Prince: Fun but cold!

January 24 2011

This morning I just had to go out and play with Prince. Even though it was really cold, -30 or so I just needed to get outside and be with the horses. 

I decided to try something a bit different and just loop the 45ft line around Prince's neck and play with him that way. The last time I tried that it didn't go very well in the sense that Prince didn't know how to respond to the pressure and was pulling the whole time. But that session sent me off on a long journey to get lightness, which I am still on but we have come a long way since that day, which was over a year and a half ago. 

So this morning I thought I would try it and see what would happen. I started off slow and we did some sideways, yo-yo's and circles at the walk with changes of directions. Prince did so well that we went up to the riding ring and we did Touch it, traveling circles and falling leaf. Prince wasn't putting a lot of effort into doing the falling leaf, he would maintain gait but he wasn't putting effort into turning and going the other way. So I knew exactly what strategy I would use. I would tap behind him each time he didn't put effort into turning. 

It worked really well and even though it took a little bit for it all to come together Prince started putting a whole lot of effort into the whole falling leaf and he was responded to my body and not nearly as much relying on the rope. 

Up next was circles. We started off at the trot and waited for rhythm, relaxation and connection which came pretty quickly. Then we played at the canter. Prince would keep the connection for most of the circle but he would break gait at one point so we played with that until he cantered one lap each direction with rhythm, relaxation and connection. 

Then we did some stick to me at the walk, trot and canter, close range circles at the canter (!!!!!) and to end we did sideways at the trot. Prince trotted sideways beautifully sideways on his easy side and it took a couple tries to get it on his harder side but in the end we got the best sideways at a trot we have ever gotten!! 

On Prince's hard side the first time he broke gait at the fence but picked the trot back up again but his hindquarters were lagging a lot and I was to far away to properly ask him to get them over but at least he was trotting. The next time he maintained gait when he got to the fence and even though I was closer to him I still wasn't able to quite ask him to get his hindquarters over, even though they weren't lagging as much as the time before. 

The third and last time Prince maintained gait when he got to the fence and I was close enough to influence his hindquarters and it resulted in the mos beautiful sideways at the trot!!!! 

After a long rest we went down to the corral where we hung out for a while and by this time I was so cold so I went in to get warmed up :) 

This up coming week is supposed to be nice and warm. Or at least warmer. I am really looking forward to the warmer temperatures!

Naturally,

~Keri