Almost Spring Update

 

This about sums up current events.  Happy but muddy and hairy.  We've had one of the coldest winters in a while with some extended periods of sub zero temps.  Mixed in with some warmer days and quite a bit of rain.  Needless to say, the farm is a mess and Jet is very muddy, but oh so pleased that the grass is turning green.

Both boys are doing well and I'm really happy with how Jet is holding up at 23.  The flexions and in hand work 3 or so times a week seem to suit him and (knock on wood!) his TMJ seems to be doing well.  I've also added in a bit of Legerete lunging and will continue to increase this as the weather allows.  Lots of tricks and treats for him since he is the best boy and loves that stuff.  He is particularly fond of smiling!

I don't have any current shots of Cruise in work but he is going just super.  We've been back to weekly lessons for about a month and I'm really pleased with how much he has progressed with hit and miss training and riding around the horrible weather and questionable footing.  LM commented on our first lesson back after a couple of months off, that he was more flexible on his harder side and basically, that we'd improved during the heart of winter, which surprised her.  I give all the credit to the School of Legerete system.  Just adding in the flexions and in hand work on days too nasty to ride, plus lunging in the Legerete way has added so much to my training possibilities.

In a couple of weekends we're riding in a 2 day clinic with Pippa Callanan at LM's facility.  Excited to learn and refine techniques and hopefully I'll have some media to share.

Stay dry and enjoy almost Spring!

A Little Gem on a Wintery Day

I can’t remember where or on what account I found the following.  Just a random screen shot I found scrolling my photos.  Facebook I think, but I couldn’t find the attribution.  

Stop trying to calm your horse, instead let your horse train you to become calm.

Every time your horse offers a try, a soften, or a willing response, that is your cue.  Not to ask for more.  Not to correct.  Not to push on.

It is your cue to regulate yourself.

You breathe out.  

You drop your shoulders.

You let your body soften.

In that moment your horse is teaching you how to settle your own nervous system.

Over time, your horse learns that when he offers calm, a calm nervous system comes back to him.  That feedback matters as much as pressure or reward.

It becomes a loop.

Your horse offers calm.

You respond by settling.

That settling feeds back to him.

Round and round it goes like a wonderful infinity loop.

I’ve been playing with this.  It’s harder than it seems but the results are kind of amazing.

Looking Forward to 2026

 

Just back from a fabulous trip to Amsterdam.  The canals, the architecture, the museums.  We walked and walked(and ate and ate!) and had the best time.

Now it’s time to think about 2026.  While I’m not going to set hard and fast goals, I have some things I’d love to accomplish in the new year:

*continue training Cruise with LM as often as possible-something like weekly or biweekly 

*start working in LM’s outdoor ring, with all the distractions it offers, in the spring 

*continue exploring The School of Legerete, through LM, but also educating myself from other sources

*clinic Cruise with PIppa Callanan in the spring and fall 

*do some Dressage Show Online tests with Cruise-maybe at Second Level but we’ll see

*improve Cruise’s field lunging and riding

*continue exploring the Legerete in-hand work and flexions with Jet(which he has really taken to)

*possibly lightly ride Jet if he continues to do so well with the Legerete dismounted work

So, I think that will keep me busy!  What plans and goals are on your 2026 list?  Wishing you and your ponies a happiest of New Years!

Flexions and In-Hand the Legerete Way

 

The flexions are integral to The School of Legerete.  This VIDEO is very representative of how I have been taught the flexions and it’s also kind of cool since it is shot from various angles.  Cruise is getting pretty solid on these.  We’re working on being a little higher in lightness, better neck extensions, and having his right flexion match his left.  We’re getting close and it’s been amazing how much this has helped his under saddle work.  From the saddle he is so much more able to bend evenly, lift his shoulders, and rock back-all from static work!

The in-hand work is not static and I would say of lunging, flexions, and in-hand, it’s the one we find most challenging to do correctly.  An excellent video HERE does a really good job of demonstrating how I have been taught.  We’re starting to get the shoulder-in correctly and then we will start more trot work.  Between this and straight line lunging I’m really feeling the burn!

I love how in Legerete the aids and exercises for the lunging, flexions, in-hand, and riding all tie in together.  I’ve been amazed by how little of my lessons with LM are under saddle. Maybe 10 minutes out of 60?  Cruise feels like a different horse for those 10 minutes though, balanced, forward, and light.