As is typical for Southern California this time of year, Labor Day weekend tends to be very hot with temperatures going into the high 90s/low 100s. Also, it seems that this year there's been a lot more humidity than usual which makes things even more uncomfortable.
Riding-wise, I really did't accomplish much this weekend. With my truck dead, I have to borrow my wife's car and I'm not always able to make it to the stables as early as I'd like so by the time I arrive, it's warming up and that's no real incentive to do much extensive trail riding.
Friday, I managed to get in a nice evening ride and did my usual circuit around the Hanson Dam Equestrian Center and vicinity. I usually do this at a fast trot/canter in most places (when feasible/safe) and I do this primarily to give Max a moderate work-out. After not having ridden for four days, it's a nice way to get back into things.
Saturday morning found Max and I practicing with the Warhorse & Militaria Heritage Foundation at Gabriellano Park. It's been awhile since Max and I have worked in formation and Max was excellent, although a bit on the low-energy side (which I attributed to the heat). Max was well-behaved and we even got in some cantering in formation. It's nice to get back to that again. :-) Afterwards, we practiced the musical ride some- I'm anticipating that we'll be doing more of this as the Fall progresses; I've been informed that there are several events coming up.
Sunday, Max and I had our lesson. Max was acting pretty pokey so I really had to wake him up- something he doesn't always appreciate. As we've been doing for the past two months, we worked on flying lead changes. Overall, we're progressing pretty good although we both have a lot to learn. For Max, it requires a lot of physical effort so he's slowly learning how to position his body and understand my cues. For myself, I need to be better aware of my cues plus make it easier for max to do his thing. The downside is that now with every turn, Max assumes that a flying lead change is in order, even when it's not so we also had to practice holding the counter-cnater. Unfortunately, Max still kept changing leads and it was frustrating. I can't say I wasn't warned though- my trainer did tell me that like collection, max will use flying lead changes at the most inopportune moments.
Ultimately, the solution is that I need to be VERY clear with my cues and hold Max to them. Well, there's always something that needs doing with Max. :-)
I took Monday off and since I had a day off on Tuesday, Max and I rode up Little Tujunga to the Oaks in early evening. Parts of the trail are really overgrown, which can be a real pain at points because of the low-lying branches, and either the trails aren't being ridden as much or not getting cleaered as much (or a combination of the two). It was meant to be an easy ride (OK, we trotted and cantered at various points) and it was cooler than in canyon than in most other places.
That pretty much was my weekend. Lately, there's been a lot of distractions on the home front (like broken plumbing) so I haven't been to the stable as much as I'd like but I struggle on... :-)
Riding-wise, I really did't accomplish much this weekend. With my truck dead, I have to borrow my wife's car and I'm not always able to make it to the stables as early as I'd like so by the time I arrive, it's warming up and that's no real incentive to do much extensive trail riding.
Friday, I managed to get in a nice evening ride and did my usual circuit around the Hanson Dam Equestrian Center and vicinity. I usually do this at a fast trot/canter in most places (when feasible/safe) and I do this primarily to give Max a moderate work-out. After not having ridden for four days, it's a nice way to get back into things.
Saturday morning found Max and I practicing with the Warhorse & Militaria Heritage Foundation at Gabriellano Park. It's been awhile since Max and I have worked in formation and Max was excellent, although a bit on the low-energy side (which I attributed to the heat). Max was well-behaved and we even got in some cantering in formation. It's nice to get back to that again. :-) Afterwards, we practiced the musical ride some- I'm anticipating that we'll be doing more of this as the Fall progresses; I've been informed that there are several events coming up.
Sunday, Max and I had our lesson. Max was acting pretty pokey so I really had to wake him up- something he doesn't always appreciate. As we've been doing for the past two months, we worked on flying lead changes. Overall, we're progressing pretty good although we both have a lot to learn. For Max, it requires a lot of physical effort so he's slowly learning how to position his body and understand my cues. For myself, I need to be better aware of my cues plus make it easier for max to do his thing. The downside is that now with every turn, Max assumes that a flying lead change is in order, even when it's not so we also had to practice holding the counter-cnater. Unfortunately, Max still kept changing leads and it was frustrating. I can't say I wasn't warned though- my trainer did tell me that like collection, max will use flying lead changes at the most inopportune moments.
Ultimately, the solution is that I need to be VERY clear with my cues and hold Max to them. Well, there's always something that needs doing with Max. :-)
I took Monday off and since I had a day off on Tuesday, Max and I rode up Little Tujunga to the Oaks in early evening. Parts of the trail are really overgrown, which can be a real pain at points because of the low-lying branches, and either the trails aren't being ridden as much or not getting cleaered as much (or a combination of the two). It was meant to be an easy ride (OK, we trotted and cantered at various points) and it was cooler than in canyon than in most other places.
That pretty much was my weekend. Lately, there's been a lot of distractions on the home front (like broken plumbing) so I haven't been to the stable as much as I'd like but I struggle on... :-)
2 comments:
Sounds like a pretty nice weekend. Hope you can get the truck fixed soon.
I'm just going to have to save up my pennies again...one thing for sure- I'm buying a Dodge next time and defintely not used. Lesson learned.
Post a Comment