HufflyPuffly
Well-Known Member
Feel like I might have my mojo back a bit, after feeling like I was drifting about a bit not really progressing! After horses having time off, me having time off and generally feeling confused at what BD wants me to aim at 
, it's been a quiet year for us!
However a new start can come at any point in the year right, so I donned my man-up pants and booked into a clinic organised by my lovely saddle fitter extraordinaire! The first one blew my socks off with positivity, and yes actually I am doing it right and lets crack on
.
Therefore I booked both carriage horses onto the Novemeber one :eek3:, with my lovely friend agreeing to come and babysit us :biggrin3:.
First up Skylla, I mistakenly thought I'd do her first as I wouldn't need to work as hard, I was wrong
:lol:. I have been a bit precious with her and instructors, as she has been a little strong willed about life and I really wanted to keep her trainable attitude and not pressure her too much. However she is now strong enough and mature enough to start doing more and having more asked of her. Worked on getting her to accept the contact more and not letting her whizz about, Skylla actually really tried her socks off (she may also have sullied the brand spanking new area surface by weeing on it, the shame ).
Lots of shoulder-fore to straighten her up especially on the left rein, leg yield to get the leg on and wide low hands to keep encouraging the neck out and down. We are not concerned with where her head is, but her breeding makes her automatically bring her neck up out of the whithers, which means she is not round over her back, so neck down, back up and then the hind legs can swing through.
[video=youtube_share;R5suQhgrxkY]https://youtu.be/R5suQhgrxkY[/video]
Into canter, and really the main points are quicker, direct upwards transition and down into a slow trot to stop the whizzing, Skylla is still a bit mystified as to why canter has to be this calm, smooth affair and not just all out CANTER :lol:. Really interesting to use the sitting trot out of canter to help control the downwards transition and help pull her up quicker, and she suggested a stick might help the direct transition :eek3:, who'd a thunk it with that whizzy beast, but actually the whizzing is masking her not being super fit and listening!
[video=youtube_share;BkjELhesO9o]https://youtu.be/BkjELhesO9o[/video]
We got tired at this point and had the vague whiff of a strop, so was pleased when Dianne said to stop here as she's worked hard. Getting someone who can recognize when to say yes that's enough is so important for young horses I think. Left warts and all in the video's and you can see Skylla show off the beginnings of her posh, elevated trot. Again super lovely to hear, yes lets develop that when it's offered and not quash it down as we actually wanted something else .
[video=youtube_share;R2dNj1eM4kQ]https://youtu.be/R2dNj1eM4kQ[/video]
Topaz in the next installment...
, it's been a quiet year for us!However a new start can come at any point in the year right, so I donned my man-up pants and booked into a clinic organised by my lovely saddle fitter extraordinaire! The first one blew my socks off with positivity, and yes actually I am doing it right and lets crack on
. Therefore I booked both carriage horses onto the Novemeber one :eek3:, with my lovely friend agreeing to come and babysit us :biggrin3:.
First up Skylla, I mistakenly thought I'd do her first as I wouldn't need to work as hard, I was wrong
:lol:. I have been a bit precious with her and instructors, as she has been a little strong willed about life and I really wanted to keep her trainable attitude and not pressure her too much. However she is now strong enough and mature enough to start doing more and having more asked of her. Worked on getting her to accept the contact more and not letting her whizz about, Skylla actually really tried her socks off (she may also have sullied the brand spanking new area surface by weeing on it, the shame ). Lots of shoulder-fore to straighten her up especially on the left rein, leg yield to get the leg on and wide low hands to keep encouraging the neck out and down. We are not concerned with where her head is, but her breeding makes her automatically bring her neck up out of the whithers, which means she is not round over her back, so neck down, back up and then the hind legs can swing through.
[video=youtube_share;R5suQhgrxkY]https://youtu.be/R5suQhgrxkY[/video]
Into canter, and really the main points are quicker, direct upwards transition and down into a slow trot to stop the whizzing
, Skylla is still a bit mystified as to why canter has to be this calm, smooth affair and not just all out CANTER :lol:. Really interesting to use the sitting trot out of canter to help control the downwards transition and help pull her up quicker, and she suggested a stick might help the direct transition :eek3:, who'd a thunk it with that whizzy beast, but actually the whizzing is masking her not being super fit and listening![video=youtube_share;BkjELhesO9o]https://youtu.be/BkjELhesO9o[/video]
We got tired at this point and had the vague whiff of a strop, so was pleased when Dianne said to stop here as she's worked hard. Getting someone who can recognize when to say yes that's enough is so important for young horses I think. Left warts and all in the video's and you can see Skylla show off the beginnings of her posh, elevated trot
. Again super lovely to hear, yes lets develop that when it's offered and not quash it down as we actually wanted something else .[video=youtube_share;R2dNj1eM4kQ]https://youtu.be/R2dNj1eM4kQ[/video]
Topaz in the next installment...
