Wednesday, February 4, 2015

This is what I aspire to

I wish FEI-level riding today looked more like this: lightness in the bridle, invisible aids, pure harmony.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

January videos of Clair

I can't believe it has been six weeks since I posted. It just doesn't seem that long. We've had some challenging weather on and off, and I have only an outdoor to school in, but even working two or three days a week Clair and I have been making steady progress. I'm starting to be able to collect her canter. And, as you'll note in one of the videos below, she's starting to evade up and out instead of hovering behind the bit. I'm not correcting the up and out evasion very much because I'd rather her take a strong contact and sometimes bull through, instead of not taking the contact at all. We're working on simple change through trot, shallow counter-canter loop, trot lengthenings, and turn on the haunches. My leg is less floppy but still needs tightening. We have another clinic with Suzanne May February 27 to March 1.