The weather is PERFECT this week... blue skies, fluffy clouds, slight breeze, and a HIGH of 82!!! I had to roll the windows up a hair on the way to High Point.
We had an awesome ride. I'm finally finally learning to RIDE!!! Not just do what I'm told, but feel what's going on and start to fix it. I'm not always attempting to fix it the right way, but I'm at least trying. And sometimes it's right. Go me!! And Fleck says "Thank you, Mom!... ahhhh". Plus my new saddle makes it easier for my body to be correct.
We worked on getting Fleck to bend around my inside leg again. And again.. I had to get him straight first. Cindy explained it like a wheelbarrow. And I knew it.. but this helped cement it in my brain. Which is the most difficult part of riding for me. So when he's throwing his barrel against my leg and leaning in... I need to slightly counterflex to get him straight and back up onto that outside shoulder too. THEN I can ask for the bend again by using my inside leg and asking him to bend around it.. at the middle set of ribs. The other way to help is to almost ask for renvers (or haunches out... in other words, butt to the rail...cause apparently my brain thinks haunches out.. is out into the inside of the ring.. cause that makes sense??! ). But I can't think of it as just pushing his butt out.. cause I've done that and it doesn't work.. I really have to think of renvers (or is it travers?? Good grief....) and geting him bent properly which gets him straight. Again, I need to focus on having his neck coming straight out of his withers, not just bend at the neck and not through the wither. Oh, but back to the wheelbarrow. If the wheelbarrow is falling over, tipping to the left.. and I yank the left handle/rein and pull it back.. I'm going to tip it more! But if I use the right handle/rein to straighten it, I can then turn it and create the flexion. :)
Then we worked on the canter. Cindy had a neat exercise.. It was trotting.. then 6 or 8 meter volte in, focuing on riding BOTH SIDES of Fleck... meaning I need to allow my inside shoulder to turn and allow my outside shoulder and hand to follow. Then I cut my circle a little short and leg yield back to the rail. This really gets Fleck into the outside rein, but also straight. Then ask for the canter. Then we would spiral in and out with the canter.
It was oh so helpful! Fleck's canter got really bouncy and he was using that butt! And the trot after was oh so lovely. It was great... Lots of good work today :)
I really think having the summer "off" was so good for us.
Tomorrow... is a day for Dan! It won't really be a day off for Fleck as keeping Dan in line isn't easy, but at least it won't be hard work. And.. he got an awesome massage from Amanda tonight to make up for all his hard work recently.
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