Louie and I had a great ride tonight! One of the other instructors was there to watch again and she was super impressed with how great we did tonight, and how much progress we made from 2 weeks ago. I think it helped having Julie ride Louie a few times.
The weather was awesome, I rode in a tee shirt! We worked on all 3 gaits, and stretching the neck forward and down. We worked on 10 meter walk and trot circles, getting Louie to stretch down with inside leg and inside rein. He has it figured out pretty nicely, but we still need to work on getting him just a bit deeper (using legs/whip, but using my stomach to encourage him not rush), and we also need a fast response to get that stretch into the free walk right when asked. Our walk-trot transitions were pretty nice, and we worked on the sitting trot-canter, which was surprisingly very easy to transition him just by positioning my legs and sliding my inside seat bone forward and up. I still need to work on keeping myself from "wiggling" a bit in the canter and sitting trot.
We worked on a little bit of shoulder in, working on looking for opportunities to release and give, and focusing on posting straight forward, not off to one side.
We also worked on getting my shoulders back and I showed Julie my "shoulders back" strap system that I recently purchased and she liked the results we got wearing it. She is hopeful that if I keep wearing it, it will help me to avoid some comments from judges regarding my forward shoulders when I show. I think I should just wear it 24/7. We worked on the "exercise of the week" also which is to occasionally lift the foot up out of the stirrups to make sure that I'm not bracing in the stirrups, which I tend to do when Louie gets "looky."
Throughout the ride, we kept coming back to the concept of asking Louie to stretch over his back and lengthen his neck. He starts to get a little "curly" in the neck/behind the bit when frustrated or when I ask him to do something difficult, so we spend a 20-meter circle or two "making up," quickening the pace, and getting him to stretch back out to the bit again. He seemed to do quite well with this. Julie also thought that he had a very nice frame tonight and was working over his back nicely. She likes the frame that we've developed over the past few months, and she thinks that the judges will be in for a treat to see a Saddlebred with such a nice beginning dressage frame (as she said not many of the Saddlebreds out there competing in dressage really get their necks long and low).
Julie figured out in her rides this week and last that Louie is challenging, and he likes to be inventive and change the game just when she thinks she's got him figured out. So I'm guessing this is where my experience with him and hard work will come in, as now I think Julie is more equipped to help us, but I think I need to keep trying to ride and push buttons and try to feel out how Louie is responding and what he needs to learn what he needs to do.
Overall, we had a really nice ride, and I was very happy with Louie, especially when Julie said "Jill wants to ride your horse!" in the middle of my ride. That's always a good thing when an instructor likes your horse, though I don't know why anybody wouldn't want to ride a beautiful nice Saddlebred like Louie!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Happy 6th Birthday Louie!
Louie is 6 years old today! We are having an un-seasonably warm weekend here too, with temps in the 60's and sunshine. Louie got his blankie off yesterday so he can relax and lounge in the sun without overheating. Too bad I can't be there to celebrate with him as I've been working all weekend. Tomorrow we will have to celebrate with a few horsie muffins. Happy birthday Louie!
Here's an older picture of Louie as a baby. He hardly looks like the same horse now!
Here's an older picture of Louie as a baby. He hardly looks like the same horse now!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Lightbulb Moment: In Front of the Leg
Today was one of those challenging spring days with the ice and snow melting off of the roof of the arena. It was windy and noisy, filled with loud crashes and bangs due to the ice sliding down the roof, melting in the sun. Naturally, this made for a difficult atmosphere for a horse like Louie who tends to react to such noises in a not so positive way (as he did two days ago when I rode him in similar conditions).
Well today we warmed up on the lunge with the side reins on, attached down to his girth rather than at his sides and I practiced a new way of getting him to step under himself with his hind legs. I gently flicked the lunge whip and tapped his hind leg/hindquarter with the whip while walking on the lunge line. When he sped up and broke into a trot, I brought him back to the walk and we tried again. After a few times, he figured it out and started stepping under himself more when I flicked the whip at him. We worked on this in the trot and it seemed to work well, instead of kicking out at the whip like he would sometimes do, he tucked his butt up under himself just a bit, and reached forward with the hind legs.
So after a long warm up (due to the crashing of ice all around us), we worked on this same principle from in the saddle, with an idea from a discussion with a friend earlier in the day. From a halt, I asked him to step forward with one hind leg by using one of my calves lightly (the same leg as his leg that was back), just behind the girth. This worked pretty well at the halt, I could bring his lagging leg up under him so that he would halt square, so I tried it at the walk and then the trot. It seemed to really work and get him to step up and use his hind legs more when I just nudged him lightly with the inside leg (and reinforced with laying the whip on his side once in a while as needed) and after a while I felt that same marching feeling as I did during my lesson last week. (When we tried this whole idea a few days ago by applying a lot of leg and stomach it was a miserable fail compared to when Julie was there to help coach us through it, so I'm glad I figured out a way to do it differently- at least so it seems).
The other thing I did differently today was I tried to not use my hands at all. In doing this I realized that I don't really need them for anything, they're almost more of a prop than anything else, just holding the reins to hold up the suspension bridge. Louie naturally relaxed his head down pretty well on his own and seemed a little more consistent/confident this way compared to when I am constantly on his case with my hands.
Throughout the ride, I tried to focus on having my horse in front of my leg- which means he is moving sufficiently forward with light aids and not being dragged along with heavy leg cues. The feeling of having him in front of the leg is incredible- it feels like it's supposed to! His gaits are more forward, free, and engaged. Also, when he is in front of the leg, any little spook or shy is much smaller than when he's inverted and behind my aids. When he sees something scary, all you need do is just concentrate on getting him to step under with the inside hind leg, and it's like the rest comes together on its own regardless of the situation (now I'm not saying he was perfect, but overall, it was much more pleasant than it could have been with the conditions the way they were)!
The other thing I tried, on the tip of a friend, was to weight the new inside stirrup before changing directions (when doing a figure-8 or other change of bend). It helped Louie to kind of know what was coming ahead of time and help him change his bend more easily.
I rode in my dressage saddle today (and two days ago) and today I really felt good in it, I felt like I was sitting up tall, had a nice open hip, and was using my aids more effectively and lightly.
When I rode Louie a few days ago over the weekend, I had so much trouble getting him to step under himself that I nearly gave up. So frustrating. . . So since I have to miss my lesson this week due to a conference for work, I asked Julie to ride Louie instead in place of my lesson. I'm going to also have her work him a couple of other times over the next two weeks since I won't be out to do much with him due to a very busy work schedule. At first I felt like I was giving up on myself as an amateur-trainer by asking her to ride/train him a few times, but I think having a professional put a few rides on him will help us get past this hurdle much quicker. And at the end of the day, after 4 rides by a professional, I'll still be the one who mostly trained him!
Well today we warmed up on the lunge with the side reins on, attached down to his girth rather than at his sides and I practiced a new way of getting him to step under himself with his hind legs. I gently flicked the lunge whip and tapped his hind leg/hindquarter with the whip while walking on the lunge line. When he sped up and broke into a trot, I brought him back to the walk and we tried again. After a few times, he figured it out and started stepping under himself more when I flicked the whip at him. We worked on this in the trot and it seemed to work well, instead of kicking out at the whip like he would sometimes do, he tucked his butt up under himself just a bit, and reached forward with the hind legs.
So after a long warm up (due to the crashing of ice all around us), we worked on this same principle from in the saddle, with an idea from a discussion with a friend earlier in the day. From a halt, I asked him to step forward with one hind leg by using one of my calves lightly (the same leg as his leg that was back), just behind the girth. This worked pretty well at the halt, I could bring his lagging leg up under him so that he would halt square, so I tried it at the walk and then the trot. It seemed to really work and get him to step up and use his hind legs more when I just nudged him lightly with the inside leg (and reinforced with laying the whip on his side once in a while as needed) and after a while I felt that same marching feeling as I did during my lesson last week. (When we tried this whole idea a few days ago by applying a lot of leg and stomach it was a miserable fail compared to when Julie was there to help coach us through it, so I'm glad I figured out a way to do it differently- at least so it seems).
The other thing I did differently today was I tried to not use my hands at all. In doing this I realized that I don't really need them for anything, they're almost more of a prop than anything else, just holding the reins to hold up the suspension bridge. Louie naturally relaxed his head down pretty well on his own and seemed a little more consistent/confident this way compared to when I am constantly on his case with my hands.
Throughout the ride, I tried to focus on having my horse in front of my leg- which means he is moving sufficiently forward with light aids and not being dragged along with heavy leg cues. The feeling of having him in front of the leg is incredible- it feels like it's supposed to! His gaits are more forward, free, and engaged. Also, when he is in front of the leg, any little spook or shy is much smaller than when he's inverted and behind my aids. When he sees something scary, all you need do is just concentrate on getting him to step under with the inside hind leg, and it's like the rest comes together on its own regardless of the situation (now I'm not saying he was perfect, but overall, it was much more pleasant than it could have been with the conditions the way they were)!
The other thing I tried, on the tip of a friend, was to weight the new inside stirrup before changing directions (when doing a figure-8 or other change of bend). It helped Louie to kind of know what was coming ahead of time and help him change his bend more easily.
I rode in my dressage saddle today (and two days ago) and today I really felt good in it, I felt like I was sitting up tall, had a nice open hip, and was using my aids more effectively and lightly.
When I rode Louie a few days ago over the weekend, I had so much trouble getting him to step under himself that I nearly gave up. So frustrating. . . So since I have to miss my lesson this week due to a conference for work, I asked Julie to ride Louie instead in place of my lesson. I'm going to also have her work him a couple of other times over the next two weeks since I won't be out to do much with him due to a very busy work schedule. At first I felt like I was giving up on myself as an amateur-trainer by asking her to ride/train him a few times, but I think having a professional put a few rides on him will help us get past this hurdle much quicker. And at the end of the day, after 4 rides by a professional, I'll still be the one who mostly trained him!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Lesson 16: Engaging the Haunches Take 2: Marching
Tonight our lesson started out working on my posture and shoulders back, then quickly turned into working on getting Louie to engage his haunches. We modified our method from last time just a bit, and in the end came up with the concept of squeezing tons with the legs (calves), laying the whip on his side as needed (right side primarily), and holding with my stomach and hands (light as possible) until he lowers his neck and brings his hind end under him.
This was not easy and took Julie riding him for about 15 minutes before he'd do it with any degree of predictability. After a while I got on and I could feel his hind legs marching up underneath me in the walk- what an awesome feeling. We worked on it quite a bit at the walk, then at the trot, and I think in the end, we needed a little faster tempo in the trot to get it, but we had at least a lap or so of really nice forward, round, and through trotting.
I'm not sure I'll be able to reproduce it on my own, but that's my goal for the week. Push him forward into the contact and watch for him to *ask* to lower his neck down, then give (but not completely or he'll get behind the contact).
We also had a little bit of an adjustment in my arm position. Julie noted that I'm using my wrists still- even wearing the wrist braces! in that I'm ulnar deviating them (closing the pinky side). I need to remember to always have my pinky being the closest finger to the bit, and have light fingers for him to take the contact into. If I need to make a correction, I make a big one from the shoulder. Also, my hands need to come up and out just a little bit so I'm not pulling down on his mouth.
Well, the idea of engaging the haunches is a challenging one for a horse who always wants to lift his neck up every time he feels me tighten my legs, but after a few minutes of Julie riding him and just pushing until he gave, he started to figure it out, so it's up to me now to see if I can do it on my own. Louie is extremely smart, so I have no doubt he'll figure it out, but I feel right now this is the missing link that is holding us back from getting anywhere. So Louie, I really need you to figure it out buddy!
This was not easy and took Julie riding him for about 15 minutes before he'd do it with any degree of predictability. After a while I got on and I could feel his hind legs marching up underneath me in the walk- what an awesome feeling. We worked on it quite a bit at the walk, then at the trot, and I think in the end, we needed a little faster tempo in the trot to get it, but we had at least a lap or so of really nice forward, round, and through trotting.
I'm not sure I'll be able to reproduce it on my own, but that's my goal for the week. Push him forward into the contact and watch for him to *ask* to lower his neck down, then give (but not completely or he'll get behind the contact).
We also had a little bit of an adjustment in my arm position. Julie noted that I'm using my wrists still- even wearing the wrist braces! in that I'm ulnar deviating them (closing the pinky side). I need to remember to always have my pinky being the closest finger to the bit, and have light fingers for him to take the contact into. If I need to make a correction, I make a big one from the shoulder. Also, my hands need to come up and out just a little bit so I'm not pulling down on his mouth.
Well, the idea of engaging the haunches is a challenging one for a horse who always wants to lift his neck up every time he feels me tighten my legs, but after a few minutes of Julie riding him and just pushing until he gave, he started to figure it out, so it's up to me now to see if I can do it on my own. Louie is extremely smart, so I have no doubt he'll figure it out, but I feel right now this is the missing link that is holding us back from getting anywhere. So Louie, I really need you to figure it out buddy!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Lesson 15: Shoulders Back
Our lesson this week was pretty good, we had a nice ride with a lot of good moments and hardly any shying or bad behavior.
Julie wants to see Louie's head about an inch lower than what I've been getting out of him, so I've got to keep working on that, though I have to say he's come a long way in the past 3 months!
We worked on a few cavaletti and I could feel Louie rushing through them, so we worked on slowing that down. Almost half halt through them and get him so slow that he has to really push forward with his legs each time. This will not only make our caveletti work and stifle strengthening more beneficial, but also it is beneficial for our training as if he rushes through this, he will also want to rush over jumps and even in flat work.
The last thing we did was deal with my hunched, rolled-forward shoulders (though I have to say I have been paying attention to this and I felt like I was riding more freely and straight- I put my stirrups down one notch- shhh! don't tell- as I felt that my cramped short legs were contributing to my crunched, mechanical posting and forward upper body). Julie was having me sit up quite straight at the walk, and when she still wasn't satisfied with my shoulders, she took my whip away and put it behind my back, through my elbows.
This was pretty uncomfortable, but helped to at least get my mid-back straight. I did note right away that my low back wanted to arch when we did this, so we're going to be very careful about this and only do it for a little while. Julie is fairly certain that Bill Woods, the clinician who is coming at the end of the month (and yes, I'm going to take a lesson from him!) is going to make me do this, so we figured, might as well get used to the idea.
I did notice that while I could barely hold onto my reins like this, we had some really nice walk and trot circles, and I couldn't believe how steady and on the contact Louie was when I rode like this- goes to show how our horses appreciate when we don't constantly pester their mouths.
So I have to wonder, they do make a wrap type device to help keep the shoulders back, has anybody tried this? Does it work? I am thinking I may need to look into some kind of external aid to help me with this has been such a long-standing (think: lifelong) issue. . . I'm going to have to look into it!
Julie wants to see Louie's head about an inch lower than what I've been getting out of him, so I've got to keep working on that, though I have to say he's come a long way in the past 3 months!
We worked on a few cavaletti and I could feel Louie rushing through them, so we worked on slowing that down. Almost half halt through them and get him so slow that he has to really push forward with his legs each time. This will not only make our caveletti work and stifle strengthening more beneficial, but also it is beneficial for our training as if he rushes through this, he will also want to rush over jumps and even in flat work.
The last thing we did was deal with my hunched, rolled-forward shoulders (though I have to say I have been paying attention to this and I felt like I was riding more freely and straight- I put my stirrups down one notch- shhh! don't tell- as I felt that my cramped short legs were contributing to my crunched, mechanical posting and forward upper body). Julie was having me sit up quite straight at the walk, and when she still wasn't satisfied with my shoulders, she took my whip away and put it behind my back, through my elbows.
This was pretty uncomfortable, but helped to at least get my mid-back straight. I did note right away that my low back wanted to arch when we did this, so we're going to be very careful about this and only do it for a little while. Julie is fairly certain that Bill Woods, the clinician who is coming at the end of the month (and yes, I'm going to take a lesson from him!) is going to make me do this, so we figured, might as well get used to the idea.
I did notice that while I could barely hold onto my reins like this, we had some really nice walk and trot circles, and I couldn't believe how steady and on the contact Louie was when I rode like this- goes to show how our horses appreciate when we don't constantly pester their mouths.
So I have to wonder, they do make a wrap type device to help keep the shoulders back, has anybody tried this? Does it work? I am thinking I may need to look into some kind of external aid to help me with this has been such a long-standing (think: lifelong) issue. . . I'm going to have to look into it!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Photo Day
Bjorn came out to watch me ride and take some photos of Louie and me this weekend. I had to bribe him, but he did it.
We had a nice ride, worked over some cavaletti, which is not only fun, but good for both of us. We only worked on walk-trot as by the time we were warmed up enough to canter, there was another horse in the ring- a brand new Arabian, first day at the farm, so with that and the cavaletti in the middle of the ring, I decided we didn't have enough room to work on it safely.
I noticed that my form and my riding kindof went back to the way it was before I rode Prince in my lesson. I paid attention to this, but I felt much more tight in my legs and my abs, more restricted than when I rode Prince. I don't know whether this is because of the shorter stirrups I've got going right now in my hunt saddle, or if it's because I'm doing the perma-half-halt. I tried to actively pay attention to releasing my stomach, but apparently I still stay curled up like a fetal monkey. I think the forward nature of my upper body is related to the shorter stirrups, but the rounded shoulders have got to go. I think what would probably help that is trying to keep my hands a little closer to my body (hence shoulders back) and keep my head up. Julie can always tell when I've got a half halt on as my head is forward (and I'm curling my body into the letter "C"). Anyhow, without further ado. . .
A nicely forward trot:
Louie going over cavaletti thinking he maybe should be a saddle seat horse:
Trotting past the scary door with a monster coming out of it:
Shoulder in at the trot:
The perma-half-halt in the trot:
Free walk:
Tracking up over cavaletti:
Reaching for cavaletti that weren't well timed (see how far back he started- look where his left hind leg is taking off from- that's a big step!)
A little above the bit here, you can see I've got my half halt on (you can tell by how scrunched my upper body is) and also my right (inside) hand is off the neck back by my knee, trying to bend Louie toward the inside to get him to stretch down:
Trotting along:
Approaching cavaletti, nicer hunter frame here, but a bit heavy on the forehand:
Nice reach over the cavaletti:
I also noticed in these photos that Louie looks like his back is up just a bit from before, you'll notice not a big dip in his back behind the saddle (just a little one), and you can also see that his right hind tracks up better than his left. Well hopefully these cavaletti will help!
We had a nice ride, worked over some cavaletti, which is not only fun, but good for both of us. We only worked on walk-trot as by the time we were warmed up enough to canter, there was another horse in the ring- a brand new Arabian, first day at the farm, so with that and the cavaletti in the middle of the ring, I decided we didn't have enough room to work on it safely.
I noticed that my form and my riding kindof went back to the way it was before I rode Prince in my lesson. I paid attention to this, but I felt much more tight in my legs and my abs, more restricted than when I rode Prince. I don't know whether this is because of the shorter stirrups I've got going right now in my hunt saddle, or if it's because I'm doing the perma-half-halt. I tried to actively pay attention to releasing my stomach, but apparently I still stay curled up like a fetal monkey. I think the forward nature of my upper body is related to the shorter stirrups, but the rounded shoulders have got to go. I think what would probably help that is trying to keep my hands a little closer to my body (hence shoulders back) and keep my head up. Julie can always tell when I've got a half halt on as my head is forward (and I'm curling my body into the letter "C"). Anyhow, without further ado. . .
A nicely forward trot:
Trotting past the scary door with a monster coming out of it:
Shoulder in at the trot:
The perma-half-halt in the trot:
Free walk:
Tracking up over cavaletti:
Reaching for cavaletti that weren't well timed (see how far back he started- look where his left hind leg is taking off from- that's a big step!)
A little above the bit here, you can see I've got my half halt on (you can tell by how scrunched my upper body is) and also my right (inside) hand is off the neck back by my knee, trying to bend Louie toward the inside to get him to stretch down:
Trotting along:
Approaching cavaletti, nicer hunter frame here, but a bit heavy on the forehand:
Nice reach over the cavaletti:
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Lesson 14: My Ride on Prince
I got to ride a different horse during my lesson tonight because Louie had a chiropractic adjustment yesterday and needs a few days off. I knew leading up to my lesson that I would have to ride a different horse, but I wasn't sure which horse I would be asked to ride. I figured for sure I'd ride one of the beginner lesson horses, but much to my surprise, Julie put me on one of her 3rd level training horses. Wow, was that amazing and fun!
Prince is a Friesan-Morgan cross, about Louie's height, but much more stout, with a thick, short neck and a back like a sofa (comfy). I rode in Julie's dressage saddle too, which I really liked. Prince has been really well trained by Julie, and not messed up by lots of different riders, so it was fun to ride a well trained horse who knows what he's doing. It was really fun to figure him out. It was amazing to feel that a subtle change in my body position or riding style resulted in such a huge difference in how he went. For instance, we worked on sitting trot, and when I rode it incorrectly with my "wiggly back" he felt more hollow, not as forward, and lacking impulsion. When I straightened up, engaged my seat bones and my core, and used my aids a little more effectively, he went into a wonderful forward, round trot with a ton of loft and impulsion. So in essence, the horse taught me how to ride correctly. It was also fun because he took the bit contact nicely and never went behind the bit.
My posting also improved. Somehow, and I'm not sure the series of steps that I took to get there, but somehow Julie liked my posting much better on Prince than how I've been posting on Louie. I think the main difference is that I felt relaxed, free, and I posted with less strain and effort than what I've been doing when I ride Louie (no perpetual half halt as Julie would say). I just kindof let my body almost post the way it would do if I were doing it in my sleep or on a trail ride. The only "restriction" in my posting was making sure that I was landing very softly and not falling on my "can."
We worked on some lateral work, which Prince does with ease. It was so easy to get him to step into a shoulder in, haunches in, half pass, or renvers, I didn't have to contort my body into a pretzel to do it. This, I think, is because Julie insists that it is done right and doesn't beg the horse to do it properly, she insists upon it. The result: it becomes easier for the rider.
We also worked on some cantering. Prince has got an amazingly comfortable little canter (very different than Louie's big canter), and is very easy and transitions simply off of the inside seat bone. Of course I didn't get this quite as easily (because Louie hasn't a clue how to do this), so once I did one of my bad habits and leaned forward to get the canter. Julie squealed and about died laughing saying, "you have so much ability, then you throw something like that in there!" It was pretty funny, I don't know why I do that, but I know I do. I do that all the time when I ride Louie, but I'm going to have to try to pay attention to not leaning forward when I transition to the canter.
Overall it was a great lesson. I'm sad that I won't be able to ride Prince anymore, and I think Julie is too (because she thought it was really good to see what I could do and learn on a more knowledgeable horse), but he is moving to a new home across the country next week. Bummer, but it was fun, taught me a lot, and I think hopefully opened Julie's eyes to the fact that I'm not a complete slouch of a rider, it just looks that way because Louie and I don't know any better.
On another note, Louie seems to have had a really nice result from his adjustment. His back came up about 2 inches from where it was earlier this week. The vet said he had a lot of vertebrae out in the thoracolumbar area (go figure, our constant problem area) and one rib out. I'm always a bit of a skeptic, but that is the most amazing result I think I've seen in such a short time! He seems less sore in his back too when I groomed and palpated him. I'm very happy about that! I lunged him just a bit and he is still a little off on his left hind as he has been off and on (mildly) for the past 3 years (I think since the field trial when he faught with the stake out). Julie thinks it is his stifle (which you may remember he had injected 3 years ago), and it's really only noticeable when trotting on a circle to the left, so we're going to work on a cavaletti program to try to strengthen him up!
Prince is a Friesan-Morgan cross, about Louie's height, but much more stout, with a thick, short neck and a back like a sofa (comfy). I rode in Julie's dressage saddle too, which I really liked. Prince has been really well trained by Julie, and not messed up by lots of different riders, so it was fun to ride a well trained horse who knows what he's doing. It was really fun to figure him out. It was amazing to feel that a subtle change in my body position or riding style resulted in such a huge difference in how he went. For instance, we worked on sitting trot, and when I rode it incorrectly with my "wiggly back" he felt more hollow, not as forward, and lacking impulsion. When I straightened up, engaged my seat bones and my core, and used my aids a little more effectively, he went into a wonderful forward, round trot with a ton of loft and impulsion. So in essence, the horse taught me how to ride correctly. It was also fun because he took the bit contact nicely and never went behind the bit.
My posting also improved. Somehow, and I'm not sure the series of steps that I took to get there, but somehow Julie liked my posting much better on Prince than how I've been posting on Louie. I think the main difference is that I felt relaxed, free, and I posted with less strain and effort than what I've been doing when I ride Louie (no perpetual half halt as Julie would say). I just kindof let my body almost post the way it would do if I were doing it in my sleep or on a trail ride. The only "restriction" in my posting was making sure that I was landing very softly and not falling on my "can."
We worked on some lateral work, which Prince does with ease. It was so easy to get him to step into a shoulder in, haunches in, half pass, or renvers, I didn't have to contort my body into a pretzel to do it. This, I think, is because Julie insists that it is done right and doesn't beg the horse to do it properly, she insists upon it. The result: it becomes easier for the rider.
We also worked on some cantering. Prince has got an amazingly comfortable little canter (very different than Louie's big canter), and is very easy and transitions simply off of the inside seat bone. Of course I didn't get this quite as easily (because Louie hasn't a clue how to do this), so once I did one of my bad habits and leaned forward to get the canter. Julie squealed and about died laughing saying, "you have so much ability, then you throw something like that in there!" It was pretty funny, I don't know why I do that, but I know I do. I do that all the time when I ride Louie, but I'm going to have to try to pay attention to not leaning forward when I transition to the canter.
Overall it was a great lesson. I'm sad that I won't be able to ride Prince anymore, and I think Julie is too (because she thought it was really good to see what I could do and learn on a more knowledgeable horse), but he is moving to a new home across the country next week. Bummer, but it was fun, taught me a lot, and I think hopefully opened Julie's eyes to the fact that I'm not a complete slouch of a rider, it just looks that way because Louie and I don't know any better.
On another note, Louie seems to have had a really nice result from his adjustment. His back came up about 2 inches from where it was earlier this week. The vet said he had a lot of vertebrae out in the thoracolumbar area (go figure, our constant problem area) and one rib out. I'm always a bit of a skeptic, but that is the most amazing result I think I've seen in such a short time! He seems less sore in his back too when I groomed and palpated him. I'm very happy about that! I lunged him just a bit and he is still a little off on his left hind as he has been off and on (mildly) for the past 3 years (I think since the field trial when he faught with the stake out). Julie thinks it is his stifle (which you may remember he had injected 3 years ago), and it's really only noticeable when trotting on a circle to the left, so we're going to work on a cavaletti program to try to strengthen him up!
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