Sunday, December 18, 2011

Coaching out the brace

I put a ride on Ellie, first time wearing a saddle. She did quite well and I made it short.
Ride and play with Oso! Jen came over and we played with her gelding. I put a ride on him so she could see how I'd handle things. I tried to soften his "go", but using an effective phase 4 after lightly applying my leg and giving him the forward feeling. He responded with a kick out a few times, but he quickly got the idea that forward was a good option and kept me quiet. I also worked on softening his neck with serpentines and snaky bends.

Jen and Oso then spent some time in the arena and she tried to apply my methods. She could already feel a good difference in her horse. She just needs to raise her expectations of him and she'll do great.

After that, Jen rode Gem for a few minutes. I wanted her to feel what I'd developed with him. He was quite dull when I first started developing him but he's become very soft and willing. I'm proud of him.

I then did a short ride on Gem to show his knowledge. The footing was sloppy and he was taking very short strides, but he felt great.

We had a fun day of growing and feeling horses. Loved it!

Jen has asked that I write about brace and I hope to get that done soon. I think I've become more skilled at removing brace over the years and I hope I can get something in black and white that may help someone else.

No comments: