Zoolander

This week brings a re-appearance of the Zoolander pony. 

He hates dressage.

For his first time even being lunged Uno's 2 biggest issues are speed and turning.  His answer to any loss of balance is to speed up.  For a horse that turns like a drunk snow plow this can be an issue.  It used to appear at the trot, but we have been chipping away and his suppleness and balance for the last year.  This is why we have stayed at Intro level in dressage - he literally could not hold his balance on a 20 meter circle at the canter.  When he losses his balance he tries to fix this problem with speed - which scares the crap out of me and makes me go fetal OR go back to nice safe trotting.

Look at that topline!!

Just a year ago we were still so baby-ish that i only took pics from his good angles.

A year of hills and small jumps have built his balance to where we can now canter 20 meters like a normal horse - if that is all that we focus on.  The second there is anything else to think about (like straight lines or circling somewhere new) we die.  I have to remember not to fight with him.  When it gets bad I need to get off and let him work it out on the ground without me.

More of this please!!

He tries to do the right thing... and he is just a very different ride than Dutch - who is naturally super balanced and light in font.