Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Daylight Savings Time is Here!

It's nice to be able to tack up and ride while it's still light out! With the changeover due to Daylight Savings Time having started, I was able to actualy get some riding while it was still light. While that didn't seem to impress Max too much, it did allow me to work on several different figures so they'd be a bit more accurate in the execution.

Last night we worked on transitions from the canter to the walk- mostly riding in a circle on the canter, coming to a complete halt, and then walking out after waiting about three seconds (or when Max quits wiggle-wagging). It was a bit rocky and it's tough to stay centered when bringing Max to a halt from the canter.

One of the biggest challenges is bringing Max to a complete halt and then not "riding" him further. I can do this pretty well from the trot but the canter is a lot tougher. We had some good ones but this is going to require more practice.

We also worked on some other types of transitions and then practiced dragging the log around a bit. Max is getting pretty good about dragging the log and I've also been working on pulling from a side-pass and backing up (and not having him think that an animal is pursuing him).

I'm also going to start working more on the rattling aluminum cans in a bucket challenge- while I may not encounter this precise obstacle on the trail, it wouldn't hurt to get him used to "weird stuff that makes noise".

I'll have more time once I'm done with my WWI battle event with the Great War Historical Society.

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