Buddy and Camina

Since, my last post on Monday I have rode my own horses two days this week. That has been real refreshing for me. I needed to work them and they needed the work.
Today, though I got to work on Buddy. I got him responding real well through the various exercises. I then took the halter off him and worked him at liberty. He wanted to stay right with me most of the time and when he did start to walk off I just pulled his eye to me by changing my angle on him and inviting him back to me. We played like this for a little while then I go on him. For the last 15 or 20 minutes we worked on softness at the walk and trot. I had him disengage several times. He needs work on the backup for sure. He also doesn't like the left side messed with. He is real resistant on that side. I found that he has a quick gas pedal and is real touchy about things. The softer and lighter I can be on directing him or stopping him the better he is. If I get to strong he just resists the more. So going in a circle I just lightly pick up a rein and wait til he bends then let the rein go. That goes for any of the exercises I have been doing with him. Later, Chris, one of my students worked with him and rode him. She did real good with him too.
Then I worked with Camina. She does real good on the ground, though she showed her attitude when I asked her to trot. So I just kept up the transitions until she would give me a trot without throwing her head and she was relaxed in doing so. I got on her and she wanted to go so I kept disengaging her hindend and moving her shoulders over and repeating that several times in each direction then I let her trot out. The kicker is this, I let her trot like she waned too, then I wouldn't let her walk until I wanted her too. So we played around with this for a while. She is getting real soft for me and starting to hold the collection at the walk real good and some at the trot. We wrapped up with some nice relaxed stops and backups.