Seven lessons in a day and a half!

So this is what we did   Friday evening was spent at The Jolly Frog for Ron's birthday

Friday PM

Blackberry

Turing left and right

Pooh

Good ride got some decent FDO, looked at moving sideways in canter and how to keep Pooh moving sideways and not change. Fab fab bits of trot, walk -> halt was a bit agricultural at times

Mouse (lunge)

Worked on sitting trot with Connie cushions under legs.

What was interesting was that Mouse before riding was quite tight on the right side of his back but was so much looser post riding, whilst I have always known this is possible I hadn't expected that my riding could cause this change especially given my weight

Saturday AM

Woke up early and could lie in bed and look out of the window at Pooh and Mouse grazing 

Blackberry

Worked on rising trot and going down into heels and rising from back of legs at one point had my foot in SFO's lap   

Rope round middle to test core muscles, I need to remember to look at the psoas release article

Pooh

Interesting that he was better today than yesterday we were much moree on the same page and doing things together rather than me doing things such as halt to Pooh, SFO was of opinion he came out better today because I put him away better last night, am still  that SFO could consider that my riding could improve a horse 

Got asked what I thought the schooling plan should be once we had done long rein/walk/ hlats and trot. I stated I'd now canter large and easy then see how he moved off leg in canter, then would go back to trot and sideways is trot having used canter as a warm up for lateral work in trot.

So got quizzed and failed to pass on the benefits of leg yield, SFO went off for a comfort break leaving me alone so I did some leg yield did think it was a bit quarters leading anyway SFO returned and was told my leg yield was nothing like a leg yield and that leg yield was often tuaght the way I was taught and was WRONG!  so parked Pooh in front of the white board and got an illustrated lesson on leg yield.

So onto leg yield on a circle, which is basically Erik's halt, angle, flow. So on ten metre circle halt/slow/woah move the quarters over and out then flow forwards. Found very hard to orchestrate all aids and not turn it into rein yield!

Leg yield really improved Pooh's hind leg engagement and we were off  

Break for lunch had bad news from a friend so lots of   good vibes and being sent virtually towards home for her. Felt very close to tears over it all as felt so helpless as there is nothing you can do to make it right just talk and let them know you are there but it doesn't feel like enough.

Saturday PM

Mouse (lunge)

More work on sitting trot with Connie cushions then looked at rising trot, need to rise through back of leg, however overall I am well chuffed with how much more stable my lower leg compared to how it used to be.

Pooh

Dear dear Mr Pooh started off like a slug on Prozac but soon became super speedy Poozles! So this was great but I really struggled to get this energy up and under me rather than Pooh using it for marching around the school at Mach 3. Lots of   with Mr Pooh at his new found energy!

Looked again briefly at leg yield and that was much better than yesterday  

Put Pooh out in field, packed up last stuff in house, paid up and drive home in sun via a nice piece of topside from Marston Meats

Drains and radiators

The difference between can and cannot are only three letters. Three letters that determine your life's direction.

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The Rider

Amazeballs :-)

So in the second week of my leave I went down to SFO for a lesson and a chat about Chorrie.

So SFO is in agreement he needs to be off my leg and continuing to gently gently with no escalation is serving only to reinforce that my aids can be ignored. So need to have this chat with SB and establish if we are doing gently gently because I am blocking or ?

So onto Blackberry worked on left right (twas ever thus) and on sitting on my right seat bone and lifting my left and thinking of that diagonal

Onto Pooh and my hands were all over the place so carried a whip upright in each hand and moved  onto a whip in each hand which improved things no end.

Didn't look down too much so the hand bell didn't get too overworked! Produced the best canter work I've ever managed and even SFO thought it was good so was very very chuffed.

This time last year I wasn't even allowed off the lunge now I can produce minutes of work that is considered good also an getting straighter as corrections become less extreme.

As SFO said another WOW entry for your blog  :biggrin: :biggrin:

Check Ligament Timeline

5th May 2011

Right leg Check ligament injured

4th August 2011 - pen break out

Right leg check ligament re-injured

Left leg suspensory injured 

14th September 2011

Left check ligament goes in stable

25th March 2012 - idiot livery letting horse go C got away from me

Left check ligament re-injured.

Another scan

So another scan and right leg looking good, but left leg stubbornly refusing to play ball and proceed at a normal rate.

So can do trot in school but a very little trot, he can now hack but all in walk, need to stimulate left leg to heal without aggravating it. 

Continue with icing post exercise monitor leg daily scan again in two months to see how left is responding.