I had my first lesson on Sophie yesterday. It went really well. There were two instances where I had a moment of panic where reality set in that this was *my* horse and there was no turning back. And a little voice in my head cried out "walk away! walk away!" But I'll get to that.
Stretchy Trot Circle
We drove through Columbus and stopped to pick up Amanda so that she could meet Sophie and watch my lesson. We arrived at Linda's and saw Sofie over in the roundpen, standing in a sea of hay. She didn't want to come see us, even when we offered treats, but she did walk toward me when I entered the round pen to catch her. I took her into the barn and Amanda and I groomed her. She was a mudball, especially since she still has so much of her winter coat. At one point we had to move her to the back of the barn while they took two mares/foals out to the pasture and Sophie got a little upset about them leaving, but she calmed down right away. That was moment number one.
After we groomed her Linda saddled her and we headed out. I rode her from the get go, and had moment number two. We were just walking around and her head was in the air and I couldn't establish a connection at all, and things didn't get much better when we trotted. But then I started riding her more like Jessie and she came round and was moving much nicer. My big problem is that I expect her to trot faster than what her tempo *should* be. So I need to relax and let her trot more slowly. The majority of the lesson was spent developing contact and slowing the tempo. So it pretty much went...half halt, half halt, squeeze inside leg to push her into the outside rein and sponge the inside rein to remind her of where my hand is. She very much seeks steady contact and will stay there when it's provided with a giving hand.
We mainly worked on a 20 meter circle. After establishing a steady trot we worked on stretchy circles, then walk-trot transitions with a few trot-canter transitions. After we worked in both directions we did a stretchy circle to cool down before walking her out. She was great though, looking around a lot (there was a stallion galloping his field just 20 feet away) but when I actually rode and didn't just sit there I was able to keep her attention focused on me.
My biggest challenge when riding her is her canter. She has a lot of jump to her canter, and it feels like she's coiling to buck. So I almost don't *want* to ask her to round and come onto the bit because I know that if her head is up she won't be able to buck very high, if at all. Once she's round it would be much easier for her to let fly. But I got a little better about it by the end of the ride. I also need to ride every step, especially remembering to use my legs to push her forward into the bridle, instead of just being a passenger. I just need to remind myself that she has never offered to buck, either with me or Linda and trust her more and let go. I'm definitely too tense at the canter, and my hands block her because I get a little nervous.
I just finished adding pictures and am really disappointed with how much I let my core collapse. I think I'll break out the Core Secrets videos tomorrow and get to work.
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