Video Lesson #17: Angel

Well this is the one where I am idiot and did not get my girth tight.  So the weird cut out around 6:15 is due to cutting out all the fixing and what not.  I was so proud of him for not dumping me.  He was obviously confused, but stopped and stood there like a champ.

My Initial Thoughts:

Right from the beginning something felt funny with the saddle and it should have clicked in my brain.  I wanted to start off in the walk and try to get him thinking about stretching down and out instead of his typical up and curled.  The squeaking you hear is the new bit which drives me crazy, so if you have suggestions on how to make a bit stop squeaking please let me know.  He wasn't really getting what I wanted, so I decided to move on and come back to it later.

I still need to slow the trot down a hair and I stayed on the circle for too long.  I should have swapped directions earlier.  I do feel like he is letting me put my leg on more without getting over reactive to it.  I can really use it to ask for some bend without having a rocket launch forward.  He felt really locked to the left.  I think that instead of giving in the shoulder he is bracing it and then doing weird things with his neck to bring his head inside.

I was a little discombobulated by the whole saddle sliding thing and I wasn't as focused after that.  I honestly had no idea how much I had cantered or what exercises I had or hadn't done when I was done with the ride.  I need to remember to bring my focus back with me.

Also, in the canter I felt something funny with his hind end a few times.  I am not sure if he slipped or if he was trying to trot behind and canter in the front or what.  One of these is at 7:11, his inside hind does something funny.  The more I stare at it, the more I get all weird about the way his left hind looks in the canter.  Maybe I just need to get him standing up straighter, instead of the wheelbarrow look we have now.

At 12:13  I didn't realize he had picked up the incorrect lead.  It felt funny, but I thought it was because he was bracing.  After that we were a bit of a mess.  He was wanting to canter and I was wanting him to trot and give in the right side.

I popped the draw reins off at 26:24, because I wanted to try to do some bending at the walk to help him cool out a bit.  I am really not sure what that thing he is doing with his leg is, but he does it on the lunge line too.  I was happy that he is letting me have more control over things.  I still need to be faster on the give and take.

I did try some turn on the forehand to see how he would react to moving off my leg.  The first one is at 33:20.  He got a little tense and confused at first, but then I think he got the hang of it.  I thought that if I got him used to moving off my leg this way it would help with the leg yields.

Towards the end, I probably should have gone back to trot, but I was really trying to let him cool out and be done.  He was getting a little frustrated with me, since he wasn't sure what I wanted and if he was doing the right thing.

I am seeing places where I am not sitting square and what not, so I will try to keep that in mind.  Hopefully the four days in Florida with eyes on the ground will help nip some of those habits.  Also, I have really high hopes that the saddle issues will finally be straightened out.

D's Thoughts:


D was really happy with this video.  I actually got him on the bit and she was so excited she called me and left me a message.  It made me laugh because she sent me a message saying she was trying to talk calmly.  Overall, she said I need to memorize this video because it is my best one.  Even without the draw reins, I was getting him to give and made the correct decisions.  He was a little too forward, but we were working together and I was getting him to a good place.