Aha....

So... another good lesson with Cindy... I FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY got Fleck straight!!! It wasn't but a few strides, but... a few strides here... a few strides there... and eventually it'll be consistent! It really took managing me! If I did all the stuff I usually do to keep him straight, but also really focus on me... keeping my chin between my shoulders (not turning my chin but not my body), and... slightly turn my shoulders in... that works!!! I also need to be very cognizant of not over flexing Fleck. 

Then we had another aha moment.. I was working on the walk to canter to walks...and Cindy said I was stopping the motion completely with my hips. I was thinking canter to halt instead of canter to walk. She said to make my hips go from the canter motion to the walk motion. And it works!!! It's tricky to make my hips do that instead of following Fleck or shutting them down completely but.. it does work! Yay! She also said that for the walk to the canter... rather than thinking of getting him all jazzed up... I just needed to change my hips from walk to canter. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. :) In the sense that Fleck did respond.. he didn't need me to jazz him up. It's just hard to... do so little. :)
 
So yay!! Fun ride.

Then Tuesday I went trail riding with Christina. Fleck and Sham are so cute!! They love each other. They were doing their trot races and really stretching through their backs and shoulders. Then we did a little canter and they were both so polite.. until Fleck gave Sham the "eye" and then they both took off a little. Hee hee. It was fun though!! We also splashed in the lake. 

Then Wednesday we met Kelli and Arwyn and went trail riding. We had fun too and finished with a little gallop or two. It's funny because Fleck will canter on the left lead quite happily and even forward... but once he swaps to the right lead.... watch out!! He digs in deep and just rockets forward! We had fun. :)