Short ride to nowhere
Had the day off in honor of MLK day ... the ring, which previously had been perfect to ride in with a layer of light snow on it, had turned pretty icy in the January thaw at the end of last week. But today you could see enough sand to do some light riding.
I made the mistake of waffling between no contact and picking up contact. Clover was in a cranky mood, and didn't want to soften in the jaw, especially not after having gone around on a long rein. I should realize by now that if I'm going to do something with her, I should just decide to do it and get through any potential issues (like not giving in to the rein, or not going forward) as soon as possible, not ride around them for the remainder of the session.
I did a lot of changes of direction, some 20 meter circles, and a little bit of trot work. By this time, Clover was so pissy that I did leg yields at the walk, backing 2 steps and trotting off, and turns on the forehand, to get her to move her haunches around. We did finish up with some work on halts from the walk, and I quit when we had a nice quiet halt where Clover didn't come up against my hand.
This winter crap is for the birds ... I hate not riding more than a couple of times a week, when weather and ring conditions allow. It's frustrating, I want to start getting ready for the upcoming season, but it's hard not being consistent. These are the times I miss having an indoor at my disposal.
I made the mistake of waffling between no contact and picking up contact. Clover was in a cranky mood, and didn't want to soften in the jaw, especially not after having gone around on a long rein. I should realize by now that if I'm going to do something with her, I should just decide to do it and get through any potential issues (like not giving in to the rein, or not going forward) as soon as possible, not ride around them for the remainder of the session.
I did a lot of changes of direction, some 20 meter circles, and a little bit of trot work. By this time, Clover was so pissy that I did leg yields at the walk, backing 2 steps and trotting off, and turns on the forehand, to get her to move her haunches around. We did finish up with some work on halts from the walk, and I quit when we had a nice quiet halt where Clover didn't come up against my hand.
This winter crap is for the birds ... I hate not riding more than a couple of times a week, when weather and ring conditions allow. It's frustrating, I want to start getting ready for the upcoming season, but it's hard not being consistent. These are the times I miss having an indoor at my disposal.
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