I rode Ace in the barn this evening and he was very cheeky. He threw in a few bucks to make it clear that he wanted to do more than walk. Nothing malicious, but definitely a bit sprightly! I managed to put him into shoulder in and then into travers and he did both really well. I got a passable attempt at half pass and then he set rigid, and I used very tight serpentines to free him up.
Then he set rigid again when I stopped turning, so I did some walk/halt/walk but that was not working. I put him into a jog and did some jog shoulder in. He did some of that really well and then started to resist yet again, but it is easier to keep him round and forward in a jog than a walk, so I kept him to the task until he had done another couple really well and then stopped. The last side was really rythmic and bouncing - very nice!
In the old days, I would have managed to turn that session into a right battle, but I'm much better these days about just dropping whatever it is that he is refusing to put his back into and doing something else.I intend to use the same strategy with Woody tomorrow. We may well be in the barn again, there is currently three inches of snow on the ground.
C
I'm sure Ace is a little frustrated in the confines of your small indoor. He is a big boy and probably wants some room to express himself. But the discipline is good for him as it's all part of essential training.
ReplyDeleteLittle bits of lateral work are great for loosening up those resistances. It should work a treat on Woody too. Good choice.