more dither
Jun. 10th, 2009 08:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancing_crowRode Kaboose and Penny this morning.
Working with Kaboose is easier than Monday. She came home with her basic bitchiness unchecked - I had been working on her not making faces when I saddled and girthed her, and on Monday I got a Dreadful face and teeth snapping, so we ran over some of the ground rules with carrots and clicker and holding still. She was better today - she saw me coming at her with the saddle, and was flicking so fast between "Carrots" and "f@#kng saddle" her ears were getting whiplash. She has a lot more go than when she left, and is still tight in the back until well warmed up. I had thought that was winter, but I think it is just her. We stayed on the flat today, working for forward transitions and a niceer canter.
If Kaboose is a knife edge between exhilaration and panic, Penny is a balance between affection and exasperation. She is easy to ride almost well, and surprisingly hard to ride really well. Because she is comfortable, and straighforward, it is easy to not ask so much because it seems like she is trying. She isn't. She has perfected the art of doing less. And she is rubbing it off onyou me. We got some much better work after a handful of walk-canter transitions, and then I spent a surprisingly long time trying to get trot-canter transisions forward and smooth instead of head-shaking and jumpy. We have a long way to go.
Lunch with Al. He was pressing me to clarify what I want. I want to ride some first and second level tests. I want a horse and teacher that can get me there. We spent a long time kicking those ideas around.
Working with Kaboose is easier than Monday. She came home with her basic bitchiness unchecked - I had been working on her not making faces when I saddled and girthed her, and on Monday I got a Dreadful face and teeth snapping, so we ran over some of the ground rules with carrots and clicker and holding still. She was better today - she saw me coming at her with the saddle, and was flicking so fast between "Carrots" and "f@#kng saddle" her ears were getting whiplash. She has a lot more go than when she left, and is still tight in the back until well warmed up. I had thought that was winter, but I think it is just her. We stayed on the flat today, working for forward transitions and a niceer canter.
If Kaboose is a knife edge between exhilaration and panic, Penny is a balance between affection and exasperation. She is easy to ride almost well, and surprisingly hard to ride really well. Because she is comfortable, and straighforward, it is easy to not ask so much because it seems like she is trying. She isn't. She has perfected the art of doing less. And she is rubbing it off on
Lunch with Al. He was pressing me to clarify what I want. I want to ride some first and second level tests. I want a horse and teacher that can get me there. We spent a long time kicking those ideas around.