spookypony
Well-Known Member
For once, it was SUNNY here!!
I had a lesson with the Spooky Pony last night, and for the first time, he managed leg-yield in trot, on both reins (not without an irritated kung-fu display first, but there you go...)
This morning, left yard at 8:30 to have lots of time to warm up for 9am lesson. The others were going out in the sunshine, but since I get to hack him everyday if I want, I elected to stay in the nice big empty school with mirrors and get some serious work in. Got my homework from the instructor, and they went off and left me to my own devices.
I spent the time on our continued efforts at softening: lots of transitions, lots of circles, lots of lateral work. He remembered the LY in trot from last night, so I was very happy, and got a compliment on his LY during our warm-up ("he understands that pretty well" is so much better than the "it's still sh*t, but at least he's not doing that wrong thing anymore" we were getting a few months back!
)!
Afterwards, set out to hack the long way home, and decided to try a different path to see if it ended up where I thought it should (it did). On the way, we found a step to hop down and back up (the edge of a car-park, about 18in or so), with no problems, and also a small creek!
I think the Spooky Pony may be a were-pony: he shows decided reluctance to cross running water.
After much coaxing, he leapt over, and then when I asked him to return, walked backwards adamantly. Not wanting to incur fines for hoofprints on the golf greens, I dismounted and led him across several times, after which he was fine being ridden through it as well. When we came back to the creek on the way home, he was much more confident, and crossed it immediately, both directions.
We got back to the yard well after 12pm, and he still had plenty of energy. Altogether a nice morning!
I had a lesson with the Spooky Pony last night, and for the first time, he managed leg-yield in trot, on both reins (not without an irritated kung-fu display first, but there you go...)
This morning, left yard at 8:30 to have lots of time to warm up for 9am lesson. The others were going out in the sunshine, but since I get to hack him everyday if I want, I elected to stay in the nice big empty school with mirrors and get some serious work in. Got my homework from the instructor, and they went off and left me to my own devices.
I spent the time on our continued efforts at softening: lots of transitions, lots of circles, lots of lateral work. He remembered the LY in trot from last night, so I was very happy, and got a compliment on his LY during our warm-up ("he understands that pretty well" is so much better than the "it's still sh*t, but at least he's not doing that wrong thing anymore" we were getting a few months back!
Afterwards, set out to hack the long way home, and decided to try a different path to see if it ended up where I thought it should (it did). On the way, we found a step to hop down and back up (the edge of a car-park, about 18in or so), with no problems, and also a small creek!
I think the Spooky Pony may be a were-pony: he shows decided reluctance to cross running water.
We got back to the yard well after 12pm, and he still had plenty of energy. Altogether a nice morning!
