Mindful Practice

Butterball and I seem to have FINALLY had a breakthrough at the canter. The departs are 90% touch-and-go to quote JV. Then once in the gait, the focus is on straightness first, suppleness second, and sit third. Before I ever ask for the canter, we do a TON of trot-walk-trot transitions. Through those transitions he has to stay soft and moving elastically forward the whole time. If his shoulders start to go weird places I check my hands first and then use a forward leg aid to move the shoulders back in line. The walk-canter transitions are usually there too. 

"Absolutely exhausting" - Butterball

By only being allowed to canter for a tiny bit, we transition back to trot before the balance is lost (usually), which I think has been really useful. We've started playing with leg yields in the canter as well. I had the realization that I have a much easier time leg yielding off the rail than I do from the quarter line or center line trot or canter. Hm. Must be that I pull with my inside hand, overdo the neck bend, and then ruin the leg yield that way. 

Itching his face? Or checking out the remnants of alfalfa cubes... 

I programmed a series of timers on my phone. We walk for 10 minutes; trot and walk for 8; walk for 2 some loose rein some with contact; trot, walk, and canter for 8; walk for 2; trot and walk for another 3; and then end with 10 minutes loose rein walk. Honestly it's a LOT for both of us. By the last 3 minute work session we're both pretty beat, mentally and physically. Within the trot and walk there's lots of forward and back, finally starting to think about a little bit of sit and collection in the back, not just slower. And all this carrying himself and only using light aids is transitioning over to the little bits of canter. Riding other horses was SO useful for my canter work on him. I shouldn't have to do that much work. And like the walk, the less I do, the more swingy and forward he is. 

Even when hot and sweaty he's still adorable 

Moving on to baby practice... Charlie has been going through a new, pushy phase as of late. His filly pasture mate has always been a bit... pushy... but Charlie is experimenting with shoving me with his butt and shoulders too. I started using Warwick Schiller's creating energy to drive him away. Not directed at him, but just tapping a hand on my leg or jumping lightly up and down. He immediately vacates my space and then kind of eyes me. After a second he'll generally come back towards me but stop at an appropriate distance. This gets rewarded with scritches. 

SO CUTE

He also tried opting out of picking up his hind feet one day recently. I was persistent though and he eventually gave him and then repeated the right response twice. Good boy. 

Doing a little hanging out with no asks before his "training" that day. That little bottom lip spot kills me. 

My friend came out and took some pictures the other day, I'll be sharing those soon. He thought she was a little suspicious with her focus on him with her camera and definitely wanted to leave when I had him on the lead. He got kind of antsy, but was very respectful of the fact that he was attached to me still. I was really, really proud of him for keeping it together and trying so hard. 

Not that it's all perfect LOL. But he does seem to really truly understand yielding to pressure.

Ermagerd

They can graze without looking *quite* this dramatic, but since when would Maddie opt for low drama