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| Freddie: becoming an expert walker |
Last Friday, I rode Freddie in the outdoor arena for the first time since she had her meltdown. Richal had set up a dressage-sized arena within the outdoor, so I was able to keep to Freddie contained (sort of). I was really proud of her- she didn't act like a fool! She walked relatively calmly and halted quietly several times.
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| What a sky over the barn! |
Freddie had her hooves trimmed and her missing shoe replaced on Tuesday. Yesterday morning, I headed to the barn bright and early to see if Freddie remembered how to trot.
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| Maybe bell boots will help. |
I stuck my running martingale on her mostly to see if it'd help me emphasize half-halts, which Fred typically ignores. We headed to the outdoor arena, where the dressage arena was still set up. Freddie walked quietly for about five minutes, then started jigging anxiously. I tried my best to sit quietly and stay relaxed; I gave her a half-halt any time she moved faster than a walk. Freddie escalated from jigging to pogo-stick trotting. I pushed her forward into a real trot. She flailed and went faster. I half-halted. She started the most awkward canter ever. I grabbed the breastplate's handy neck strap when I felt her hump up her back; fortunately, she was just performing a very uncoordinated flying lead change. (Yay?)
We eventually settled down and onto a 20-meter circle. After she walked quietly in both directions a few times, I asked for a trot. There was minimal zooming, and for the most part, she trotted her smooth and slow trot. I circled her maybe three times each direction and called it quits.
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| You will be a sporthorse. |
7 comments:
At least you ended on good note. Freddie is quite the lady, huh?
they sure don't make it easy, do they? glad you ended on a nice note! lol and i wouldn't worry about the rude mumbling... when isabel used to jig through miles of trails (starting always at the point farthest from home, when we're alone, natch) i'd say all kinds of things to her about how useless she was... (mean me) she got over it tho :)
haha its okay she probably didn't hear you :P
Freddie is something, that's for sure. Sometimes I think "This horse is going places!", which is almost immediately followed by "At a very, very high rate of speed ohmygodhelp"
They definitely don't make it easy; I like to think rude mumbling makes it easier (for me, at least)!
Maybe she's deaf...she didn't bat an eye when one of the barn dogs was killing a bird last week!
Don't you dare disparage her parentage! If you continue, I will have to unfriend you, on Freddie's behalf and for myself. And that will make things very awkward around the barn, don't you think? It's not her fault that she was bred to gallop a long way and not canter. Trotting, cantering, and half-halting don't win races! You'd better apologize to Fred when you see her later today.
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