Beautiful Day

Riding High

On Tucker, you can't help but ride high. He is nearly 17 hands (a bit over 16.3 by the stick)

I worked again on my seat just being tall and vertical. I decided to stay in the ring as it was cool and very windy when I started. I rode training level tests 1 & 2 just for something to do and then invented a complex first level test to incoporate all the movements into one mess of a pattern. Tucker took it all in stride. I did discover that I could correct his crookedness in places by just sitting more correctly myself, so that was a plus. The trot lengthenings were not great, but the canter lengthenings were really nice and the downwards back to working canter were wonderful.

The biggest issue we have is going from the walk on a long rein back to working walk. As soon as I pick up the reins for more contact, Tucker wants to jog. If I correct him too much, he gets irritated and loses all his forward. I need to figure out what it is that I do to encourage the problem. I may be tensing my seat or somehow sending the wrong signals.

Toby and I did go out on the trail, as he is OK in the wind. We rode all the way back to the flooded area and I am sorry to say it is as bad as ever. A streambed is carved through the farm field, and water is well into the woods. It has been three years of fighting over this with Township government, developers, and the State's Department of Environmental Protection, all to to avail. Good thing I had a nice ride. Otherwise I would be totally disgusted.

I long lined Chance again. What worked really well was veeing the inside rein to give him something to bend on and using a good, consistent outside rein. Once I settled him into actually believing that he had no option but to do some work, he gave me some nice trot and canter on both reins. I intend to long line him for two weeks or so, until he steadies up on the bit. Part of it is baby horse balance issues and the rest is baby horse confusion about just how to accept the bit. I started both Toby and Tucker on the lines, and with Toby in particular, it made an incredible difference once I started to ride him.

I think, too, that Chance is still growing. Hard to tell how he'll wind up, but he is a cutie no matter what. I call him Chancypants, or Pants Man, just because.....