Wintec Wide!

Well I decided to exchange my Wintec 500 for a Wintec Wide. I want to make sure that Twosox has LOTS of shoulder room. Plus it will probably fit Prince. It came today!! Normally I can't ride or play in the afternoon in the summer because the bugs are awful but today it was cloudy and perfect so I went out and tried it on Twosox. It was really wide but that is perfectly fine. The saddle also has the CAIR panels and the interchangeable gullet system. It is REALLY NICE!!!!! The billets are nice and long so I didn't have to get a longer girth either!!

I put it on Twosox and we went and played. We did some circles transitions etc. Then I asked Twosox to jump the barrels. He did it but wasn't really putting any effort into it. So I kept asking him jump it until he could and also till he could put more effort into jumping. After a couple times he did it so I gave him a rest. We also did some leading by the tail. I just took a couple tail hairs and asked him to back up and he did! He is SO sensitive!!

Then I asked him to go sideways over the barrels. He was really having trouble with it. So instead of asking him to go over the whole thing at once I asked him to so two steps sideways, stop, wait then go sideways off the end of the barrels. We kept doing this put every time I would ask him to go one or two steps farther onto the barrels, then come off the end. Every time he go more and more confident so then I asked him to go right over and off the other end. He was okay for about 3/4 of the way across then he got worried and rushed over the end. So I rubbed him and gave him a rest for trying. Then asked him again. But this time I stopped him just before he got worried. He lowered his head a little and looked more relaxed. Then I asked him to go off the barrels. He did it this time totally confident and didn't rush over the end. Then I asked him to go over the whole way. AND HE DID!! Twosox was perfectly confident the whole way!!!!!

Instead of trying to find a lot of new things to do with Twosox I am going to take the things we already can go and make then even better. I think that it will help his confidence a lot too.

We did a little bit of Liberty. We did some stick to me, sideways, leading by the tail, and friendly in zone 1 while I was standing in zone 5. Twosox did so well!!!

Then I got on. The saddle is SOOOOO comfy!!! We walked around for a bit then I asked Twosox to trot. At first it wasn't exactly the smoothest trot. Twosox didn't want to trot a long time [he never does] I am going to get really good at downward transitions!! :) Twosox's trot got a little bit smoother after a bit, then he started stretching while we were trotting. It was so nice to see him stretching!! We did a lot of follow the rail for the first little bit then after Twosox gave me a REALLY smooth trot we took a break and went and did some sideways.

Twosox and I have been having trouble with Sideways. I am not sure why but we are. So I was playing around with different things today while we were riding. He would yield really well on the forequarter but our hind quarters needed some work. So we played with that. After a little while it was getting better and Twosox would yield better. So we went to the fence and I asked Twosox to go sideways. It was more half sideways and half walking forward, so I asked Twosox to move his hind quarters over and then he started getting worried. I was trying REALLY hard not to get frustrated. It seems that sideways brings out the worst in both Twosox and I. I figured that I would try being really really really light and see if that helped..... it did. Twosox started going sideways and we didn't even need a fence!! Some times his hind quarters would be lagging a little bit so I would really softly ask him to catch up and he would. *sigh* Just when I think I am being light Twosox shows me a whole new meaning of the word :) He is so good for me!!

I had to remember to focus too. It is becoming a lot easier and I almost don't have to think about it anymore!!! It really helps me be able to sit his trot!! My mom said that my stirrups looked a little long so I decided to get off and shorten them. As soon as I got back on Twosox I felt a HUGE difference!!! I really felt that I was on my balance point and I wasn't coming unbalanced when we were trotting. It was even more comfortable too!!!

We then went and did some point to point, we climbed up on the pedestal, we did some bow ties then I got off. When I took the saddle off I looked at Twosox's back and was REALLY surprised not to see any rub marks! Normally there are some small ones but there were NONE what so ever. Plus his back looked better!! I had a hard time believing that Twosox's back would change that fast but he is a sensitive horse and once I compared the pictures that I took of his back before and after I rode I can tell there is a difference!!! I am SOOOOOO happy!!!!

I will post pictures soon!!

Anyways.... I am going to go read now!! I told myself that I couldn't start a new book till I had caught up on here!! [I needed some good old incentive!! hehe ;)]

~K

P.S. Here is a totally AMAZING video that my best friend Lea made.... it is called "The future of Parelli"