Gia - session 1034 - flatwork

 Gia and I worked on our flatwork on Wednesday.  First I asked her for impulsion, and she reminded me (with a few small bucks), that I needed to reward her for the small increments of impulsion that she gives me, instead of pushing for more and more, greedily.  Once I started doing that, she rewarded me by popping up into the canter readily.  It was without being asked, but the transitions were so soft, and she was so quiet, that I let it go.  

So, we worked on straightness.  When she's at the canter, I have found that it's harder to help her find her straightness when I'm sitting deeply in the saddle.  If I come up out of the saddle a little bit, and find the equal pressure in my stirrups, and the equal pressure in my hands, then she finds it easier to allow her body to follow the guidance of whichever leg I'm using to help her straighten up.  As she gets stronger, I can start to sit back and keep my leg on to keep her hind end engaged.  It will take time, but so does all strength building.

We finished our ride with some really good stretching down at the walk and trot.  She was even getting her nose out in front of her better (which is an issue we tend to have).