Ok, the long draught of limited blogging is coming to an end!!! I currently have my feet propped up on a chair poolside and am indulging in a Cadbury Mini-Egg - life is beyond good! :) For those who don’t know me well - Cadbury is my weakness. Really. Or at least it is one of them! ;)
Wendy was my first horse of the day today. To recap what she has been up to while we’ve been here - she has been working on establishing longer steps with the hind legs, better self carriage and an improvement in the connection - specifically in the way she carries her neck and front end with the energy coming from behind. I am extremely pleased to say that we’re regularly checking all of those boxes and she has made great strides (literally) towards being a very solid 4th level horse! Today’s ride had a lot of diligent forward energy with extremely good pushing from behind (nice long steps) and a great deal of uphill quality to all of the work. Counter canter, shoulder in, shoulder fore, leg yield, half pass, renvers, travers, walk pirouettes, working canter pirouettes, half steps, super medium trot...it is all getting to be easy and fun for the Little Red Mare (LRM). Her changes are easy, balanced, straight and up hill and we’re mixing in some 3s and 4s now...tighter counts are also there but we are going to maintain the discipline of waiting for a bit longer to ensure perfect changes each and every time.
Wendy was my first horse of the day today. To recap what she has been up to while we’ve been here - she has been working on establishing longer steps with the hind legs, better self carriage and an improvement in the connection - specifically in the way she carries her neck and front end with the energy coming from behind. I am extremely pleased to say that we’re regularly checking all of those boxes and she has made great strides (literally) towards being a very solid 4th level horse! Today’s ride had a lot of diligent forward energy with extremely good pushing from behind (nice long steps) and a great deal of uphill quality to all of the work. Counter canter, shoulder in, shoulder fore, leg yield, half pass, renvers, travers, walk pirouettes, working canter pirouettes, half steps, super medium trot...it is all getting to be easy and fun for the Little Red Mare (LRM). Her changes are easy, balanced, straight and up hill and we’re mixing in some 3s and 4s now...tighter counts are also there but we are going to maintain the discipline of waiting for a bit longer to ensure perfect changes each and every time.
Wyatt had an amazing lesson in the late morning. He is just so awesome to ride at this point - easy to sit with a soft, flexible back and super connection up in the bridle! Lots of props to Catherine - I’m not sure I could have him at this point without her expert assistance!! His working pirouettes are fabulous - no other way to put it! His medium trots rival those of Grand dam Able Spirit - they’re really that good! :) The lateral work was spot on - uphill, balanced, great self carriage and elasticity - I have no complaints! He’s really quite fit now and we are working on fine tuning the execution of the exercises within the test - polishing and getting good sparkle to each of the movements is the name of the game. :)
So that brings me to the schedule going forward from today. Both horses will be showing at White Fences this weekend. Wendy will have the 3rd 2 both days and Wyatt is entered in the PSG - so I’ll be busy braiding and making sure I try to remember the tests! We’ll then take a few days to cram in as much training as we can with Catherine and then head North on the 10th. I should arrive home late on the 11th - so lesson times will be available starting the 13th. Sorry to ask for a day to recover but it is a very long drive and I need one day to unpack my warm clothes! ;)
So that brings me to the schedule going forward from today. Both horses will be showing at White Fences this weekend. Wendy will have the 3rd 2 both days and Wyatt is entered in the PSG - so I’ll be busy braiding and making sure I try to remember the tests! We’ll then take a few days to cram in as much training as we can with Catherine and then head North on the 10th. I should arrive home late on the 11th - so lesson times will be available starting the 13th. Sorry to ask for a day to recover but it is a very long drive and I need one day to unpack my warm clothes! ;)
On the PA farm front -
For anyone who has inquired about working student position(s) - yes, there are some available. Message me for more information and we can work out some of the details. On site housing is no longer an option. References and video of current riding required.
In the next few weeks I will be doing some weekly training tips and horse care ideas here on the blog to begin to share what I have learned in my time away from home. Those blogs will probably be going up mid-week as a new project to help highlight our training system and concepts for aspiring riders. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to comment below and I will make a list to begin at the beginning of what everyone would like to know first. :)
Also, there have been several inquiries about horses that are for sale while I have been away. If you are waiting for a video, new photos or additional information on one of our northern horses, please bear with me for a few days - I will get things out as fast as the schedule allows. If you are interested in either Wendy or Wyatt and are in FL - act quickly and get in contact with me ASAP. Their prices will only continue to rise with additional show mileage and training.
All of that stuff aside - think SPRING!!! Happy Riding!
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