River

River

Making the time that it takes

Posted on June 1, 2015 by horsegirlonajourney

I played with River the same way today as yesterday, with Liberty to warm up and then Freestyle. I tried hard to remember to lift the rein up instead of pulling it out, and the weave was really good for helping me do that. River got into the tighter weave today and booked along (for a given value of “booked along”). We practiced a lap or two of trotting but mainly focused on getting that nice forward walk.

For Rocky’s session, I put a cone on the gate latch and stuck the carrot stick with bag into it. We played various games, mostly involving Rocky squeezing under the bag. The breeze quit almost as soon as I had the bag secure so that made it a little easier, although I wouldn’t have minded some movement. When it was time to advance the game. I used the purple flag in a cone on the ground, to create a side-to-side squeeze in addition to the above-the-head squeeze. As he advanced through the game he earned many cookies and we ended the evening with some undemanding time, during which he mauled the plastic bag that the cookies came in. This was session 5 of our planned 7, and I’m back on the road for work tomorrow so he’s got until Friday to contemplate his ever-growing bravery!

Categories: Freestyle, Leadership, River, Rockstar | Leave a comment

First canter on River

Posted on April 18, 2015 by horsegirlonajourney

In a recent lesson, Erin really helped me find my “center” at the trot, by having me lean way forward (and post) and then lean way back (and post) and then be “in the middle” — and I could feel the difference in River’s body when I was in the right place. By putting myself in the wrong place, I was able to find and maintain the right place. Which, as it turns out, is where I’ve been most of the time, for the past couple of months.

By the end of the lesson, I felt so in tune with River, and so happy, and her happiness, that it just felt right to try a canter. I visualized us lifting into the canter at a barrel and then cantering together… which happened! But I hadn’t visualized us going smoothly around the corner, and I hadn’t remembered that I could trust River to steer herself around the corner, and I felt River visualizing going to the rail and stopping rather suddenly. So I looked up and sat down and did that.

And Scott — all unbeknownst to me! — got it on video.