Coaster and I are taking a step back to the basics. During Bikes, Blues and BBQ I knew I wouldn't be able to make it out to the barn to ride (the perils of working at a local bbq restaurant) so I had my trainer ride Coaster several times. After her first ride on him I received a phone call that started with the following: "Wow! Now I know why you hang onto that left rein!" She saw/felt how Coaster totally tricks almost every rider to hold him up by the left rein and not touch the right rein. Instead of forcing him to hold himself up in a training/preliminary level frame as other trainers have tried to make us do, she is taking us back to the basics of flatwork. At walk, trot and canter we practice "taking his head away" with a true or counter bend until he can travel without raising his poll, including transitions.
Doing all of this we have found out that Coaster's right hind is very weak. He can barely canter on the right lead correctly and forward! The other awesome thing we have found out, is that Coaster really wants to please his rider. Everyday we work on his flatwork there is marked improvement. That coupled with gridwork once a week, his strength should be up to snuff before too long...though my left arm hardly knows what to do when I'm not holding up my 1,300 pound horse with one arm!
1 comment:
Gotta love that flatwork! Every time I find myself returning to it, it pays off immensely.
Since I've been laid up, McKinna has been getting a LOT of walk-trot work. When I cantered her the other day, she responded very very well in terms of relaxation and balance, simply for all the time we've spent getting her to relax and come on the bit at walk and trot.
Good luck with this! Hope he keeps improving.
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