Back to "Normal?"

After last week's not-so-great work and a bit of a temper tantrum during Saturday's lesson, Izzy came out feeling pretty good on Sunday morning. In fact, as soon as I pulled up he started hollering at me. Because I don't speak horse perfectly, I couldn't be sure whether he was saying, come ride me or come feed me. Since his breakfast was sitting in his feeder, I am inclined to think it was the former.

He was genuinely a different horse from the day before. Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer at STC Dressage, likes to remind me that if the day after a less-than-perfect ride, Izzy is a willing partner, I am doing something right. Since I didn't fight with him on Saturday, he didn't expect to fight on Sunday. For the most part, our rides over the past six months are pretty ho-hum. Occasionally, we get some great moments, but most of the time we're just putting one foot in front of the other as we constantly strive to make the basics our strength. 

I love how much his legs, both front and back, are crossing in the leg yields.

As I watched video from Sunday's ride, I was really happy with how steady he is becoming in the movements. Here are a few clips that show his workmanlike attitude, especially in the lateral work.

As I continue to school the basics - transitions and lateral work, our performance at shows will only improve. We're still not showing anything above Training Level, but as soon as we get the show anxiety taken care of, we should be in a position to earn some really solid scores. That's the plan anyway.

​Speaking of which, we're doing a Training Level test at a USDF show on Sunday.