We worked over a single cross rail and a little bounce line of a pole in, crossrail, pole out. All with the goal of focusing on a nice, steady canter. Because guess what?! Ellie has been cantering all on her own with just a supporting leg!
Why was this exercise so great? Because we know a few things about Ellie. She's a huntress and will track down that fence, rider be damned. She also has an enormous, ground covering stride for such a wee thing.
When we're in what I would consider a forward medium canter, she's actually about a half foot or foot too long, and she she spots a distance she extends that even further, making it feel like we're zooming Mach 10 at the fence.
So we worked on bringing that canter down just a notch which allows her to extend just slightly for that gap if needed. Truth be told she added a few times when I thought she was leaving and I ended up on her neck. She popped over with pricked ears and a smile. Gotta love a horse that takes care of her Mom.
And on the home front we have two cats that are finally starting to get along!
Sounds like an awesome lesson!
ReplyDeleteIt's a sure sign of maturity that she's starting to chip-in! I know it's not ideal, but it means she's being a good girl :D
ReplyDeleteSounds like she's figuring it all out :)
ReplyDeleteMedium canter is hard for me, too. Glad Ellie's got it figured out!
ReplyDeletenice lesson! getting that adjustable canter is so key - and so hard!!
ReplyDelete