Yankee Gets Schooled

Yankee had a hard weekend. Week really. I think this is the first week in the 8 odd years I've owned him where he's been worked every single day. Poor guy is beat. He's not the type of horse who has/needs to be in work everyday and I usually giv ehim two days off (after hard works usually) and our system has worked out well.

We hacked, jumped, lunged and dressaged once, and then the girl who was riding him in the clinic rode him Fri-Sun.

I was nervous he'd be an asshole for the girl (lets call her C) who leased him for the dressage clinic since he'd had no days off and he is a puss about hot weather. But, he was very good :)

C is a fabulous rider who mostly does hunter/jumpers. She wanted to do the clinic to learn how dressage works because she is going to start doing larger jumpers and her father thought it was a good idea to learn.  I agreed because all jumping is is dressage with hurdles. It was her first time riding in a dressage saddle and learning the basics of the sport (inside leg to outside leg/aids). Unfortunately her horse was lame, but it worked out nicely for Yankee!

I was so so so so so nervous watching my child go around with someone else. We are connected telepathically, I swear, and he is very much a classically trained dressage horse and goes on outside aids for the most part. Hauling on the inside rein does nothing but flex him and communicating that to new riders gives me anxiety.

Learning turn on the forehands with dressage aids

C did a GREAT job with the pone, picking up the outside aids quickly and even when Yanks got nervous about leg yields right in canter and got a bit weird, she kept her cool and remained soft. Loved watching her ride. Very gorgeous and proper.

They mostly worked on leg yeilds the first and getting Yankee round, with outside aids since she was new to dressage. I think Yankee was a little confused at first but he finally settled and worked through it like a good pone.

I absolutely love this picture of those two!

Looking very engaged and uphill!

My dressagh poneh <3 br="">

I loved how the clinician thought he was a WB because he was "so fancy". Laughed a little and told her nope, hes an OTTB. I was proud during that moment since I've done all his training myself. Gotta love that. Got a little chastising because he's 11 and still doesn't have changes, but hey, thats another story.

Hot  boy was hot in the hotness.

The second day they worked even more on roundness and throughness form behind, connecting the back to front with the same aids. I'm very glad the clinician drilled this because this is how he is trained, and SO MANY PEOPLE think dressage is all hand. It is NOT. It is not a headset, but an acceptance of the bit, from back to front. Sure, you can get away with a cute headset sometimes, but if you get a REAL judge, they will nail you for it. (One of my biggest pet peeves, seeing riders ride from the inside hand only to get the "head down").

I wish I could've watched, but I worked a double. Her mom sent a few pics and said she had more fun the second day than the first, YAY!

Ham

She said he was very good, did his carrot stretchies. gave him his beloved bath and put him in front of the fans. Very glad he got that experience!