Well after this winter and Yankee being handed from Grace to Lauren, he is in tip top shape and ready to rumble this season. Lauren spent a lot of time this winter giving him a much needed break from constant dressage schooling, and really just focused on keeping him happy and comfortable. She spent a lot of time legging him up for me, and for that, I am grateful!
- Lauren conditoning Yankee this winter
So now, summer is quickly barreling its way here and I have already sent my entry in for Spring Run HT on June 12-13. This will hopefully be the one of many HT this summer.
This is a bittersweet summer however, because we will be moving back to Missouri to finish up school and there are like 2 shows in Missouri that I could possibly attend. Maybe I could turn Yankee into a barrel horse....BA HA, right. But in all seriousness, I have considered the options and tossed them back and forth many times and I feel that if I am to make it in the future, I need to have a backup plan. Which is my degree.
Enough of that though, I've ridden twice since I've gotten back to Ohio, and MAN am I SORE! taking a good 7 months off riding is not conducive! I took Yanks for a hack Sunday, and yesterday trailered him to a local arena to school dressage with Lauren and one of her project horses this year.
- Some trot work to warm up
- Lauren on her Hunter, Zippy
He was a complete angel! We warmed up with some long, low circles at the trot and canter and he felt just amazing. He was truly on the bit, seeking contact and connecting through his back. I couldn't stop thinking, "if only he was this relaxed and through at shows, we'd be golden". For the main school, I decided to concentrate on mixing up transitions and practicing our halts. To get him in gear, I did figure 8's at the canter with simple changes and progressed to trotting down long sides, turning in, halting at X, moving immediately into a trot and reversing direction. We did this a few times then I switched it up by asking him to canter from the halt (which he did like a pro), canter down the long sides, turning down centerline and halting at X, repeat. After a few times of this, instead of canter from halt, I walked to C or A asked for a trot, then asked for shoulder-in or shoulder-for down the long side. He is getting SO GOOD at this! He can trot the whole long side now, it's amazing how strong he is now. But anyways, that was our workout and he was stellar. I couldn't believe it!!!
- Some very nice canter work
- Our horses are legit homo's
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