5/30/2013

Testing Harley's knowledge, and my education.  Longed him for only a few minutes in the side reins.  It became apparent quickly that he was ready for me on board, and not chasing him in circles.

Rode a lot of walk at the start, lots of serpentines.  Lots of bending and stretching.  He was bending right, fighting left.  I got a little submission, asked for a few leg yields with decent results. 

Worked up to trot, and after a little while circling and turning, I asked him to step up the energy.  It got a little better.  I am seriously considering pulling out the pointy stick spurs just one time, see if I can't wake him up a little bit.  I started to think about some canter, when I saw a momma doe and two fawns in the pasture.  You gotta be kiddin' me!  I shoo'd them, well, sort of.  Momma went the way I wanted her to.  The fawns ducked into the trees.  crap..

So I hurried up & rode Harley three times each way over the canter distance in TL#1.  He fought that bit HARD going left, but was polite going right.  Okay .... interesting.

Back to trot work.  I rode the 3 circle pattern over trot both ways, and asked him to lengthen on the straight-aways.  Good results.  Asked him to stretch out down the diagonal for a direction change, and he really got moving.  Super! 

I saw the fawns squirt out of the trees away from the arena, so I figured that was a good time to try out the 3 circle pattern at canter.  He was much better.  One gait break going left.  I did learn something though... I am used to sitting deep and driving with my seat at canter to ask for more.  I found myself sitting super tall and almost driving from the front of my seat at canter-right.  I wasn't having to add a lot of leg, and I wasn't having to spur at all.  I tried the same thing at canter-left, with good results.  While still fighting the bit some, Harley was moving out without a lot of pressure. 

Note to self.. need to try that at the trot, see what happens.   

I rode him a while longer at the trot, asking for some straight lines, and some more energy.  I got some big trot (okay, big for Harley), and called it a day. 

Definitely more canter than we've been riding, but he seemed to be good for it.  :)  His breathing recovered at the end of the ride in the walk-out about as quick as mine did.  Fabulous.