Today bareback canter (in baretek pad) felt the strongest ever--4 laps (2/3 mile) and although I thought unconfident thoughts a few times, physically I felt strong and it just felt like we were cantering not "oh my god its a scarey bareback canter--be careful eliz you might fall." Also I didn't have any issues with Try wanting to drop gait--really riding it on my balance point with relaxed legs helped. In the corner tracking right, Try was heavy on her forehand as usual but even that did not feel bad. However, if she had made a sudden sideways move, I would have grabbed mane and held on with my legs.
Also the round pen was moved to the ring which will make for added fun. Now I will have an enlarged back paddock for play, plus a 50' round pen for other stuff.
The heat--its bad. I did take a wet towel to the ring and mopped our sweat a couple times. I may even take a little cooler with ice and water to drink next time--hmm maybe put the towel on the rail somewhere so we can cool off without my dismounting. But I still don't plan for anything strenuous in the way of a ride after ??10am until the weather cools.
Try and I also had catch me game over figure 8 liberty again. I have been thinking today that, although I like the nurture/power up dual approach, that Try is likely to test my dominance always in various ways.
I did feel she was soft and sweet 2/3 to 3/4 of the time today and I was softer myself--kept thinking about adopting the soft nurturing frame of mind and relaxed body and have nice physical contact especially in zone 1. Powering up is becoming more a habit now also and I had moments of laughing joyously when she took off at a canter and the catching game was on.
No comments:
Post a Comment