeping Gia straight, and then going a little forward and a little collected.   When I hopped on, she had me work on the same things.  I had to keep her much straighter than usual, and I had to ride VERY square corners, no circles!  I also had to work on riding her more quickly with her hind legs, but slower with her front legs.  No easy task when her hind legs are a mile behind her!  ha ha!  I was also able to get a lot of good cantering, with no hints of bucking!