I was going to ride Jazz out this afternoon but I was so tired after reading Mary Lou's blog about all she did today that I fell asleep instead :-)
But I did manage to school Ace and he was a doddle. There is no sign left of the fights that he used to put up when he had a sore tum, or the napping to the stables with anxiety about being away from the others.
We did some walk shoulder in, which he is taking quite some time to understand. He just doesn't "get" how to walk forwards and sideways at the same time. I have to overbend him and get him well onto four tracks, not three, before he understands, but for now that is fine. When he gets the idea of sideways more easily I can reduce the angle. I know it is harder for him with a bigger angle, but he just doesn't understand how to bring his shoulders off the track with a smaller angle, so this is a good start as long as I don't push him too hard.
I also did some walk trot transitions, which are definitely getting sharper, and some circles which are getting rounder. He is not quite accepting the bit as I would like, but it is far from being bad, just a bit inconsistent at times.
Footwise, I could hardly believe my eyes when he walked off the yard yesterday evening. After only 24 hours on the activated charcoal, he seemed a lot more solid on his feet and longer striding. He was the same today. The other thing which has changed is that he is now choosing to stand with Buttie in one of the two stables with a solid floor. Up until now, he has always either stood or lay down in his own stable which has a bed. That must be significant, surely??
C
Well, it surely sounds as if Ace's feet are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteKind of cute that he still can't quite catch on to the lateral work. I can almost see his brain processing and processing the concept as he moves along. I'm betting that once he figures it out he is going to have some wonderful half passes. He has the kind of body that looks as if it will have super flexibility once he learns how to handle himself.
The slowness to catch on to lateral work is really interesting Jean. I think it shows that he has never really learnt to balance himself, but that his rider has used speed to keep him "upright", as it were. Like you, bodywise I would expect him to find lateral stuff a piece of cake, but this is a brain thing, not a body thing. He just does not understand the concept of three track work, or of gong faster and slower within a pace. What do you reckon?
ReplyDeleteIf he needs to go on four tracks to learn, think how much easier it will be when he catches on and only has to go on three tracks. It will be a great moment when the light comes on in his head.
ReplyDeleteHope you're rested now :-)
Yes thankyou!
ReplyDeleteC