Unlocking New Levels

This year I am not planning to show and if I do it will probably be combined tests so I can jump. I really want to do more lessons and set us up for the move to 1st. Camp was the beginning. It jump started the process. Now Mom and I are doing two semi private lessons a month which works out to each of us paying for one lesson each month. This gives us both a chance  to advance.

We planned for a lesson at Sprieser for a Sunday Mom had off work. Roscoe and I both had a session of PEMF the day before. Roscoe's injury has been less inflamed after a couple sessions.

 Sara the therapist, wanted to let him know that the therapy can feel good too. He thinks it tickles. So she did a bit of body work on him. Roscoe soon figured out he really liked the effect. He demanded she work the spot on his upper right hip.

The next session she brought the big butterfly loops and did both sides. Roscoe yawned and cocked his hips and chewed. He really showed his appreciation.
For the lesson I took off his noseband so it would not bother his stitches. He acted the goof and promptly got his tongue over the bit and his full cheeks in his mouth. I ended up raising his bit a hole. He snorted at the drains and acted like he had not just seen them a few weeks ago.

I began to wonder if we had pulsed his brain away. But as always he found it once I sat on his back. I could not let him look in the mirrors too much since he wanted to challenge the horse he saw. Gotta love a stallion.

 The big surprise came when I asked him to trot. He had this ease of motion with a control that was not there before. Lauren right away mentioned that he looked amazing. When she put us on the circle and had us do shoulder in, Roscoe seemed more willing to try. We slowed to micro speed, but the movement was correct. When we went straight, his trot opened up. Lauren really felt like he had unlocked new levels of trot. Instead of the regular 1-10, he had 1-20.
She wanted to save his energy for canter work which did not disappoint. We continued to work on walk to canter transitions and then in the canter, worked on half halt and sit. The left was our tough side. I have to figure out the balance of getting him to lift his back, sit into the half halt, but still keep moving forward. We did actually manage more this time then we did in camp. To the right we not only managed half halt with forward, we also worked on opening and closing his stride. Adjustability is pretty cool. I really wish I had video, so I could see what we looked like. Hopefully it was not one of those " this is what I think I look like" vs " this is what I actually look like." Roscoe felt together and we clicked.

We ended the lesson with a mental challenge for both of us. Lauren had us half pass four steps, then leg yield four steps, then repeat. Lateral is a weakness for me. My coordination is awful. Lauren had to talk me through the steps. Roscoe is not a fan of shoulder control. We slowly did two lines. I seriously doubt we did anything correctly, but he did move his shoulders. Homework will definitely involve working on those shoulders.

And all the foals seem to be taking their time being born this year, but the first grandfoal finally came.
Welcome Ffrewyn Miss Ffame, PC Jen Robertson

She is Roscoe's youngest son's daughter. I really thought there would be more white since he has the biggest belly spot, but she just has the four white legs and a blaze. She got her mom's light eyes.
The family tree is blooming!