Just an ordinary lesson at walk and trot in the school. Concentrating on, as usual, getting my position right - upright, balanced, and able to use my core - and managing Ziggy's tendency to whizz.
When he whizzes, his trot speeds up, his head goes up, his back drops, and I am sitting in a hole with little or no control. I have never until today had a lesson where this didn't happen at least once.
But today - I kept him with me for the whole lesson!
A measure of our success was that I had my hands on the same spot on the reins the whole time (thank you Kis Vihar for my lovely reins with continental stoppers) whether he was walking, trotting slow or trotting fast. He kept his neck extended and his head in balance the whole time. And since I was keeping in charge with my core, I was free to use my leg to ask him to work from behind, not run off with his front. And so I must have got 6 whole strides of good trot work with his back arched and his neck soft!
I was so knackered at the end of the lesson from working from my centre the whole time. But it was worth it because it was a success. Ziggy was cool and happy at the end and I was knackered and happy!
When he whizzes, his trot speeds up, his head goes up, his back drops, and I am sitting in a hole with little or no control. I have never until today had a lesson where this didn't happen at least once.
But today - I kept him with me for the whole lesson!
A measure of our success was that I had my hands on the same spot on the reins the whole time (thank you Kis Vihar for my lovely reins with continental stoppers) whether he was walking, trotting slow or trotting fast. He kept his neck extended and his head in balance the whole time. And since I was keeping in charge with my core, I was free to use my leg to ask him to work from behind, not run off with his front. And so I must have got 6 whole strides of good trot work with his back arched and his neck soft!
I was so knackered at the end of the lesson from working from my centre the whole time. But it was worth it because it was a success. Ziggy was cool and happy at the end and I was knackered and happy!
