Emmett and I were invited by my friends in Wisconsin to come play in the snow. We went for a few days in February and had a blast! It had just snowed about 15" prior to our arrival, and the weather was beautiful for us while we were there. We experienced sledding, tubing, snow shoeing, snowmobiling, cross country and downhill skiing. So much fun! But I have to say that I was glad to get home to green grass and blooming azaleas! |
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February was a busy month for me. Right after returning from the snow trip, I loaded up Costero and headed south towards Tampa to ride in a clinic with Mary Wanless. I was way overdue for a lesson with her! Costero is the best pony ever. I have been enjoying him as my ride over the past year. He's not a talented horse but he's a special one! |
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Mary has an incredible eye for deep details. She had me working on a deeper layer of the onion concerning my left seat bone. This is something I've been struggling with, probably for the entirety of my riding. I could hold "the fix" at the walk and trot most of the time, but only some of the time in the canter and lateral work. It's always a game of "got it, lost it, got it, lost it". |
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Tiffany and Turbo The pictures above were taken just a few strides apart believe it or not. Turbo can be very difficult to ride. He has the ability to change from being way above the bit to being way behind the bit so quickly! I felt I had to include both of these pictures in order to better represent how hard a job Tiffany has. |
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Day 1 Turbo was keeping Tiffany on the defensive all the time. Horses are good at that game! She was in a defensive riding position, leg forward and tending to overuse her hands. Turbo also could be speedy or try to stop, both just more evasions to keep the rider guessing! |
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| | Day 2 These pictures are also taken just a few strides apart. No Turbo isn't magnificent yet, but he is more consistent. Tiffany is doing a super job of "Staying right in her rightness" even if Turbo tries to vary. This is hard to do on a horse who is used to calling the shots. It takes time to retrain a horse into being accepting of the aids and to maintain a steady tempo. | | |
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| | By riding proactively rather than reactively, the rider has a chance on a difficult horse. The rider has to be the one who sets the expectations and parameters. Otherwise, most horses will make poor choices on behalf of the rider. Tiffany is in much better balance over her legs, which frees her hands. This helped Turbo to feel like he could trust her hand, which steadied him, which gave Tiffany a chance to be in charge. There's still more to fix, but this was just in 2 lessons! | | |
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Upcoming Schedule Be sure to check the website for updated calendar! March 29-31 Fairhope AL April 5-7 Huntersville NC April 13-14 Havana FL April 26-28 Wausau WI May 17-19 Fayetteville GA May 31 June 1-2 Milton FL June 8-9 Havana FL June 21-23 Auburn AL Most venues are open for riders to trailer in. Contact me for more info on any date/location. Hope to see you soon! | | |
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