Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Domino 21

Hey there. The day went ok with him. I got him right away and saddled him. I worked on reviewing things he already knows and just needs refining. Backup, shoulders, disengagment, leg yields which he is getting good at. I even worked on sacking him out just for refining, with the whip, tarp, umbrella. My big idea today was to take him in the rd pe, it is drying out, and really work him on transitions. I did this for a time after I saddled him earlier in the session. So I put him in the rd. pen and worked him in both directions. My intention is not to get him tired or sweaty, but to get him to really look to me for direction. I got on him and just made him give me forward movement without using my rein to direct him. The rails limit where he can go and I just went with him whereever he turned and only directed him with a rein if he stopped at the gate. I want the forward movement at the trot and walk and then after about ten minutes I started to direct him with the rein. I still can't get anything more than a trot from him and I really am after lateral softness, and movement on the circle with our without the rail. I didn't take him on the road because I am backing up and trying to get this from him. I want him to follow his nose wherever I offer him a feel. He does pretty good from the ground, but in the saddle it is another thing. Anyway I have had 15 rides on him and I can stop him and direct him I just want to refine him more. He still has a long way to go. Tomorrow his owner comes to start taking lessons from me so that when he takes Domino home he will be able to continue what I have put on him.
I also got to ride Jake this evening. I rode him on a 3 mile ride I have worked on stopping with my seat and a backup. We also worked on vertical softness, leg yields back and forth across the road at a walk and trot. I just let him stretch out real good. It will be interesting to take him and Domino out together and see how they do. That will probably be next week. When we got back to the yard, I asked him to kneel 2x and he did it without hesitation. This without working on it for a couple weeks.
had a good time with both horses, but it sure is good to go back to power steering.

No comments: