Long lining success

 Well that went suprisingly well! My long lines came yesterday and I had been planning to put Lyric back in her bridle to do pillar work to make sure that she was okay with contact in the bit vs just a good relationship to contact in the halter or cavesson. 

 

I brought her to the trailer to groom first since it's been awhile. She was a bit balky about walking back to the trailer. Come on girl.. it's really not that bad, is it?? I got her groomed up a bit and picked her feet and then put her bridle on. We headed up to the arena so that we could get our session in before Jean's lesson. We did the two groundpoles uphill 6 times before we went in the arena. Then we headed in and I put the equiband on. We did our pillar walks with the bit and she was fine. Then we did our backing up, which was actually better today. Then we did the tail circles and the neck wiggle and the hula and the belly lifts. Then we did the groundpole serpentine and then the raised ground pole serpentine spaced out. And I know better, but I got so frustrated because she kept knocking the pole down. Come on girl, pick up your feet!! Is it really that bad? Is it myopathy? Is it back pain/tension? Is it neuro? But seriously.. pick up your feet! Plus she was lazy and "behind my leg" which drives me bananas. Move! We have things to do! Ugh.. but I know, I know. I think I'm getting PMS'y again. Still, no excuse. After that I hooked her up to the long lines and debated doing the cavesson over the bridle, but figured.. eh.. lets' just see. So I hooked her up to the bit. I ran them through the lateral rings and sent her off. And she was totally fine. We trotted 6 minutes each way. And she was a slug. And maybe that's just her tempo, but she just looks like a navicular quarter horse to me. If you chase her, she opens up and moves out, but good gravy you have to really chase her! 

After that I took her off the long lines and we went and trotted the alternated raised poles 10 times. And she stumbled a time or two with them. Maybe it's the equiband?? Maybe fatigue. Maybe the warm weather? Maybe she just wasn't feeling it? I don't know. But it wasn't terrible. Only once or twice did she mess up and scramble. Then Jean still wasn't there for her lesson so I put the long lines back on and did another 3 minute trot each way, working on getting her to reach down and out. And she did. She spent some time a little braced and hollow, but would soften and reach. Most of our trot work was pretty decent, but she was a little bouncier in the contact than just loose. We finished with a really good circle or two and headed back home. Although we did stay and chat with Jean and Mackenzie a good bit. 

Hopefully next week Liz can help me with her. And I'll have a chat with the nutritionist about her next Thursday to see if she thinks she can help me. I still just can't decide if I'm doing the right things or making things worse or just not doing good or bad. Like... is she just broken broken? Or, are we just powering through?? I'll keep praying to God for guidance and wisdom because good golly this is hard. 

 

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