Rode both horses!

Lesson with Frances on Gracie:

Warm-up:  changes of bend across the arena, small serpentines (about 10m).

Fan Exercise:  Down center-line in shoulder-in right, straighten, change to shoulder-in left.  She should stay forward, on the bit, round, now fishtailing of hindquarters.  That was really difficult two weeks ago, pretty straight-forward today. Go figure.  I need to really ask, not a wishy-washy ask, for the change of bend and remember to give with my new outside hand, so she has room to bend.

On to piaffe:  First we circled with shoulders in and haunches outside, then moved to renvers.  Moved whip to outside, tapped outside haunch to ask for quickened movement while maintaining renvers.  Stay seated to inside, not outside and don't twist shoulders wrong!  Gracie wanted the whip to mean move haunches inside, but really it meant come to the whip and quicken your steps.  When she figured that out and quickened, I asked her to move haunches over. In some magical way that turned into move haunches up underneath herself and piaffe.  Very very cool -- she sat, she moved her hind feet properly, she stayed round, she relaxed as soon as I relaxed.  Frances fed her a treat and of course Gracie will do anything for treats, so it was all downhill from there.  4 or 5 tries later it was only taking her a step or three of "what?" before she moved her hind quarters under her, sat, and gave me the beginnings of true piaffe.  

It amazes me that there is really no tension and she doesn't get stuck at all.  Also that a couple of treats seem to unlock her brain completely.  Nothing is difficult if there is food at the end of it I guess.

Came home and rode Pico also -- not a lot, just saddled him and worked in the snowy arena for half an hour.  Walk and trot serpentines with that change of bend.  He still wants to pop up at the change, but not really as much as Gracie even. :^)  I can shove him forwards now without a small panic attack.  He is so fat and out of shape that half an hour in the snow pretty much did him in.  

I was very pleased with is attitude though.  I think it's been 2 full weeks since he was ridden, but the horse I got on was the same horse I climbed off of after riding 5 or 6 days in a row. No flaky, jumpy, idiot behavior at all.  And I am fairly sure treats are going to be the key to his training as well.  We have a theme going here.....