Prince: Progress!

August 4 2010

This morning I played with Prince and trimmed him. So it was a big morning for us. We had a really good Online session before we rode. We did the Falling Leaf, Circles, Transitions, Sideways, Weaving, Stick to me at the walk, trot, canter, and back up. 

Since I have been starting to canter on Prince I have been even more particular about things on the ground. Even the littlest thing can make a difference. So we started off with Stick to me. It was really fun and it is a great way to help Prince go from different speeds at the walk and trot into the canter. He did well and we were even able to go in straight lines and he didn't run a head (he used to get really far a head of me because he cantered so fast and I couldn't keep up) so there was definitely major improvement there. Prince had an easier time going to the left than the right which is weird because he always has had a harder time going to the left... not sure about that one. 

Then we did circles. Prince cantered really nicely two laps each way and kept the belly of the rope on the ground. So since that was going well I mounted up. We did some transitions on the rail, walk/trot/back up etc then when I felt ready I asked for the canter again. Prince went into the canter beautifully and hardly hesitated. It was amazing. We cantered the whole side of the riding ring and a little ways around the end and then we stopped. I was totally amazed at quite a few things, (1) how far Prince cantered (2) I actually had to ask him to stop (3) how easy this is... I mean I know it isn't supposed to be hard but I guess I was just preparing myself for the worst and now I am surprised because of how easy it all really is!! 

We cantered four more times. The second and third time I wasn't asking right and so Prince just trotted faster. It really amazed me how when I asked for the canter properly Prince went in to it no problem but when I didn't ask right he didn't. He is so amazing... so honest!! The fifth time that I asked for the canter Prince went into it nicely and we cantered a long way and then he broke gait for a stride but when I asked he picked it back up again. Right at end I found his rhythm and it felt so nice!! 

That was were we ended. It was so much fun and it was really nice to be confident to canter today because it was really the truth about Monday, because if I really wasn't confident enough on Monday I wouldn't have been today. So it was really wonderful!!

Naturally,

~Keri