From last month’s show. I realize that WordPress had compressed these pictures and lost the image quality. I’ll need to upload them somewhere where I can keep the quality.
I’ve swapped my lesson to a morning time for the rest of winter. That way it is mostly daylight when I’m hauling over, and back, and it is easier to go into work 20 minutes late than it is to leave 2+ hours early.
I had a great lesson today. There was nothing earth shattering, but it was all just nice and flowing. I almost took Tanq, but then he was eating too slow, and Bali was finished, so Bali it was!
I did a quick groom and swapped out her blanket for a cooler and off we went.
We had a nice warm up. I’m starting to know that I don’t have enough engagement and roundness, and work to fix it before I get the instruction in warm up. That’s nice. I’m also realizing just how hard this step up to 3rd/4th level work is! I’m not fit enough, so I need to start hitting the treadmill at least 3x a week. I started on Tuesday, but my lesson on Thursday makes it impossible then. I think I’ll shoot for M-W-F.
After our walk, trot, and canter warm up, we do a nice walk break, and then it was onto the half steps. Bali is getting much more accepting of this work. She is staying on the bit and not trying to become a giraffe. She is also not kicking out at the encouragement from the ground. The half steps continue to improve her lift in the shoulder and the quality of her trot. It is just squishy comfy when we’ve done that work. The lateral work is nice and easy and we had the best shoulder in to renvers I’ve even ridden today! We had another walk break after that one.
A shoulder in from the show:
Then we went onto some canter work and that too has more lift, and I’m starting to feel the jump we need.
Not enough jump at the show during our second level test – two tests in one day at 3rd level is too much:
We did some haunches in at the canter, both directions, really working to get her engaged, sitting and keeping the lift in the canter.
We did not do any flying changes:
Here is a flying change with a bit too much emphasis on the flying part…
What made it an awesome lesson was that everything was just easier than it has been. Every time we move up a level, it is hard for a while. Then, as she gets stronger, I get more coordinated, and more balanced at the level, it gets easier, and lovely, then we set the bar higher.
A sequence of an “ok” flying change. It was a bit croup high and small behind, but they are improving.
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