Lesson WIth Cheryl
Happy Thanksgiving American Bloggers!
I had a lesson with Cheryl today. The lesson went well. We did trot loops / serpentines - first to the quarter line, then to the center line and then the width of the arena. Rogo was bending nicely and Cheryl was very helpful. He seems to listen to me better when she is there. Is that possible? I was warming him up with bending and trying my hardest, and it was fine, but when she came in he got more forward and engaged in what he was doing.
I had a lesson with Cheryl today. The lesson went well. We did trot loops / serpentines - first to the quarter line, then to the center line and then the width of the arena. Rogo was bending nicely and Cheryl was very helpful. He seems to listen to me better when she is there. Is that possible? I was warming him up with bending and trying my hardest, and it was fine, but when she came in he got more forward and engaged in what he was doing.
After that we tried a little counter canter to the right, which he'll do outside to the quarter line and back, but he couldn't get it. The indoor is smallish, so it's quite a bit more challenging. I was able to change his bend - inside - outside - inside, so that's a good step in the right direction.
Then we worked on canter circles, starting at 20 m and then spiraling in to 15 m and then out again to 20 m. The accuracy needs work re size, but we were generally quite pleased with him. He did very well for the first time doing this exercise. He did it both ways.
Then, for fun, I rode Training Level test one (not the new one), which I've never done for Cheryl before. We've spent the last month and a half almost exclusively on bending so I knew it wouldn't have polish in other areas (precise transitions, shape and size of circles, etc.) but it went fairly well. Cheryl said he would have made mid 50's. Down transitions are very heavy. He's just falling into them and I'm not helping, so that's an area for us to work on.
Other than that it's mostly a case of getting polish and precision, nothing terribly wrong. Yeah!
Comments
I tend to ask better when I'm with my trainer - I know that much. Sounds like you and Rogo are progressing beautifully :)
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Valentino - isn't is strange, that no matter how hard we try on our own, that we seem to do better with our teacher there? ~ Although not always - if I particularly want to show them something I always screw up! :)
smazourek - thought provoking question! I may even blog on it. I know that getting the canter work, etc. (I backed him, my first time ever backing a horse) was hard. I'd have to say though that I think it will be equally hard, and as long again, to get the polish and precision. Or am I being optimistic, and it will be even longer??? Only time will tell :) I'm glad you asked so I won't subconsciously glaze over this big step.
Jan - isn't it interesting the similarities between what you're doing and what I'm doing, even though on the surface they are entirely different disciplines. I really enjoy learning about what you're doing and getting your feedback.
Thank you all!
Also, I haven't taken lessons for some years, and I never attempted the things you and Rogo are doing, but I had to laugh at the heavy down transitions. That was me with many horses because I was so relieved/tired and I would just drop my horse! Now days, I feel that I hold them up as we transition down all quiet and stealth from a trot to a walk so it is not so heavy BUT (laughing) I am trotting for such a short amount of time that I am not worn out! lol!