A great lesson

Yesterday did not start well - I had to take one of my cats to the vet after he came home with a broken leg. Unfortunately he's had to have his leg amputated because the break was so bad :( He is tough kitty though, so I have no doubts he will be fine on three legs.

Feisty relaxing before Christmas

After dropping Feisty at the vets, I went to the garden centre to pick up some shavings for Tartines bed.

Tartine, bless her, has a propensity to gain weight right around her barrel, and despite her being in a decent amount of work at the moment she is looking very rotund

Tartine in March 2015

So, stage one is to replace her straw bed with shavings.  She doesn't eat much of her bedding, but I don't think the high lignin fibre agrees with her... so as of yesterday afternoon she has... 

Tartine's new bed 28 Mar 2015

After all that, I had my first lesson of the day - 30 mins with Blitz. He amazes me every time I work with him, as he just seems to improve every time. 

Yesterday he stood brilliantly while I was tacking up, and didn't fuss when I put the bridle on.  He lead brilliantly around to the school, and was also brilliant when we did our "listening check" which is some walk/halt transitions on a long rein.  It may be cheating be we always start on the left rein as it is the easy way, just to establish nice work.  And he did work really well - stayed out on the circle, maintained a nice contact without leaning and with a nice soft head/neck position - even while travelling around the school.  The right rein is much more difficult, and he can have some major strops - but I'm getting much better at anticipating them and heading them off at the pass, so we only had two stops yesterday, no attempts at tanking off, and we kept our front feet on the ground.

After 20 mins we had a break while I sorted out a step, and I got on him (for the 2nd time ever).  This was only the 4th time he's ever been sat on, and to mount he is absolutely perfect.  My instructor just stood at his head while I arranged the step next to him (well, I'm just 5' and he's 16hh, no way can I get on from the ground, I'm just not that flexible!), got my foot in the stirrup and got on. He didn't even take a step.  Then he was encouraged to walk in a circle, while I held onto the reins (and a mighty chunk of mane so I didn't ever catch him in the mouth).  We practiced walk and halt transitions for 5 minutes, and then I got off - and again, he didn't budge.

I then had a bit of a break while waiting for my lesson Tartine

My lesson on Tartine was great - very hard work for the pair of us, but great all the same.

As there was a 40x20 area marked out along the barn wall we kept to that, and it is strange how it feels so small now, when that is all we had before the enlargement. It certainly feels small to canter in! We did a LOT of lateral work, and after the first 5 mins in walk, the entire lesson (a part from breathers) was done in trot and canter.  We worked a lot on mobilising the hind quarters and the shoulders separately, so chasser les hanches and sortir les epaules was on the menu. First one, then the other on both hands, then changing between the two along the barn wall.  Lots and lots of hard work, but by the end of the exercise we did manage really well, the pair of us.

Exercises au galop was another matter all together :/ My hands are too fixed, and far too ready to pull back, so I ask for the transition and I immediately ask for a downward transition, which means we aren't getting anywhere.  Unfortunately Tartine is starting to anticipate this, so even when I have all of my aids, and post correct, she'll do one stride then come back to trot.  So yesterday was all about getting the canter and then maintaining it.  It wasn't pretty.  It did involve a lot of sweat (some of it nervous), swearing and leg flapping.  We couldn't keep to the track (my balance issues again) but we did get there in the end.  Of course for me, any more than a side or two is a step up in confidence, and it's getting better and better every week.

I have discovered I have a new issue... using my schooling whip. Now when I learned to ride in Switzerland, it was part and parcel of my normal riding equipment, and I could use it proficiently.  Then along came Pinto who was so terrified of any type of whip I didn't ride with one for 8 years. Now I'm finding I just need that little bit of extra help with Tartine, and I'm nervous about using it in case she over reacts.  She's a mare, and doesn't like to be "told", so the first time you give her a tap she will hunch and tail swish. She is quite reactive, and will only need telling once - so working on hunches in, just giving her a small tap '"a bit more angle to your haunch please" will cause her to grump, but you won't need to ask again.  A tap to enforce the canter aid does tend to have her anticipating canter at every corner or change in balance, but she isn't strong with it, just a bit too keen. - And the big thing for me was I didn't have a nervous breakdown when she was anticipating and bouncing... bonus!

I now have some time off work, so I'm hoping to ride more than once or twice a week... if my muscle aches subside ;)