Moving Along

After our most recent show (was that just a week or so ago?), I brought Speedy back to full work gradually. He had a day off, a day with just walking, two days of walk/trot/canter, and a day out on the trail. In just those few days in the arena, I can tell that he came back from the show with a new understanding of what his job entails.

I had one lesson that weekend with Chemaine along with a little bit of coaching, but that was enough to show me where we needed to be going. Since the show, Speedy has figured out that I really need him to be in front of my leg. With some consistent "poking" of the spur, he's figured out that I either mean more forward, or get off my inside leg.

We had some really good work last week which leaves me feeling optimistic about this Sunday's show. I really wanted to make my First Level debut, but since the Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) is just a few weeks away, I decided to stick with the Training Level tests until we finish with that show. There doesn't seem to be any sense in rocking the boat this close to our season's big "finale."

I just need to keep my focus and not let myself get too worked up over how we'll place. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well which only achieves the opposite. So, for the next few weeks, we're just going to work on inside bend and flexion along with some good forward energy. And that's it!