Sunday, April 7, 2013

Annnd a video

Weekly catch-up

Had a flat lesson on Tuesday that was mostly about lateral movement and making square turns and getting a bit of collected trot out of Kieran. Very productive, even if he was like, "are you seriously making me do the boring stuff?" LOL

Went out to visit him on Wednesday and just provided peppermints and dorked around for a few minutes.

Rode yesterday and set up a "trail course" in the arena: two barrels on the long side for "barrel racing" (trotting around them then cantering down to the next one). Long trot poles on the short side by the gate. Jump standards up the other long side for "pole bending" (at a trot). We also backed through them and worked on moving his butt around. set up a bendy path near the middle of the ring with jump blocks and poles so we had to walk through then back through. Had a tarp on the ground weighed down by jump poles to walk over. And then used one of the lattice things that is usually a jump and stuck pool noodles in the lattice holes so that when he stepped over it, he had pool noodles sticking out every which way he had to go through the middle of.

He wasn't impressed, LOL. But we either trotted or cantered over or through almost everything and at least it made for a nice change-up from the usual.

Today we had a lesson and our 'jumps' were mostly tiny and the idea was to work on turning after a jump so we had four set up. Three were connected (you'll see what I mean in the pictures) at angles, and one was just crazy with the tarp under it and pool noodles sticking out. Then there were standards and barrels set out behind the three connected jumps, the idea being that we'd go over one, then "barrel turn" around one of the standards beyond the jump, turn around another one, and then go over another of the jumps. It makes sense when you see it. So basically a lot of bending and turning.

Kieran still wasn't impressed with the wacky jumps.

Pictures below, may have video later if it all uploads right. :)




See the angles I mean?


The jump with the tarp under it.


Happy pony!


Dressage pony?




Still can't care less about this jump, LOL.


Last jump of the day. As usual, ignore me, but look how far up he's tucked his feet!