Monday, September 28, 2009

09/27/09 Back to the Ponies

After church and lunch, I ran home. Short time window between lunch & the football game, I grabbed Ransom.

We worked for an hour on dressage basics. Well, about 40 minutes total. Warmup was good, lunged in the center & far end to check the footing. Much MUCH better with the sun-drying time. I warmed up undersaddle with counterbending down the long sides at walk. Both neck bent towards the rail, and towards the center, both directions. He quickly started bending at the poll, realizing I'm sure that was much easier than fighting it. After a few walk transitions, Ransom got right to work, settled into some nice canter (set with plenty of trot & walk in between), and a few nice halt transitions. I kept our canter work to either all the way around, or circle on the far end, staying out of the center and out of the low circle, to keep his little brain guessing. I also didn't "canter left and quickly canter right", to get out of another habit we've formed. Cute boy even let me sit the trot a while... confusing him even more.

In good Sunday-resting fashion, we spent the last 15 minutes walking around the pasture to the right of the house. Playing in the shade. I even made him step up & walk over the pallet-bridge twice. He sure didn't want to, and walked around it a few times. His brain quickly realized he wasn't going to get out of it, and walked over it. The last time he did, it was all four feet, and with good confidence. That's when we called it quits.

Football game was good, a good watch, a crappy outcome. My team just isn't showing up this year yet - lucky break the first game, and they showed their disorganization in the second two. I'll be happy when the first-string free safety is back to work, in another couple of weeks.

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