Such a good Boy!

[BackintheSaddle]

We have a new school horse at our barn, a fizzy young OTTB who is going to be ridden by the more proficient students. So far, I have been the only student willing to ride him, as he is still learning that he is now an arena horse and not a race horse He had been working in a very flat outline, expecially in canter, and I was SO frustrated.

Went out yesterday to find that his saddle was being used on another horse, so rode him bareback for his warm-up. I popped his saddle on after about ten minutes, and BOOM - new horse! He had the most lovely floating trot, carried his head SO nicely, and went straight into a lovely collected canter! I couldn't believe it, he felt so light in my hands, it was just fabulous. He still flatened out in canter occasionally, but if I took him right back to trot and got him sorted out for a few strides, his canter was collected again when we picked it back up.

I am SO proud of him! Instructor says he is ready to go into the lesson rotation. Hopefully the other students will love him as much as I do!

 

[Big H]

Excellent - do you think that he is probably a bit of a colded backed horse then?

 

[BackintheSaddle]

I think the problem was my seat. The horse I usually ride is SO experienced that my aids can be really subtle. As long as I'm looking at my target, she goes and goes in a lovely way. Since Rio is really just a baby (only 6), I think he just needed a much more connected seat aid from me, and riding him bareback gave me a sense of that. I've been on him everyday since and he has been better and better each time. His circles last night were SO good and he felt wonderful and light. His ground manners are also improving, so I think he's going to end up making a wonderful lesson horse.