Lucy and Winter Goals

But, mom, I don't want to pose for a picture.  Let's keep going.

I was able to work with Lucy a couple of times this week. Between short days, making week day riding impossible, and winter rain I figure that if I'm able to ride one weekend a month I'll be doing well. Once a month isn't often enough to warrant clipping so Lucy will be a hairy beast this winter. She's already a hairy beast for which I'm thankful. No blanket required for this girl.

I don't ride for long; I don't want Lucy to get super sweaty and then get chilled. We work until she breaks a sweat and then we stop.

Ohhh, look!  An audience over there!  Hello fans!

Lucy knows her stuff and the last thing I want to do is bore her. We always warm up long and low but then we work on reviewing something different. When my dad and his friends were here watching us ride, Lucy loved the small crowd. She nailed leg yield, shoulder in and even counter canter.

The time  before that when I rode, I worked on forward and back within gaits and my sitting trot balance. To sit the trot effectively, you have to have your hips open and moving, your knees absorbing the motion and your core strong to maintain balance. You absolutely cannot grip with your legs or hang onto your reins. I work on sitting half way around a 20m circle and then go back to rising. I can't maintain it more than that yet.

And, unless the sand is too hard, we always canter. Lucy and I love, love, LOVE to canter.

I tried free jumping her a bit over low cavaletti on Sunday, as a change from our usual routine. She popped over the poles in fine form -- her past life as a jumper was obvious. But, she didn't seem to enjoy it at all. So, we won't do that again. How lucky am I to have a talented horse that loves dressage as much as I do?!