Transitions! the bane and yet the key to my existence LOL
I never made it to my lesson with Brandon on Thursday. Not due to weather, though we did get more rain, but due to work. When I did work in large animal practice it seemed that colleagues were in name only and everyone still competed against each other, second guessed each other and didn't really work together even if in the same practice. When I transitioned to small animal it seemed to be less of a problem until now. My schedule is a set one due to my personal needs with my mother. Unfortunately I frequently have to go in on my days off in order to follow up on patient care because the doctors who work on my days off refuse to handle or deal with any cases other than their own. Even simple questions pile up in my box as opposed to being dealt with. I've gotten around some of this by giving clients my email address as well as my phone number; but, as luck would have it, a more challenging case needed my attention (scheduled doctor got pissy and the client hates said doctor, oi vey) on Thursday so my lesson was postponed.
Not to be thwarted, since I have a show coming up, I pulled out Pivo and we worked on TRANSITIONS. For Brandon it was a ton of canter-trot-canter transitions requiring consistent, appropriate contact. I also long lined him to see where are issues still lie. Happy to say that I can see him working through his back more and starting to engage. He still is a horse who needs to have the last word at times; but, overall I am pleased with his progress and his muscle development. He still resists accepting the contact honestly into the left rein especially when it's the outside rein but it's better, definitely better. Started lateral work with him over the weekend - shoulder fore, shoulder in and haunches in, mostly at the walk but some at trot too.
For Junior it was the broken record; but, to Chisamba's point, this old broad has been focusing on perfecting that first stride of canter in the walk-canter transition. I feel like we did 500 walk canter transitions between Thursday to Sunday (we did fit in a trail ride and long lining too). The attempts at flying changes were not pretty BUT NO SKIP A CHANGE - Hallelujah! It's kind of sad when you're gleefully accepting a late change because at least it was in the air but it's a better wrong answer and easier for me to correct. It also wasn't a consistent answer. We were definitely all over the map; but, I feel it's coming. The long lining is definitely helping us work through Junior's coordination issues and me seeing the 'dropping of the right shoulder' which in hand I've been able to address and correct to get a really nice transition. It has also made it painfully clear that the ONLY way he can change in the air is if I have him good into the contact before, during and immediately after the transition and the transition must be oh so prompt. This means he's also got to stay through in the back and on my seat (when under saddle).
I have 'rediscovered' my right thigh in order to control his wayward right shoulder. When I watch my videos you can see him trying but at the same time insistent that he does not need to bend in his rib cage or use his hind in the way I want...............he is so engaged, though, that he easily gets stuck and this too is what we worked on...........getting him to realize that he can sit and push. Poles have helped with getting this through to him as well as the longlining - So it's the first and second canter strides working through the trot-canter, walk-canter transitions that have been our focus - perfect, prompt, through transition and then GO! for the next stride, no sucking back or settling into a 'polite' pace because for an overgrown stinker pony that means we don't have to work as hard and energy conservation is ever present. Polite, not overtly disobedient; but, too darn smart for me to convince that flying can be fun and not work
like 10 days ago.
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Our blooper footage will be hysterical, think beautiful 6 one tempis but only behind (trying to just canter straight). We are just touching on them here and there, not working on them everyday. At least until I get the state of the union from trainer once she returns from Florida.
