Recap Lesson 9-We Jump, We Canter!

 

For lesson 9, I asked SW if we should focus on getting a canter or habituation with other horses in the ring.  She agreed with me that canter was a bigger priority, so off we went to warm up.  After checking in with my basic position (good) and some straightness corrections for me that really impact him(also good) we started trotting over 9’ spaced poles.  And quickly found out that I can get him straight to the poles, but he thinks rhythm and forward are optional. We worked on getting a forward trot and keeping it through the poles(and eventually grid) by doing a light leg for forward at the walk, and then a clap clap with legs escalating to a tap tap tap with the whip if he didn’t respond to the light leg.  Rinse, repeat, at the walk and then the trot, mixed in with eventually making the grid 3 trot poles 4’5” spaced 9’ to a small cross rail.

Let me tell you, Cruise was not a fan.  He kicked out at the whip a few times.  He crow hopped a few times.  He tried slowing down through the grid.  He tried slowly stopping in the grid.  He tried sliding sideways out of the cross rail.  Nothing hugely traumatic, just him quietly trialing different behaviors because he really didn’t think he should have to go forward, use his back through the poles and jump the X.  After about 25 minutes of mostly flat work to get him really forward from my leg and cluck and only going to the grid when he was responsive, with lots of walk breaks mixed in, we got his first real jump and canter steps seen above.  We made a huge fuss over him and decided to call it a day, on the theory we might not get it again, and we wanted to end on a great note.

I was super pleased to have a start on canter.  It became obvious to me as the lesson went on how much I let him be a little dull to my leg all the time.  As SW said, you don’t want to make your green horse that you are riding in an open field super reactive BUT you also need to be able to ask for forward lightly and get it.  Wiser words.  Anyway, I went out the next day, set up the grid without the X and focused on getting him forward from a light leg on the flat using the same methodology.  He was much easier to convince that light leg means go with just a few leg claps and whip taps.  Then we added the poles and he was straight, rhythmic, and forward.  I had decided previously I would only add the X when he was being forward from the leg and cluck.  I popped off, built it up and off we went.  He packed me right down the middle, popped his little knees up and cantered a few steps.  We went through twice, once landing on the left lead, and once on the right.  Woohoo, we have a canter and A VERY GOOD BOY!