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Gracie-  Canter work was surprisingly good this morning.  She had half-pass, nice down transitions, good collection, and flying changes without stress.  I even tried for sequentials, but failed.  Trot work was ... okay.  I am feeling weak and that is causing issues.

Pico- ditto.  Canter work was really good.  He had a working canter on a fairly loose rein.  Up transition was fabulous on right and reasonably good on left.  Prompt at the least and uphill.  Downs were not as good -- I need to work on keeping his trot moving and I need to stop sitting the trot because it's a lot better when I rise.  Trot work tended towards rushed when I didn't rise.  Leg yields were more balanced though and his shoulder in was awesome in both directions.  We tried a training level test and were much much better than last time.  I almost have steering and I have better transitions.   If the trot wasn't rushed (especially after the canters) it would be a pretty good test.

Have to say it is nice to get back into the arena. :^)

X Lazy F

Spent last week at X Lazy F Ranch on Black Mesa with horses, dogs, family, and friends.  Lots and lots of trail rides:

Heading home from Curecanti Rim.

Curecanti Rim at dusk, Black Canyon in distance.

Gallop Track above Mesa Creek

San Juans in the distance.  Ski hill below Porcupine road.

Trail up from Power lines, Sutton Corral trail.

Pico de Oro

View from Sutton Corral Trail

Pico de Oro

Gracie

Rode Gracie yesterday (and played in the water with Pico at Platinum on Tuesday).  Loop plus lots of C-W-C transitions and lots of flying changes.  I really prefer to ride her in the double, but the changes are much much better in the snaffle.  Apparently there is a trade-off between changes and collection/balance.

Pico

Rode Pico this morning - around the loop and some arena time. Still working on the canter depart. It's getting very good to the right, but we miss the left lead a lot and don't have the lift into it. On the other hand, the canter itself is much more relaxed - working towards the lope concept. He still thinks he is the cutest little red horse on the face of the earth as you can tell from this pic (via Loren's Buzznet account).

Saturday, Sunday, Monday

Rode Sunday/Monday.  Sunday Lindsay K rode Gracie -- lots of canter-walk-canter transitions.  Ended Sunday with a 4H meeting - worked on pattens.  So today I rode the Western Riding Level 2 test (w/ simple changes) - Gracie was very nice.  She just wants to get behind the bit when I collect her for an up transition.  No changes bcz she was in the double.  Too much tense.

Around the loop with Pico today and then a few canter transitions in the arena to wrap things up.

Saturday it was windy in the am, so I was a wuss.

Jumping with Jenny at Platinum

Took Pico to Platinum today for a lesson with Jenny (on Pete).  We started with a gymnastic -- 4 trot poles to the flower boxes, then the flower boxes became a cross rail, then added a bounce to a vertical, then added a second bounce to a big cross rail, then added a one stride to a big cross rail.   Really fun and Pico pretty much took everything in stride.  He wants to bulge into my left leg (surprise!), so I need to use a lot more left leg than I typically do.

After all that Rochelle put together the three jumps along the top fence line -- trot in over the sunflowers, then 5 canter strides to the natural and 6 after that to the blue and while oxer.  Once that was better she added  a vertical across the diagonal and then the gymnastic after that.  The vertical was scary and I needed more leg the first time, but after that rode well.  I still can't manage to canter across the top of the arena and turn downhill still cantering.  I need more leg to make that happen.  

The vertical was 2'6 to 2'9 and the three in a row were approaching that height, so we are getting close to beginner novice without causing Pico to stress.  He's very brave and in enjoying himself in these lessons!

Rode Gracie too!

At lunch, when it was still cool even!  Lots of changes and some trot half-pass. Two horses in one day - life is good!

New Shoes

Spent my ride time holding everyone for the farrier yesterday.  Pico has fronts for the first time ever.  He was very well-behaved as long as Lindsey and I played with him and kept him busy. 

Rode him this morning - canter departs, tried a training level test and realized my steering is still ..  not overly exact. :^)

Rode Gracie Tuesday evening -- lots of flying changes.  They work perfectly as long as I pay attention to her shoulders.   Half-pass left was iffy because it depends on the right rein, which is of course iffy.

Wonder Ponies

Lovely quiet ride on Pico this morning.  His canter departs are much calmer and we end up in a balanced canter some of the time instead of a mad dash on his shoulders.  No tenseness afterwards either.  Sunday I jumped at Platinum with Morgen.  We can canter the bendy lines uphill.  As long as I look at the next jump about three strides before the current jump we get the leads, bend, all.  Then there is the downhill part ....  I can canter some of the jumps, but not with a tightish circle in front of one and only if I get my balanced canter very early.  No downhill canter departs as yet.   Everything collected is going to be so much easier with Pico.  My.

Gracie is lovely also.  I've been working on flying changes.  They seem to be all about the left shoulder.  She can't change to that lead if she is leaning on her left shoulder, so right to left takes a lot (a LOT) of left rein to keep her off it.  And at the same time I am trying not to lean on the left rein and really use the right rein.  Challenging to say the least.   

Worked a little on trot half-pass also.  Had to shoulder in, the leg yield, then shoulder in to find the looseness.