Lesson, Keane coming home
Keane is coming home tomorrow! Well, I'll be taking him to my trainer's for the next month, so she can help me work with him. Technically, he has another week to go at Kelli's, but I'm too excited to start riding him--and I miss him like crazy. It's been a long summer so far.
I rode Freedom again in last night's lesson. He's a 7 year old flea bitten grey Perch/TBx, about 16 hands. Not very drafty looking though. He became my lesson horse last week when I switched to Thursday nights. I had a great ride on him then--I've never had such a first good ride on a new (to me) horse. He was a little tense at times, and unsteady in the bridle, but I really enjoyed him.
Last night he was decidedly more tense--but not spooky, there's nothing scary about him. It's hard to find the balance between more leg, which he needs to be more steady in the bridle, and rushing off. I did have a better grasp of how much outside aids I needed to keep him from drifting out. Michele had me ride four 10 meter circles around a 20 meter circle (think Venn diagram), to help me coordinate my aids and get him slowed down and working more from behind. We had some ok moments--I was more tense in my arms than I had been in the past several lessons, but Michele said overall they're much better than they used to be.
The canter work was better--steadier--than the trot. We didn't do much, just a few departs and circles in each direction. I really like Freedom--despite the tension, he a trier and uncomplicated. He'd be a great horse for me temperament wise.
I'm eager to see how Keane is now that he's been under saddle for a couple of months and change. I'll pick him up tomorrow, then he can unwind on Sunday and get used to the surroundings at Michele's, then we start work on Monday!
I rode Freedom again in last night's lesson. He's a 7 year old flea bitten grey Perch/TBx, about 16 hands. Not very drafty looking though. He became my lesson horse last week when I switched to Thursday nights. I had a great ride on him then--I've never had such a first good ride on a new (to me) horse. He was a little tense at times, and unsteady in the bridle, but I really enjoyed him.
Last night he was decidedly more tense--but not spooky, there's nothing scary about him. It's hard to find the balance between more leg, which he needs to be more steady in the bridle, and rushing off. I did have a better grasp of how much outside aids I needed to keep him from drifting out. Michele had me ride four 10 meter circles around a 20 meter circle (think Venn diagram), to help me coordinate my aids and get him slowed down and working more from behind. We had some ok moments--I was more tense in my arms than I had been in the past several lessons, but Michele said overall they're much better than they used to be.
The canter work was better--steadier--than the trot. We didn't do much, just a few departs and circles in each direction. I really like Freedom--despite the tension, he a trier and uncomplicated. He'd be a great horse for me temperament wise.
I'm eager to see how Keane is now that he's been under saddle for a couple of months and change. I'll pick him up tomorrow, then he can unwind on Sunday and get used to the surroundings at Michele's, then we start work on Monday!
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