Twosox: Freestyle after a long break!!

Sept 6 2010

Twosox and I had a good but interesting play time. I realized just how broken our porcupine game really is!! Twosox's porcupine game is almost nonexistent!! So we had Backwards "S" to help with that. It took a long time because Twosox was resisting it a lot but he figured it out. 

At first we played with a simple squeeze game between me and the pedestal in the corral. Twosox would go through calmly and then just as he was out of it he ran forward... trying to get away. I think it was dominance. It didn't look like fear. He did is many times but eventually he stopped and started getting more connected. 

Then we did the Backwards "S". In the corral it was kind of hard but I wanted to get Twosox a little bit lighter before I saddled him. After Twosox started following the feel a little bit better I stopped and I saddled him. Then we went up to the riding ring. 

Once we were up there Twosox seemed like a totally different horse! He was so much lighter, and a lot more respectful. We did Figure eights, played with our send on the circle at a phase 1 (not using your stick at all) and having Twosox trot 8 laps with out breaking gait (another thing that was done at the clinic). Twosox didn't quite make it but it was fun and something we can play with.

Then we did some jumping, sideways and other little things and then I rode! I haven't ridden Twosox since the early summer so I wasn't sure what to expect. But Twosox was so good. We did Lateral Flexions... a little bit differently then normal. One thing that Ms. Anderson talked about at the clinic was that when you ask for a Lateral Flexion you want your horses poll level or slightly higher than their withers and the tip of their ears level with each other.

Basically it all has to do with the fact that when they are in any other position (i.e. when they have there head on an extreme angle and their ears not level) they put all their weight on their front end, and also there withers drop between their shoulder blades or something like that and over time it can hurt them. But if you do it properly it will help them. 

So that took a while Twosox was doing it the wrong way so we slowly played with it and he is getting it. Then we did Follow the rail. We mainly stayed at the walk but we did trotted some. Twosox was so relaxed and connected. Then we did some Follow the rail at the walk with my arms folded. I only had to make three corrections to the right and 2 to the left!! I was pretty happy with that!!

Then we played with Indirect Rein with out using my reins. So with my body and carrot stick. Twosox caught on so quickly and by the end he was responding with just my body!! It then started raining. So we went over and went sideways over to the side to be under the tree. The really fun part is next... we rode down the hill!!! 

I was so proud of Twosox. That was the first time I have ridden down the hill on Twosox and he did a beautiful job! We pretty much went straight down and then we confidently walked into the corral and over to the gate where I got off. I was on a short but casual rein and hardly needed to direct Twosox at all! It was a perfect ending to a really good ride!!

I am hoping to ride Twosox a lot more and really develop his Freestyle. It should be a lot of fun!!

Naturally,

~Keri