Friday, December 17, 2010

running around

This morning I had another session with Buddy. I wanted to try something I had seen and read about regarding really being in harmony with the horse. What it amounted to was moving my body in sync with his as if his feet were mine. That means my hips, legs, arms etc. were moving in unison with him. Thus, if I wanted to speed up his gait I started moving my hips faster as if I was walking faster. If I wanted to turn that meant I looked and turned with my whole body before I picked up a rein. All that sort of stuff to really try to get in sync with him. It works but it takes practice. It all starts on the ground, but alot of people don't believe that. I figure if I am not in sync with him while I am on the ground with a lead or no lead and having him move in whatever direction I want, I am not going to be able to do it on his back. I want that feel so tight between us that if I so much as turn my head one direction he is reading what I want him to do and doing it. Then when I get on his back it will be the same way. When I did get on his back he did real good for me. I noticed last time that everytime I asked him to speed up he wanted to canter so he would throw his head up and start loping. I am not sure why, but I do know he is interpreting my leg cue as speed up, when all it should mean and all I want it to mean is to move his butt or shoulders over. But what do most people do when they want a horse to go? they kick him or squeeze with their legs. So I had the pleasure of working him through that. He did want to lope off but I would turn him into the wall and turn around and ask for a trot again. This went on several times until all I had to do was pick up the outside rein when he slipped into a lope and he would slow to a trot. Then I had t transfer that to being anywhere in the arena not just on the rail or against the wall. It took a while, but he eventually got it better, not perfect but better. I then had him loping around because I asked him to. What do you think he did then? You are right. He wanted to slow down.
Well when my lesson was over, in walks my student to take over.
Chris did a great job. She is a good student and is working on being just as soft with him as I am. She rode him the last portion of her lesson and both of them did good.
I have another lesson with Buddy tomorrow so hopefully we will pick up where we left off today.

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