Team Tortoise

 So... today Lyric made good choices. LOTS of good choices. And a few not so good ones. Ha ha!

It was windy today, but sunny.  Late this morning (because yay... free day off work for some reason! Oh.. because we were supposed to be at Hunting Island but sadly...we're not) I went to pull their neck covers off. It was still chilly and windy but the sun was warm. I got Fleck and Funny naked and then went to pull Lyrics neck cover. She let me come up to her and then after I undid the first strap she thought she should run off because I might decide to ride her or something. So she started to move off. I tried to stop her and she plowed on ahead so then I yelled at her as she took off. Well.. dingbat... her neck piece was hanging off the side and scared her. Ha ha. Serves you right missy! She ran around a bit and I just ignored her. Luckily Dan made a good life choice and didn't join in so I was able to grab him and pull his clothes. I put their blankets back in the barn and by then Lyric had decided to come back and she let me catch her again and take her neck cover off completely. And then I decided she could have her blanket off too as it was probably warm enough and she behaved. Good girl! 

 

After I worked Dan and grabbed a bagel for lunch I went out to catch Lyric for a ride. They were in the far corner and she started to walk away when she saw me. For a minute I thought she was going to run. I think she did too. She thought hard about her life choices. I had cookies though, so... she let me catch her. GOOD girl! I gave her lots of head scratches and the cookie and then as we walked to the barn, she got two more cookies. So we loaded up and headed to Ashland. 

 

We met Kelli and Marvin and Kelli let me try the Emril bit again. She immediately started out much softer in the bridle and not inverted and hollow today. Yay! However, as we picked up the trot she was a little bit hollow. I do think she likes this bit, but I'm not 100% sure she likes it any better than her old bits. But she definitely likes it better than the other bits we tried. And today was a spooky day as there was a lot of wind. But she tried. We had a lot of really good moments but it wasn't exactly how I wanted it. It's frustrating because I feel like in order to get her to not be hollow or inverted or braced, I have to take SOOO much contact until she gives.. then I can ride her into the connection, and she starts to at least not hollow her back and be "on the bit" but I feel like I have to ride backwards to do that. I feel like I'm not able to push her into the bridle so much as I'm pulling her down into it. Granted... once I get her there, I can soften and send my hands forward and I will get a nice lovely soft connection... for a very short time. Then it falls apart again. And it's soooo tenuous. Especially going to the left. So we did that for a bit. And towards the end of our ride.. I was able to get a softer connection overall and didn't have to ride quite as backwards. It's all so tenous though. I had to be sooooo precise. Tracking left I have to post hard left (and I know I need to turn my shoulders to the leftand sit into my left seatbone and sink into my left leg, but it's hard man!), and keep my right rein against her neck and I have to keep dropping the inside rein. Repeatedly. Because she's hanging on it. And sometimes when I drop it, she turns right off the circle. And she's falling in with her haunches and falling out with her shoulder. BUT... when I lift my chin, post left, push against her neck with my right rein, use my inside leg and almost try to leg yield her out, and give the inside rein... we do get some really nice moments! Like really nice. She's soft, even in the connection, bending her barrel, pushing with the inside hind, and starting to lift her back. But it doesn't last long. But hey, at least we're getting it now. It's much easier going to the right, but I still have to continually drop that inside rein. We finished our ride with a few nice circles (with a few bobbles but mostly good) at the trot. I really need to do more cantering with her, but it's just so hard to get her into the nice connection that it's hard to do as many transitions as I need. We did work a little bit on her little baby "lengthens' to help encourage that inside hind. She and I are both getting better at communicating. I don't have to be so loud and she doesn't have to be so dramatic. 

 

Afterwards we went for a little loop around the lake. Marvin was SOOOOO slow today. Like one step at a time slow. So Lyric was moseying and snacking. She did spook at something in the woods but it was a jump and land rigid spook and then she froze and looked. And then was fine and carried on. Okay... you know what... for a 4 year old OTTB chestnut mare on a cold day with 12-18 mph winds.. I'll take it. Good girl. As we headed to the lake I saw the hanging log and the open oxer coming up. I asked Kelli if Marvin would care if we jumped it and she said no, so we trotted to it. As we got closer I realized that the hanging log wasn't a teeny little jump. I mean... sure, it's beginner novice size. But we haven't done any XC since RRP.  In October! And I was in the dressage saddle. And of course.. she stopped. 3 times. Sigh. But then she did it. Awkwardly so then we did it again a little braver. Whoops. But she did it. And she wasn't stupid about it. Good girl. So we headed on around the lake and then came up on the other log on the ground on the other side of the lake. She jumped that one albeit awkwardly. But at least it wasn't a stop. We came back at it again and this time she actually seemed like she was looking forward to it. Good girl! 

We carried on and did the hills and then came to a small little "creek" at the beaver dam. It was just that little shallow spot in the trail that had filled with water. She said nope. And threatened to spin and bolt a few times. Kelli offered to go first but I told her to give us another minute. And within 30 seconds Lyric jumped over it. A little extra, but okay. Good girl! Then she felt all proud of herself and marched the rest of the way home. 

So yep. A few bad decisions today but lots of good decisions. Yeah girl.. make good choices!