I'm trying to get more video, but I keep forgetting. Now that we've moved to a full-on training facility, I have less need to video as much, so I keep forgetting to bring the camera with me. The zoom on the Flip isn't as long, so the little video I've gotten has been difficult to get any updated photos from.
We finally can get around the arena to the left in a balanced, decent canter. It's only been 2 months since I brought her to the new training center, so the amount of balance and muscle that she's built, and comprehension of what's being asked of her, is pretty fast all things considered. The difference with the people at the new place is they embrace the mare's loony-ness. Instead of viewing it as a liability, they instead view it as an asset, because as she becomes more trained, she will have energy to get through the harder things being asked of her. The mare's still a complete banana, but there's light at the end of the tunnel.
This new canter is a pretty big deal. The canter is the greatest issue with her right now, because I've been told her trot is fine, that it's about a 3rd level trot. Because of the circumstances before moving her to the new place, i.e., not having any help with her whatsoever, I'm not really kicking myself about the canter. It's improving now, and, really, how am I supposed to know how to fix the canter myself (not just fix the canter, but undo previous bad training)? Like the horse, I didn't come out of the box knowing how to do this stuff, and any successes we've had have been because I've followed a logical line of thinking and have followed my own gut on issues, rather than listening to bad advice.
We've been working more on medium trot, and it's starting to come along. She's still weak, and we can only hold it for a couple strides. There are times she ignores my leg, so out comes the whip, which I don't really have to use that much, just hold. Maybe in a couple months she will be strong enough to hold the medium for longer than a couple strides.
The other nice thing is she's started to push more towards the bridle. She still has a lot of dumbass moments where she spooks at nothing, but when she's concentrating she does well.
I've gotten lucky, and besides the Grand Prix schoolmaster I get to ride 2 or so times a week, another pro from my barn is letting me ride some of her horses she has for training. Some are 3rd level, some are very green, but it's nice to be able to ride all different kinds of horses. I've gotten lucky because she's having an influx of business, and could use an extra rider. When I moved Nic, I was initially concerned with the cost of everything, but considering all the extras I've gotten, it's actually kind of a bargain. This is sort of beyond taking my riding to the next level, and more like skipping a bunch of levels.
