Drama Mama Video

Rosemary can be such a Drama Mama. Since she came out of her vanilla shell after we bought her, her true dramatic self has been revealed. At the Welsh show, Roscoe was dramatic and we said he had his mother's attitude. The good thing is it translates to awesome movement. The bad thing is it also translates to very opinionated pony.

Who me?

In the past when riding, she would need a tough talk telling her it was time to work and focus.
Corrections were met with defiance. She had her moments of brilliance but frustration normally took the lead. Super green pony and riders who have never started a pony before made for head banging, "what was I thinking," rides.
Weather and timing made last year more about her driving training and less about her under saddle training. Rosemary took right to the driving and in retrospect driving helped her body awareness tremendously. This year since her sarcoid has prevented the use of blinkers, she has been ridden more often. I am not sure what she studied over the winter, but she is a different pony. She is straighter and much more willing to listen to what we ask. Before she would brace and straight was never applied to her.
Unknown to each other, Mom and I have been working on the same things with her:

1. Teaching her to move into the outside aids, less motorcycle impressions. Lead her nose in then bring it back against her neck and ask with inside leg to move and fill the outside reins. Right side is tough for her. Serpentine and spirals are helpful.

2. Suppleness, which I guess you always work on. Rosemary is less like a yacht now that she is figuring out bending through her body. Bending lines and consistency with the aids really help her. If I feel her tense or brace, I add in a bell curve or half circle helping her release the tension or refocus.

3. Rhythm. This is where her drama mixed with her greenness can be really apparent. The other day, she was entirely too focused on Dottie calling from the field and her walk was choppy. She literally was stomping her feet. Hard to have a nice ground covering walk when you stomp. With her trot she wanted to get quick. In the end I asked her to open and close her trot. I even had to verbally command her to get her to focus. Using terms we use while driving really snapped her back into work. Instead of falling down hills, she sat and balanced. At this point, I will use any tool I can to advance her training. I did tell her that I could not talk to her in a dressage test.

Yesterday I really tested her by riding her a second time. Mom had worked her earlier in the day. Since all the horses had worked, I chose her to have a second ride. She surprised me by going right to work. I thought she was going to canter, so I asked. It was not great, but she did a short burst. We need to work it on the ground so she knows what we are asking. Her rhythm was better and she was reaching for the bit. Her walk was back to the ground covering stride she excels at with a nice floppy neck. Such a good pony.

Pony Hug

I really wish I could afford lessons. With direction I think she is at a point to really grow and learn. But her eye and Winston's health are the priority. We shall just keep trying.

Here is a video of our ride yesterday.

"Walk" through

Okay with any other horse what I got from my ride today would be really minor, but with Comrade is was a major break through.
Comrade has, since probably the day he was born, traveled with his head up. He has learned to soften and round, but to stretch is still a goal. I have gotten some stretch down at the trot and very few at the walk. All the tricks I have used with other horses don't work with him. Even Rosemary as green as she is stretches down.
So last night after a quick ride between rain showers, I figured out that Comrade really needed to get out of the arena. Today I started in the arena just walking. Then I asked him to collect his walk on the short ends and open on the long sides or diagonals. He responded exactly how I wanted and more. During the open walks he actually started to stretch down. He did this almost every time I asked him to open his walk. Plus his walk was really active during both parts.
At this point I rewarded him and took him out on trail. After all the rain we have had, we only did more walk work. Hills, turn on the forehands, turn on the haunches and collecting and opening the walk. All of this made him wait for my instructions. He has a tendency to think he knows what is happening and get ahead of me. If I am going to event him, he needs to work with me and listen to me so today was a valuable lesson.
And the icing on the cake... he rooted the reins.
My other horses would get a kick for rooting, but Comrade got a "Good boy." The offer to reach down, even done rudely, was welcome.
I bragged to his owner as I untacked. Then I laughed.
The only sweaty part on him was right by his ears. I guess listening to me really gave him an ear work out :)