Fall 2020 Goals

Really pretty much nothing has gone like I thought it would this year, but somehow everything is good, even better than good.  I didn’t make it to any horse shows for a variety of reasons including Covid 19, weather, and a slight lameness in Jet’s right stifle.  Jet is working well though at 2nd and I feel like I have learned a lot(including how to half-halt and sit up!) so I don’t feel like this was a wasted or stasis year at all.  Plus adding in the big dork baby has been fun and it’s been interesting to realize how many more tools I have in my toolbox of horse training and how much more I understand about motivation and behavior after online access to the TRT Method and the Dressage Naturally Video Classroom.  

My Fall goals are pretty simple for the Cruiser.  He’s about done everything but the under saddle portion of the TRT Method(best student ever!), hand walks quietly all over the property,  is pretty solid on free lunge voice commands w-t-c, and has had both saddle and bridle on a few times with no issues.  I’m starting to lay on him from the mounting block with the saddle on and trot him in hand with the stirrups swinging and banging.  I’d like to sit on him soon and get walk, halt, some steering, and maybe a few trots in before he gets the super cold season off except for a bit of ground work.

My YouTube videos are not embedding in my blog currently(does anyone know why?) so this slightly blurry screenshot will have to suffice, but Jet is sound after having his right stifle injected and a slow ramp back up to harder work.  God love him, he comes out every day trying his best to figure out what it is I want.  As you can see above I AM SITTING UP, his poll is high, and his hocks are engaged.  Progress has been made.  I feel like adding to the Centered Riding half-halt to matching energy has opened all sorts of doors in my riding.  All the lateral work is engaged, the halts are square and I am starting to feel the swing through his back more and more.  For Fall, I would  like to figure out better timing of the canter half-halt, improve our Mediums a bit, and video 2nd Test 1 before the cold weather sets in.  

I’m excited for the cooler Fall weather.  What are your goals for this, the best of seasons?