Pro was very good for his last ride before his Christmas break. I was hoping to get out today to ride (can we say gorgeous weather?) but I think my preparations for Christmas have gotten in the way. Last night was a good way to end anyway.
During Kate's lesson we asked Gayle about how long developing self-carriage takes (typical horse with typical training and typical gaits: 1 year) and what age she thought Pro was in each of his gaits (5yo walk, 5yo trot, 3yo canter). I think Pro is determined to develop self-carriage in record time. Last night was my first night attempting the poles and while Pro's caught on that he shouldn't chip at them, he wasn't really working as hard as he could have at them. I blame myself, it'd been a week since I rode and I know various parts of my body were all out of whack.
I gave up on the poles for the day and just worked on my 20m circle getting myself readjusted. Pro of course was all like "FINALLY!" when I got my seat bones even and pointing down, shoulders and hips open up front, toes wiggly to avoid squishing him, contact on the outside rein, less contact on the inside rein, etc etc. Took it up to the trot and he was very forward, still round, but he had a little more impulsion than he normally does, so he kept throwing himself off his balance. He was very cute, he'd start to get all panicky about where his feet were until I'd loosen the inside rein so he could chase the bit and then he was like "oh! I have it!" and get super proud of himself. We also progressed from just our normal 20m circle to figure-8s and then to serpentines for a little bit just to up the difficulty a smidge. He handled it like a champ. So then I asked him to try the poles at a trot and he just thought he was the most amazing horse ever for trotting over the poles. No chips, nice steady rhythm... I'll admit it, I thought he was the most amazing horse ever as well.
The funny part about the ride was after he really got going I'd look down and be surprised by how close the ground looked. He had so much power you'd think he was bigger. And... I totally just busted myself for thinking bigger = more power. Big Horse at the barn proves that's not necessarily true.
Anyway, I may give an update on my mom's Arab (and post pictures for comparison purposes) but if not, Merry Christmas everyone!
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7 comments:
Let me tell you, big does not equal more power! Hobbes makes Skate look like the energizer bunny. Little Skate can spring off the ground like nobodies business! Boing!
Prometeo cracks me up. What a funny name...I hope to hear that you showed under that name one day. It sounds very FEI-ish - you know how they always give the fancy horses those grand names like Mythilus. Ha.
I think I might show under Drama Llama. Set the bar low : )
Anyhoo, your ride sounds fabulous. It's nice to have a good ride before giving the horse a break - it makes it seem more justified.
Gabby you make me laugh - TAF Prometeo is actually his registered name! Prometeo is Italian for Prometheus, who according to Greek mythology, stole fire from Zeus and gave it to the mortals. Fitting, huh? ;) I'm glad you think his name sounds fancy!
I'm most proud that Pro is starting to realize when things aren't "right" and he's asking Andrea to fix him. :) He's come so far!
What a good Pro-pony! (Or rather Prometeo!)
Glad you had such a great ride! It's always nice to end on those, especially right before a long break!
yay, Pro. Im glad you had a good ride.
I didnt know his name was from Prometheus. It IS very fitting.
Prometeo is an awesome name for him! ...and it does sound fancy! I'm glad you had such a great ride! Pro really has come a long way!
Sounds like a GREAT ride! We will be reading about your FEI rides soon enough!!
Big definitely doesn't equal more power! Short-backed "little" Huey (I still think it's funny that I consider 16.3 short!) definitely out-power's giant Surf. It's all in how they use themselves!
now if the big horses ever learn to really use themselves, watch out :)
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