Wednesday riding. Still working on fear and balance issues, but Wednesdays we get a saddle. (This does not make it easier.)
Wednesdays are for Improved Cantering (so scary) with concrete goals and activity projects. Also for Work Over Fences (also scary) with concrete goals and activity projects.
Today’s Cantering Goals:
Goal A: Canter all the way around the buckwheat field (It’s 1/4 of a mile) without stopping, both directions, correct lead. The buckwheat field is kinda humped so there are uphill and downhill sections, albeit fairly short ones, no matter how you go around it. Also, since it’s got some terrain going on, you have things like Change In Slope and so forth. Balance is needful. Ability to rebalance is needful. (Cantering In A Level Ring holds no terrors for me. Cantering downhill? Kinda scary for me.)
Goal B: Rate at canter better, so be rhythmic and steadyish in Goal A.
Goal C: Ask for some seriously extended canter (on the gentle uphill slope direction of the buckwheat field) and try not to be scared about it.
All of the canter goals were accomplished for base levels of accomplished. We can do better, but we did basic. There could be better rating, better contact, better rhythm, better whatever. BUT WE DID IT and so yay. Also wow, I need more muscles.
Work over fences. Today we looked into doing some gridwork involving cantering some bounces. How come?
1. We need a “for jumping” canter, the which we don’t really have yet. Grids help with that.
2. I need to be more OK about cantering in to fences. Grids that start with a placing pole help with that. A lot. Like, they’re practically impossible to ride without cantering.
3. Bird needs A LOT of practice cantering into fences and keeping his stride consistent. Grids.
4. Grids are a good way to build timing and rhythm and muscle while keeping the jumps very small and unimposing.
5. I need to get better at pacing off and setting up grids. Because I suck.
So I set up two fences (12″ x-rails) about nine feet apart and put a placing pole 9′ in front of the first fence. And then we cantered through that a couple of times, it was totally fine. We cantered through on the left lead. We cantered through on the right lead. Fine.
I hopped off and set up two more fences, so that I had a series of 4, plus a placing pole, spaced 9′ apart. And I rode that in both directions, on both leads, and it was fine. Cantering into it, fine. Cantering out of it, fine. Cantering out of it and making the turn and hopping over some other cross rail not in the grid line, also fine.
I raised the last x rail in the grid to a vertical (not very big, probably 18″) and did it on both leads in the “vertical at the end” direction and that was also fine.
9′ for bounces might be a little short for Bird -- it felt a little tight -- but we’re working on being boing-ier and not strung out, so I figure it’ll be OK. I think we can add some height, though. The 12″ heights were not very effortful for him.
So then I went and worked on some round 20 meter circles in trot and when I got them not sucking in trot, we cantered. They sucked in canter but we did them anyway.
And that was my day of working on my fear issues. It was lovely and warm out. The lilacs are blooming.