lördag 20 september 2014

Polework, spirals and relaxing


Things are progressing really well! :) 
When lunging, I start now on the right to warm up our boy properly before turning to the left rein. I do around 5 min in walk and then 10 min in trot in that about 20+ m circle. He is stretching really well and stepping under actively, although I still have to ask for the activity and keep en eye on the pace so that he doesn't slouch. 
On the left rein we are nowadays starting straight in trot. Cannot be helped, although I would not mind walking first really. I’m not allowing him to stiffen up so that he looks out and moves his hindquarters in, and in his opinion this proper work is far easier performed in trot. Therefore, he does not stay in walk without stiffening from his right side. And when I ask for yield, he heads on to trot. Oh well, we trot then. From that about 10 m circle to a bigger one. But he has started to react immediately after the first of this kind of training session. Thus we don’t really stay on that small circle for very long, and the spiral work has become now very dynamic. Every time he stiffens, I take him in a smaller circle and ask him to move on/yield from behind, he responds and I take him to a bigger circle… In fact he was working so brilliantly the second time I was lunging him like this that I just couldn't stop smiling. He was moving forward a bit rushed, but head low and in a very nice stretch with hind feet following the tracks of the front. It was as if he was telling me that: “Was it this you wanted? Ok, here we go, I’ll do my best…” And he tried really hard and was working the best he could. I’m sure his pace will calm down when it gets easier for him. We've only started to stretch his right side, so we still have some way to go.

One shouldn’t immediately ask or expect perfection. It will come eventually with time and practice.

So, we lunged only on Sunday, then on Monday the husband went for a nice and relaxing hack mainly in walk.


On Tuesday we did a fairly tough poleworking session on the lunge with him. Not been over poles for quite some time. And now I decided to make it even a bit more challenging. First work with one pole, then three poles. 
Nov. 2013
Will’s advice for polework is to just go over one pole until the horse does not change his frame from long and low. That is, one can start doing more difficult stuff once he doesn't pull up his head while going over one pole.
Nov. 2013
Nov. 2013, not bad in walk. Of course could stretch better.
Nov 2013, and looking really bad here!
Completely hollowed... 


























Well our work was tough alright, and going over three poles was a bit of a hit and miss. Sometimes good and then pretty bad. But we ended the session again with just going over that one pole. Both pretty sweaty and a very tired horse alright. So, one pole work is going fine, but three maybe a bit too much. Maybe taking one pole out for next time would be good idea. Polework again next week sometime.  

Yes, the best possible stretch here over a pole (Nov. 2013)
Wednesday was a resting day, hubby was in Denmark and anyways, our boy had been working a full week without a real day off.

On Thursday we fixed the saddle fitting again. Had to take some air out of the back of the panels and put a teeny bit more on the front. Last week we put more air at the back, but we put a bit too much of it since the saddle did very clearly pressure him on the back of the shoulders. But now I think we have almost found the balance. Just a teeny bit more air in the back… I think we took a bit too much away. But now it doesn’t pressure anywhere. Also changed our straight neoprene girth into a contoured one with a nice furry sleeve. He has not been sensitive about the girth, but there have been slight signs of annoyance and a lot of sweating along it. So, better try something else and see…
I rode straight on without lunge warm up, mostly because there were already two other people riding plus one horse being lunged. I like warming up on the lunge, so that he can move freely and relaxed forward and warm up his topline without my weight. But things went well nonetheless. Stretching nicely on a very forward and supple walk. A lot better stretch than las week and what you see in the video. And without chambon. And the same good stretch in trot! Such an improvement in the going just within a week. Very relaxed forward motion, and hubby commented how the going was looking airier as well. WoopWoop!  
Of course by no means perfect going all the time, he had to have a look at horses and people passing the school. When he popped his head up, I just asked for more forward motion and he stretched again into the contact. But mostly he was working properly. We did just the normal basic training; first walk and then trot. And the occasional leg yield.

Friday we popped the hacking saddle on him, lunged him warm and then I went and rode out for a round around the field. Footing out there is not very optimal at the moment since it has not rained for quite some time. Our boy-o tends to slip and stumble, but this time we had only one slip. More impressive for me was the fact that he managed to trot without losing balance on a spot where he usually stumbles a lot if we trot there. Something is definitely happening… :D 

And today it was time for some proper, basic and sweaty lunging.  Good job from him. I can see the difference even clearer now with the left hand work. He finds it easier to keep his hind following the front, stretching proper and then being able to bend as well. Even walk was now easier to manage.


It is truly encouraging when you can see and feel the progress and increase of power so clearly while lunging and riding. But this is how it goes with our boy, if we just have the patience to train systematically and especially on the lunge at the moment. And trying to take it easy as well… hacking relaxes not just his muscles, but also his mind.

Only a couple photos from today... :P But I do have some (grainy ones) from earlier… ;)


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