Gia - session 1041 - dressage

 I worked with Gia on her flatwork today.  We started by relaxing at the walk, and just wandering around the ring.  She had a little more natural impulsion today.  When I was ready to make my first request, I applied a very thoughtful and light leg aid, in rhythm with her walk.  When she didn't respond, I added a tap of the whip.  She immediately became anti-forward/ "youcan'tmakemedothis"/ Iwillnevergoforwardagain. 

I had been noticing something like this in her recently, but I wasn't quite sure if that's what it was or not, so I had been giving her the benefit of the doubt, just in case.  But I had gone through all the doublechecks, and nothing else was wrong or incorrect.  

So, I just kept tapping, very nonchalantly, with the whip, as if I could care less if we got a reaction or not. (they feed hungrily off your emotions, you know 😉).  As soon as I did get a reaction, begrudgingly though it was, I completely relaxed everything, told her "good girl", and just sat there.  I waited a few seconds, and then repeated it all over again.  

The first few times were about the same - very resistant, but once she realized that this was going somewhere, and that there was a cause and effect, and a pressure and release, and that if she did one thing I did another, then she started to play along.  I just needed to be MUCH more clear with the rules.  That's all. 😁  It's so simple, but yet, not so easy.  We can get so wrapped up in so many other things, that we forget to keep things very clear and simple for the horse.

Moving on, once the walk to trot transitions, and then the trot itself, were better, I wanted to work on getting her more supple and off my leg on her stiffer side.  We took it a step at a time.  I would ask her to move off my leg, no matter what else happened, (which ended up with her slowing down to a walk or halt), and then when I got that answer for just a step or two, I switched it up and sent her forward again into the walk or trot.  We went back and forth until she was more capable of trying to do both at once.  Perhaps because her body is so long, it's a little harder for her to get it all at once.

We finished our ride with a little work with the trot to canter transitions.  I was able to get a decent one in each direction.  Those will definitely take more work, but as she gets the idea at the walk and trot, it should get easier.