Lesson Recap

Sorry, there is no new media on this one.  I was sick over the weekend and I just want to get my notes written down before I forget.

He is such a chunk!

 So we ended up trailer to a local covered arena in order to get a lesson due to the flooding thunderstorms that hit last week.  The focus was on finding a tool to help when Uno just wants to run through my aides.  We had a really shitty ride a few days before and Super Trainer wanted to give me a new tool to help when it gets frustrating.

I still poultice his SI with sore no more after hard works, it may be a bit over the top, but anything to keep him feeling good.

We started with just a little walk halt walk.  Then moved to the excersize we spent the whole lesson on.  Using the outside aids to spiral from a 20 meter circle to a 5/7 meter circle.  The goal being to get the shoulders and legs to move in off my outside aids.  Then refine the cue so that he was still moving in, but this time with his head and neck straight.

We did this at the walk and trot in each direction until I could hold him on a 5 meter circle at the walk and a 7 meter circle at the trot only using my outside leg and rein. 

Uno wants to stay here - eating is easy.

Then we loose rein walked and processed a bit.  Then we picked it back up and once we had a good trot we pushed OUT for a stride or two and asked for canter.  We got some failed transitions that frustrated me, but Super Trainer explained that the lateral work was really engaging his hind legs and that now when he wanted to move to canter he couldn't pull himself forward, but had to push.

Once we got it, both the canters were great AND adjustable.  However, neither of us is strong enough to hold it so we got a few circles each way and quit.  The good news is that the injections seem to be working and Uno was not sore at all, even though this is hard work.  The crappy part is that this is hard work. 

I am still having to hold myself accountable for having unrealistic expectations. I want to Uno to be as easy to flat as he is to jump, but he is not built to do this type of work, and although he is such a genuine and GOOD boy, even basic dressage is going to be hard for him.  I have ot let go of my agenda and just ride the progress not the result.

We are still going to be doing a LOT of this - we both need it for our mental health.