The way to heaven is on horseback

I rode Gatsby today for my weekly lesson and it was amazing. With everything that was going on last week I'd needed a week just me and Gatsby to chill out and do what we do best, being us. This week I was straight back to working him an outline and trying to work him in an outline at the canter as well. We are slowly progressing to be able to do it but that is the operative word, slowly. We will get there in the end. We warmed up in walk making sure that he was nice and warm, that his muscles were working and also to give me a feel of him working in his new bit (can't remember what he's got now, but when I can remember I'll let you guys know). He was really responsive and listening in this bit even if he did try to hang off my right side at times but plenty of half halts and flexion to the right soon managed to sort this out. We then moved up to the trot work this was quite simple he was forward and listening and actually doing what I wanted him to do. I soon learnt th...

Well it's been a while since I've done a post so thought I'd start getting back in to the habit of posting again. Things have been a bit hectic recently.  Today I had a ride on Vettie, I've been riding Gatsby again more recently but I always enjoy being able to get on Vettie as well. I didn't have the worlds best ride today because I was getting pain all down my left side and I spent the majority of the lesson trying to get my left leg to actually work, as I was trying to move it and it just wasn't moving which was frustrating to say the least.  I got some really nice shoulder in  transitions though, I even managed to get Vettie on to four tracks instead of three tracks. We did some leg yield as well and where the was some times where he ignored me when I got him to do it he did manage to really cross over. Which felt great. We didn't do any trot work as I just hadn't got the strength in my left side to do it and the more that I rode the more th...

Today has been a good day for my riding. I was riding Vettie today and after the two good lessons I had had last weekend I was feeling a lot more confident about my riding. I knew that I wanted to work on my position mainly my legs as my right legs heel comes up.    I spent a while warming up making sure that Vettie was nice and loose. I also wanted to make sure that I had got an energetic walk so that when I wanted to pick up the contact it would be easier to do. When I started picking up the contact I was surprised that Vettie was listening incredibly well to me and I was able to drop him in to an outline. Two weeks ago I had been struggling with getting Vettie in to an outline but this week I could do it. Once I'd got the outline more consistent in the walk I moved up to the trot.  In the trot I had to find the right balance between being firm and half halting him and keeping the energy flowing. It was important that I kept my position very tight and didn'...