Colt's Progress

Oh, Colt. A gigantic, well-bred, destined-to-be-fancy warmblood with a somewhat bratty personality. You might be wondering what's going on with him, as my last couple of posts have centered around Gina. I'm happy to report he's alive and well- and doing pretty well.

To be honest, I'd been getting fairly frustrated with Colt over the last month or so. When I'd worked with Anne on his dressage, it hadn't gone well. He was stiff, distracted, and seemed as frustrated as I was. It was like Colt and I couldn't figure one another out. He couldn't understand what I was asking or why, and I couldn't understand why he didn't get it.

Anne and I talked about it and thought it out. She suggested we take Colt back to square one- very, very basic concepts of collection and bending at the walk and trot. Although Colt has had some professional training, it's been quite some time since he was in regular work. He's young, and I think it's reasonable to assume he's forgotten some of what he's been taught. 

Last Saturday we worked him with Anne mounted on the ever-relaxed schoolmaster Atut. Atut's presence seems to make all the horses ride chillwaves, and Colt was no exception. He was happy and quiet and worked really, really well. He was soft and supple. He moved with a free, swingy gait and had some really good moments of collection. He did well with simple bending exercises, like three-loop serpentines, 30 meter circles, and changes of direction. I was so proud of him!

Good job, Colt!

After Saturday's great ride, I planned to ride Colt before work this week. However, it rained both Monday and Tuesday, so the arena is fairly slippery. Tommorrow is supposed to be another day of sunshine, so hopefully we'll be on to ride Friday morning!