I had a day off from babysitting yesterday, so I met my trainer early to beat the heat. We worked on the same things we did last time, balance on hills and checking speed and attention going down hills without over handling the reins and getting in his way.
Going down hill I was to sit back, hold the working length steady and low, at the D-rings, and check his speed by lengthening my leg, squeezing the inside of my legs, and making a V of the reins.
We practiced it on flat ground first, and I had to correct my legs since they were moving slightly forward. They needed to truly go straight down and in line with my hips. When I squeezed with the inside of my legs, Tweed was confused and thought I wanted him to run. When I checked his speed and he figured out what it all meant, he totally got it and slowed down from trot to walk. We put it to the test on hills at a walk, and even though there was a lot of coming and going of cars and an ATV hauling a maintenance wagon, Tweed did great.
We then moved it up to a trot that began on the flat bluff above the hill, then rounded and right down the hill at the same trot. Tweed picked himself up and slowed himself down, but maintained the gait. It felt like I was floating down it since his power remained in his engine which gave him much more balance and control.
He did so marvelously well that we ended it there. Regina said it is unlikely I will be asking for him to trot down hills like that, but if he ever has to it is better that he is confident and been exposed to it. She said he is doing great and well prepared now for trail riding.
Fly away little birdies. Time to leave the nest.
That afternoon we took the “seahorses” to Lake Roosevelt to visit our favorite spot: Whitestone Rock.
I don’t have babysitting duty Monday, although there is a heat warning in effect of 100 degrees. My hope is to get up early and do a solo ride before the heat sets in.
Once this heat wave passes, we should be out of the woods and ready for lots of beautiful fall rides.
What a wonderful feeling! Here’s to cooler weather for riding!
ReplyDeleteIt was a wonderful feeling to float at a trot downhill, and entirely unexpected. I wish I could remember the mechanics of why lengthening the leg and squeezing the inside thighs checks their speed downhill. When you’re in the moment so much is going on and being said.
DeleteYou are brave. Tweed is doing so well, and with all the distractions. Fall trails are the best.
ReplyDeleteSummer family time on such a quiet beautiful lake!! Looks super fun!
I don’t think I’m brave so much as very trusting of my trainer. If she thinks we can do it, I believe her, and she’s always right. It is a good thing to practice since he likes to keep up with other horses and is likely, sometime, to break out into a faster gait down a hill to catch up. She doesn’t want him to get all excited and think it’s off to the races.
DeleteWe had several lake days last weekend to different places and we had a lot of fun!
Gorgeous lake! Is it a reservoir? Staying balanced going downhill and having your horse stay balanced too makes for confidence in him and you- happy trails, up and down!
ReplyDeleteIt is a reservoir. The Columbia River comes down from Canada and hits a dam. The lake is like 110 miles long or so. We have taken it all the way up to Canada in years past. This is the middle southern portion.
DeleteYes, balance and change of gaits can amp up their energy and get them in a flight frame of mind. We have so many steep hills on all our rides that you can’t avoid them. This work gave me new skills to help him without using my reins and interfering with his balance. It probably won’t take many rides for him to just self-collect. He was doing it really well by the end of that last lesson. I learned to support him better with a shorter, set, working length rein and long legs pushed down, rather than my bad habit of sitting back and placing them forward. Little things really do make a BIG difference! Yeehaw!