Always learning!

This is our canter track; nice isn't it?

Spent a wonderful day at the yard today. Mainly pottering about, but still worked Pinto... trying something new.

I've thought about it for a while, and after our lunging with side reins has gone so well, I got my Pessoa-rip-off out again to see if Pinto was OK with it this time. Well there was mixed results! He didn't freak out this time (*yay*), but he wasn't accepting of it either (*boo hiss*) which was manifested by a very stuffy trot and not wanting to go forward. So after only 2 mins on each side (which was set on the lowest, and supposedly easiest setting) I gave up and switched to the elastique, which was marginally better. He still goes best in side reins though.

So after the lunging exercise, once again we went out on a hack. Even after his day off yesterday, Pinto felt tired, and he soon stopped of his own accord trotting up the first hill. On the canter path though he soon perked up, and we were trotting along like nobody's business. Again I stopped a couple of hundred yards from the end and walked the rest of the way. (Is this getting too boring yet? ;o)) We came to our nice canter hill and off we went. Now I knew Pinto was tired, because he didn't want to go very fast up the hill and he stopped as soon as we got to the top.

Then we went on a little exploration further up the track which we, or at least I, haven't been down before. I found another hill which might be suitbale for cantering up. I'll have to explore further in the other direction. We didn't get to canter up our last hill as we met an acquaintance coming down. Though it was very good for Pinto so he doesn't learn that certain hills always mean cantering.

After we got back to the yard I chucked him out into the field while I waited for the lessons to be posted to see who I would be riding tonight.

I'm really going to miss going to the yard on an afternoon and riding out. I guess my riding out will be confined to the weekends, especially in a couple of weeks once the clocks go back.

and Reeeeeelax...

Pinto had a well deserved day off today... lucky him will get a double deal tomorrow *snigger* as I'll be exercising and hacking in the morning and will hopefully get a friend to do some videoing in the afternoon (all before my lesson on a club horse in the evening!)

Busy day ahead ;o)

Yehaa!

<< That's not me by the way, that is a rather mad friend who loves to take Pinto out for a blast now and again.

Well, what can I say? My confidence improves daily, though I do have to suck it up sometimes.

After my revelation on Monday about being able to canter in a forward position up hills I decided that the theory needed to be put to the test… after all, one result does not a theory prove!

So after a lunging session (6+2), which I admit was a bit too long, as Pinto was getting tired at the end, again the riding tack came out and off we went.

Again we did the loop backwards, so it was the canter track first… and I actually did it! Halfway along, the path gets much grassier, therefore less hard, so I asked Pinto to canter (from a trot). He was a bit confused, and didn’t strike off immediately which meant that I had lost my rhythm. But it settled down, and we cantered for about 80m when I decided not to stretch my balance too much (which was decidedly off on the flat!). Of course, Pinto was a bit reluctant to pull up as there was still quite a stretch in front of us, and we must have gone another 20m before he slowed to a trot. Thank goodness for the bitless bridle, which means that I’m not pulling on his mouth when I get unbalanced, but it also means that I can ask much harder to slow down that I would with a bit… and to be honest, sometimes Pinto needs it… he can get a bit “onward bound.”

So after walking calmly the rest of the canter track, Pinto decided that he would rather continue straight on up the path into the woods, but after a slight discussion we turned right to go up the road. We did a little bit of trotting on the road, only slowing as we came to the top of the hill as the road surface deteriorates.

Then we came to the first hill. Yahoooooooo! We went right from the bottom to the top in a fast canter. What a fantastic feeling! I was completely buzzed! So *this* is why people like cantering? I can now understand why!

Well after that little escapade we manage to walk, well at least semi calmly, the rest of the way until we come to the last hill on the way home. I know I was very naughty here, because Pinto is now starting to anticipate at the hills, but I just couldn’t resist! I made him wait until we were on the track then asked him to canter… Wow! I think it was more of a gallop. He really went for it… and it felt GREAT!

Now I want to find some longer hills so I can go on for longer lol. I also need to practice a bit more on the flat, but will have to wait until we’ve had some rain, as the ground is very, very hard at the moment.

Pinto is having a day off today… I’m not fit enough to ride every day! So I think I might spend the afternoon cleaning and oiling my tack.

It's a beautiful day...

Well... it's sure been a long time; long story, and I'm not going to go into it: but I will pick up the Pinto story again from just over a week ago.

Classes have started again, at the riding school that is, and I eventually plucked up the courage to ask my instructor if I could take lessons on the club horses rather than Pinto... and I have, it's been fun; but Pinto needs his exercise too so we started lunging again, or even from scratch judging by our previous attempts.



Things have been going very, very well, much better than I had originally hoped actually. We have gone from being scared, not going in one direction and bogging off whenever the pressure got too much, to circling nice and politely, with a nice active trot, learning to stretch down into side reins, and wonder of wonders, being able to do it holding a whip. Of course it is slow business, I can’t expect perfection immediately, but I would say we are 200% better than 6 months ago.

Now to the riding :oD Actually with all the lunging I hadn’t actually ridden Pinto for several weeks (*hangs head in shame*) before Saturday 06 Oct! For a change I managed to get to the yard in the break between lessons so we had a really positive lunging session, then back into the box for ½ an hour while I had a drink and gathered the riding tack. I have to say, Pinto was most unimpressed to be presented with a saddle so soon after doing “work” but we got ready and went out anyway!

We had an absolutely fantastic ride, and for the first time since July had an intentional canter up “our” canter hill. This time it was much longer, long enough for me to get the feel of things… long enough for me to enjoy it! (*yay*) We also trotted almost the entire length of the long canter trail, making me a very, very happy bunny!

And on to today!

Another wonderful day today: We are now up to 5+1 minutes of trotting on each rein in our lunging sessions. I am starting to see some muscle definition in Pintos haunches, and he is really starting to get the idea of the side reins, and is now starting to stretch down more consistently.

This time we went out on a hack almost immediately, Pinto finished the lunging session quite warm and although I cooled him down I didn’t want him getting completely cold before our hack. Today we did our usual loop backwards, including trotting along the canter path in the opposite direction and then cantering up the hill from the other side… then cantering up the hill nearest to home! I was completely grinning the entire way, and starting to feel that I might be able to enjoy this canter lark!

Hopefully there should be more to report tomorrow!