Tonight I took Daisy out to hack in our larger outdoor for a change and to get her out of the indoor. Ellen threw a halter on Loui and rode him up bareback with me just to keep me company and to give him a change of pace as-well.
I started out just walking her on the rail and changing her bend every few strides to keep her listening and focused on me even when her friends were galloping around in the field beside the arena. After a few trips around at the walk we started our trot work doing the same thing around the rail with a few circles here and there to keep her listening. We did a lot of beginnings of lengthening and leg yields at the trot while staying balanced on the hind end and round.
When we started the canter I made sure that she was put together at the walk and went right to the canter to help her stay collected and slow. At first she tried to run out of weakness but as soon as I sat up and tightened my core she slowed and relaxed while still staying in her frame. We cantered both ways doing simple chances across the diagonal at the walk until she was comfortable and soft on both directions. I made sure while I was cantering that I didnt nag at her but did a lot of half halting instead to give her a chance to react to what I was asking her to do.
In the past when doing flying changes we only did them around a course and she had always ran through them because of how weak she was. Today I wanted to keep her slow, quiet and calm so I would canter across the ring and ask for the change with my leg and reins only, no spur. If she didnt give it to me I would canter her calmly over a pole and if she changed then I would praise her. She did it every time over the pole but only once on her own from the left to right (her strong lead) and not once did she get scared or try to run.
I recently read an article in the Hunter and Sport horse Magazine this past week about having stiff arms and how the rider really effects how the horse goes. At the end of the article he talked a lot about how when riding a horse people often ask ask ask but never give the horse a chance to respond and that we need to learn how to ask the horse and wait for a response before we ask again or it will make the horse dull to the aids and unresponsive.
I thought a lot about this concept while tacking up today and I think that is what made my ride so quiet and soft. Really focusing on what my own body is doing and how it effects how Daisy goes has opened up a whole new view for me on how I influence her.
This ride that we had today is the best ride I have had on her since I bought her and I think it had to do a lot with how I rode and the fact that I did not stress her out while riding. Daisy has a tendency to get very worried while riding when she doesnt understand or do what she is asked right away. I was very careful today not to stress her out or make her worried and she was so quiet and put together you would have thought she was a pro at this flatwork stuff.
