Clover is growing up.
Had a great lesson on the flat, but have no urge to write about it. I rode last Thursday, and yesterday, too, but just haven’t felt like committing any of it to the journal. What I will say, though, is the bad stumble we took at the canter during last weekend’s jumping lesson has obviously caused Clover some discomfort in her shoulder, neck and poll. So Thursday and yesterday I concentrated on getting her muscles stretched out and suppled again. Since Laurie wont be around until possibly May, I’m on my own to get Clover straightened out through good riding.
I’m happy to say that the lesson went great, and Clover was going pretty close to normal again, more comfortably. We spent a lot of time at the walk again, working on slowing down the stride so it wouldn’t be so short and choppy, and worked on some half-volte changes of rein finished with a few steps of half pass to the track. I still need to coordinate the rein aids better, but the leg aids and Clover’s response to them was much better than before. I have a long way to go in lateral work, but the improvement is there, even from last fall.
After some trot work, we did some sitting trot to canter transitions—Clover must have matured physically quite a bit over the winter (she’s almost 6 now, and 15.2, grown an inch since last fall), the transitions were smooth and prompt, and the canter work was some of the best we’ve done. Clover’s motor is running, and she’s really starting to carry herself without inverting her frame or breaking to the trot when I half halt to keep her coming through. She was getting tired by the end of the lesson, she was getting heavier in my hand and it was harder for me to get her poll and shoulders up consistently. But it was there, and it was just what I needed to get me going again and out of the late winter slump I get into.
I’m happy to say that the lesson went great, and Clover was going pretty close to normal again, more comfortably. We spent a lot of time at the walk again, working on slowing down the stride so it wouldn’t be so short and choppy, and worked on some half-volte changes of rein finished with a few steps of half pass to the track. I still need to coordinate the rein aids better, but the leg aids and Clover’s response to them was much better than before. I have a long way to go in lateral work, but the improvement is there, even from last fall.
After some trot work, we did some sitting trot to canter transitions—Clover must have matured physically quite a bit over the winter (she’s almost 6 now, and 15.2, grown an inch since last fall), the transitions were smooth and prompt, and the canter work was some of the best we’ve done. Clover’s motor is running, and she’s really starting to carry herself without inverting her frame or breaking to the trot when I half halt to keep her coming through. She was getting tired by the end of the lesson, she was getting heavier in my hand and it was harder for me to get her poll and shoulders up consistently. But it was there, and it was just what I needed to get me going again and out of the late winter slump I get into.
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