I was supposed to have my lesson today but we had to reschedule because the insurance company for the barn hadn't signed off yet on Karin as an instructor. The barn in owned by a lawyer so everything has to be by the book. So, next Wednesday at 10 am is the day. I rode anyway and Karin watched quietly for a little while.
Boomer is getting much better at cantering and I don't feel like he is rushing at all anymore! He was acting a little bit fruity about a few areas of the arena and would shy away from them. One of the in gates and the dressage letter A were giving him trouble so I focused on those spots for a while until he would go by them without resistance. That actually took about 15 minutes of trotting back and forth in front of those areas because I got fed up with his shying and decided that I wasn't going to let him get away with ANYTHING. So, we trotted by until he was relaxed and then we halted and side passed over to the scary area and stood there for a while. That really worked and he was fine going all the way along the rail for the rest of the ride. We worked on some leg yields along the wall which was interesting. We did two different exercises, one where he was at about a 45* angle towards the rail, and one 45* away from the rail and he was supposed to leg yield straight along the rail. Facing the rail was easier for him and he really was crossing over and starting to collect himself. Facing away from the rail it was difficult for him to hold back and go sideways when he had a wide open space in front of him to trot off into. So, facing the rail, he did great in both directions and he was pretty average facing away from the rail- more forward than sideways but not so much that we ever got to the center line, he just wasn't really crossing his back legs.
I am continually impressed with his progress and his effort. I think Friday will be gymnastic day again and I will set up the group poles and add two jump standards next to the last trot pole. No jumping, just getting used to going between the standards.
I am really trying to keep things scheduled and interesting for both of us because I have already been feeling some guilt over not taking Boomer out on trail rides lately. Which is crazy because we have a foot of snow on the ground and the trails are closed anyway. It isn't logical, but I just don't want to bore Boomer. Though, I'm beginning to wonder if it is all in my head because Boomer doesn't seem bored at all. He seems to enjoy our work and is continually improving. He also seemed to enjoy the trot poles last week. Someone tell me I can stop worrying so much!!!
I tend to organize, schedule and make lists when I worry. I have a mental schedule for our riding this winter:
Monday-ride (work on lesson)
Wednesday-lesson
Friday-gymnastics (trot poles/jumps)
Weekend-ride (work on lesson)
Once spring hits and the trails open I want to take one day per week to spend out on the trails for a few hours. I also want to use the outdoor arena as much as possible. Until then, I'll keep watching the snow fall out my window!
2 comments:
Sounds to me like you got a logical plan worked out there. I ride indoors all winter and mostly outdoors in the summer, and I think it is me that is always wanting to go outside too, more than the horses, providing we are giving them something fun and interesting to do.
Drat! Oh well - it'll happen. I'm a list maker too... otherwise I would forget anything and everything I want to do!
I also try to keep a journal about my riding. When I have lessons and clinics etc, I write down what we worked on, the exercises we did .. figure it's good to add to my little riding "toolbox". And it's fun to see where you were and how far you've come!
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