It’s silly but I’m on cloud nine!

[LadyGascoyne]

I rode Mim today for the first time since losing Ari - so over a month!

She’s only just backed and started so it wasn’t ideal to leave her a month but I couldn’t get my head in the game and I figured it was worse to be on a young horse and not riding effectively than to give it a break.

Today I decided that I need to get on with it, and polished up her real saddle (not my barefoot cop-out hacking saddle) and pulled myself together.

We didn’t go beyond walk and we did 20 min only but she was an absolute star. We focussed on lightness and responsiveness.

We did lengthening and shortening on the long and short sides, and then getting a few steps with a bend and then riding straight.

Then we did 10m circles and squares, followed by serpentines and then practiced walk/ halt and halt / walk transitions at different points.

Lastly, we did halt/ rein back / halt / walk on. She loves that - I can see her brain at work and she finds it easier than bending and balancing so she gets really confident with it and almost starts to predict what you’re going to ask. And then finished with turn on the forehand in both directions, and she gets that easily too so she was very pleased with herself and got lots of pats.

Such a high!

I want to stay in walk for a few more sessions - it would be great to think of a few more things to add. She isn’t doing a lot of lateral work but can understand how to move across for a few steps - she lacks the strength and maturity to maintain it and I don’t want to push her too hard too soon because she has a lovely attitude to work. She is also very short backed and close coupled so doesn’t find bending terribly easy. So slowly building that up would be good but nothing demanding yet.

I want to find a few exercises to challenge her and then a few more quick wins because she thrives on getting things right and she’s very clever so she gets frustrated quickly if the brain is getting it and the legs aren’t ?

ETA, teaching from the ground and then riding it works really for us.

 

[Goldenstar]

Great news onwards and upwards .

 

[View]

Great news. I'm a fan of not rushing them, and giving them time to process things.

So cones and poles scattered around to turn around, walk over. A bit further down the line, an exercise that I like is ride a 20m half circle, then increase the bend and ride a 15m half circle, then increase the bend ad ride a 10m half circle.

Staying straight on the inside track, 3/4 lines and centre lines.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

What s fab post, so pleased for you x

 

[splashgirl45]

so pleased you are beginning to feel a little better, a good start!!

 

[ycbm]

Great start, I'll look forward to further progress reports

 

[Zuzan]

That's such a lovely post. Totally agree your head has to be in the right place especially with youngsters.. I agree working from the ground first is really excellent way .. I use it in warm up too .. I find it really helps horses to engage their core muscles .. reminds me I was just reading a blog post by Karen Rohlf and about 2/3 down there was a really wonderful picture of her working a horse from the ground in piaf and I think because there wasn't a saddle in the way you saw the amount of engagement invovlved in the muscles. Sorry off on a tangent there.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

That's such a lovely post. Totally agree your head has to be in the right place especially with youngsters.. I agree working from the ground first is really excellent way .. I use it in warm up too .. I find it really helps horses to engage their core muscles .. reminds me I was just reading a blog post by Karen Rohlf and about 2/3 down there was a really wonderful picture of her working a horse from the ground in piaf and I think because there wasn't a saddle in the way you saw the amount of engagement invovlved in the muscles. Sorry off on a tangent there.

No, great tangent ?

Mim finds collection really easy and actually does her own version of piaffe if she’s waiting for supper. She even lowers onto her hocks, it’s too funny to watch. No real rhythm or cadence but very cute.

I think I’m going to work with her in hand for 20 min tomorrow morning, and then ride for 20min in the afternoon. I’ll see if I can focus on getting her to leg yield on the ground.

I’m also going to plait up her mane and tie up her tail so I can see her better from the ground - I get what you mean about seeing the movement and the engagement of the muscles.

 

[AandK]

Lovely to hear and sounds like great therapy!

 

[[59668]]

This is not silly at all! It's great and I would be on cloud 9 too! I'm totally all for the slow and steady approach too

 

[DabDab]

Great post

In terms on things to add, maybe walk 1/4 pirouette - it sounds like she would find that relatively easy. Then you can do big squares and alternate between pirouette & turn on the forehand for the corners

 

[tristar]

really relate to this, doing similar, then went for a hack for 30 minutes around the fields, glorious

 

[Season’s Bleatings]

Sounds brilliant! Well done!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It's lovely to hear you had a lovely schooling session its amazing what you can achieve sometimes just in walk it's often over looked but can be really beneficial.

I often do just 5 to 10 minutes in hand before I get on it just gets them a bit more bendy and supple which makes them easier once you get on.

 

[Alibear]

Really pleased to read this update and so pleased you had a good time. Aways agree that dong a few mins in hand before riding is great with youngsters, it means you know what to expect and what mood their in that day so you can set your riding plan accordingly. There's that phrase about setting them up for success and this is a good example of that.