Lisa Trowse said Fast Track Week 2 - day 7 - can this get any better? Thirteen and a half hours later from leaving this morning I have returned, exhausted but on cloud ten ( cloud nine isn't high enough)! After the routine morning chores, we started out with our coaches playing the circling game. I went straight out on the 45ft today which was a mistake. Jack wanted to eat grass and took every opportunity to eat it, and played every trick up his sleeve. I was too far away to be effective and he knew it.....in comes the instructor. My did I have to run!!!! Really struggled to keep up with jack and he went ultra exuberant. Had too much line and just wasn't quick enough for the little so and so! Lesson.....warm up on the 22ft get the respect there before putting on the longer line :0)
Second session was sideways at greater distances. OMG I got so excited I squealed and jumped up and down. I was shown how to really focus and use my energy and my neutral to walk into Jacks space and move him. In the end we had a perfect sideways with us both trotting, me forwards, and him doing a fancy trot sideways with collection and rhythm. He looked amazing!!!!!!
Into the saddle, with focus on mounting, and bridling with feel. Learnt how to take the halter off from under the bridle by putting it through the mouth and under the bit. Felt pretty pleased about that :0) Then did some lovely trotting following the rail keeping the knuckle on the wither and using focus to steer, and not pick up the rein.
We finished the morning with a demo on saddle fitting, the balance point and shimming, all fascinating stuff and good to know from any horsemanship point of view, thinking about the position of the saddle and the amount of movement the shoulder needs.
Onto the afternoon, in the glorious sunshine we watched the instructors show how it is done, with using patterns in freestyle and how they are effective and for which horses where. Even more determination to push myself as I sooooo want to ride like that!
We then went back into our coaching groups and back into the saddle. I had a little issue with jack bracing when I asked him to move, and my coach stayed with me for a while teaching jack to stop bracing and how effective I need to be to get him light off his chest and nose. Makes sense why he used to bolt as he was really pushing back, and even my coach had to hang on in there as Jack wasn't budging. Very interesting to watch, and of course in the end he was backing and light off the pressure. Need to do LOTS of this...!!!
Back into the saddle, pushed myself to ride with the carrot stick instead of the reins and did well, lots of friendly with the stick swinging it and rubbing jack with it. I put the stick down to trot as I need some more practice. Great follow the rail, and barely picked up the rein to correct. Some good indirect and direct rein too, with jack really stepping under. Stopping is still slow, but I am being particular about going through all my phases to get halt, including the lateral flexion at the end to ensure the brakes work and he knows the pattern. Actually managed a few steps of canter without picking up the reins. Back to trot. Repeated twice and quit on a huge high!
Yard duties again, and then we had a demo on the photonic torch...a type of acupuncture using light instead of needles, for humans and horses. All interesting stuff. Poked my head over jacks door before coming back and he was dozing away...don't think he has ever worked so hard bless his little white socks.......:0)
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