StraightForward wrote:There is a local show in May that I'd like to enter at Training Level, so the goal the next two months will be confirming the canter and general steadiness in the bridle and introducing some stretchy trot. Also, bumping work level up from 3 rides a week to 4. Ridden work on consecutive days is still a little hard for Princess, but I'm hoping by April she'll be able to do 2 on, 1 off with regularity.
For myself, stretching, core work and running to improve my seat and aerobic capacity. It would be OK if I shed a couple pounds in the process as well.
For Pickle - I'm hoping to carve out a few days in April to go out and work with her several days in a row and possibly get on if her trainer thinks the time is right.
Wow, time flies, and this thread is almost dead! I'm headed out of town for work tomorrow, so it's time for a retrospective.
I've nixed the May show in favor of lessons as my instructor comes in from out of town. There is another small show in early June, so we might try for that.
Being at the new barn has been great overall. I'm able to ride much more consistently, but Annabelle is finding the grade on the outdoor arena challenging, and I think I need to buy her some front boots as it does get rather hard, especially at the far end where the footing is a little thin. On the up side, doing transitions in the uphill direction has been really useful. Her canter is coming along, but I'm toying with bits a little. Around the beginning of this thread, I put her in a Sprenger NovoContact single joint, and it really helped her start taking contact. After a few weeks, it started being a little TOO much, so I decided to try the same in a double-jointed, which Sprenger claims invites contact, but can help with pulling. Well, nope. I don't think A likes double-jointed bits. I'm going to put her back in the single-jointed to see if I can get a HH to go through at all in canter, and have a plain eggbutt snaffle ordered. I use a Myler when I do in-hand work, and she gets extremely light, so I know that's too much to the thin side; maybe the cheap eggbutt will be the Goldilocks bit, or maybe I'll spend a fortune trying different bits.
Canter is really coming along now though - she is much more forward off my leg, and I'm starting to be able to shape her a little so the left lead isn't such a motorcycle careening around feel. It's a little tricky just getting a few good strides and a good transition down, but not letting her fall out of canter of her own accord. We also started tiny jumps last week, as in, cantering over ground poles and trotting over a teeny crossrail that doesn't really require liftoff to clear.
I was doing well on my fitness in March, then I started panicking about all the spring yard/garden work needing to be done and that usurped too much of my time and energy. At least I'm not sitting on my butt too much; haven't lost weight, but haven't gained either.
Pickle is coming home from the trainer's when I get back from my work trip, but not for the right reasons. We're going on a hunt for any physical reasons for her misbehaviors. Not sure what we'll do if we can't find anything, but I'm trying to stay optimistic.