Doing the Dance

Izzy was fabulous for my Saturday ride. I knew when I got off that there would still be tense and ugly rides in our future. I was right. The very next morning, Izzy came out of his stall with a bit of a grouchy face. To his credit though, his under saddle shenanigans were limited to a few balky moments, some grunts, and a few squeals. 

While his resistance was moderate, so was his ability to relax and accept my leg. It was a boring ride because all I did was insist, relentlessly (this is my new favorite word by the way), that he move his inside leg to my outside hand. I've been working on that concept for years now, but Christian Schacht helped me feel a new level of appreciation for the concept. Inside leg to outside hand ... like literally until I feel him on my outside hand. OH!

We didn't get it perfectly, but he did give in to it over and over again. He just wouldn't stay on the outside rein. I would get a few strides, and then he would hollow his back and jerk his head up. No biggie, I just kept asking, and he kept reluctantly giving.

Not his best day, but still very rideable.

Eventually, we moved on to the canter work. He picked up each lead when asked - I still get so happy about this, and he never lost the lead. This too makes me very happy. He was hollow though, so I rode the canter in two point until he started to stretch down into the contact. I ever so gently lowered myself to his back and worked very hard to keep a soft, following seat.

It was not a great looking ride, but I still finished the day feeling successful. I don't know why he came out more tense on Sunday than on Saturday, but I very much appreciated how much maturity he showed. He clearly wasn't in the mood, but he kept the strongest of his opinions to himself.

And the next day? He was once again willing and able to relax and accept my leg quickly without a fuss. If this is what his "backward steps" are going to look like, I'll take them!