Sunday Funday

Saturday my ride started out good but went downhill as usual.  At first I was getting some nice consistent on the bit work (or at least more so than usual), but then Walker grew tired.  I worked on leg yields, and while the actually yielding part could use some work, Walker was at least giving me a nice chipper pace while doing them.

One of my main problems with getting Walker forward is that he goes forward - from trot to canter.  Once I get him to a certain point in the speed of his trot, it takes a lot of work to actually keep him trotting and for him not to decide it's easier to canter.  This is all understandable though so I try to be patient about it.

Speaking of patience - that quality I don't really have much of - I have decided that Sunday needs to be a fun day for our riding.  Not for my benefit, but for Walker's.  I can get, well, obsessive to the point of souring a horse on something.

On Saturday I intended to work gently on the bit at the beginning, then do a quick dressage test, throw in a few leg yields and go on my merry way.

Instead, I worked on the bit, did the dressage test, worked on the bit some more, worked on leg yields, worked on the bit some more, then to top it off, I decided I would work on the bit.

I know that he should be working on the bit the whole ride so this might not seem excessive, but in truth, it is a lot of work for him to use his hind end, and I can tell that he finds it exhausting when I expect it for an hour straight.  I like to beat the bejesus out of a topic for weeks on end.  I can feel myself doing it, and like a drug addict, I just can't stop.

Hence, Sunday Funday.  Sunday is in the middle of our week riding-wise, so it's a good time to just hack, all loose and limber and no pressure.

We did 10-15 minutes on the bit as a quick reminder, and I was actually more impressed with his canter than his trot. Then for the rest of the ride, he got to work on a loose rein, which makes him so much happier.

All was well until we started doing rollbacks off the wall. We got too close to the wooden pegs where people hang their coats and bridles. He threw his head up during the turn, and snapped one off. Oops. Luckily he wasn't cut or hurt. We also literally ran over a line of pylons. An entire line. It was like bowling for pylons. Coordination is not our strong suit.