Rode my ex-lease! We worked on the flat, and did a lot of no stirrups, and some transitions working only from the two point (with stirrups). Walk -> trot, walk -> canter. She’s coming up for a trim and re-shoeing, so she was a bit long and was running quite downhill and tripped a bit, but her hooves are to be done in a few days. 🙂

Rode the palomino hunter pony again! Worked on a small course involving a bounce sequence and two diagonal fences. In the end, we did the bounce sequence with the last fence set at around 3′! Pony is such fun and such a good boy. 🙂

Had a fun lesson, I worked on engaging the hind end on a cute grey paint pony. We worked a bit over fences, and at the end, I did a bit of work on the lunge line. Show season is approaching fast, and we put a crop behind my elbows to work on keeping my shoulders back. It was challenging to keep the pony moving and on a round circle only with my leg, but it was great practice! 🙂

Rode an old western trained mare today. She’s a sweet, slightly grouchy very experienced mare who can go western or english, and is great for beginners. I mostly schooled her today, and worked on striding (lengthening and shortening), and cantering on the right lead (as she mostly only does left in lessons). She also bulges in with her rib cage sometimes, so i worked on pushing her out and making her round. She was very sweet and I know that she learned something too. 🙂

Worked on a little .70s course with the green pony today. She was excellent, getting all the distances and being scopey. The only trouble she had was coming to an oxer, which, while she has done previously, is a bit wary of them. I rode her up to it, she refused, I let her look at it a bit, then rode around, and she jumped it just fine. Then, there was a single vertical with a diagonal rail beneath it. She was also wary of this, but she also needed the bathroom, and after that she jumped it too. Very pleased with her progress, she is also learning her lead changes. 🙂

Rode the green pony! She is just coming out of heat, but she is being so good! We worked mostly on flat, and extending on the straightaway and collecting in circles in each corner. I really had to ask her to collect up in the circles but not break from the canter, which took some work, but we got there. Then we worked on little fences, about 12″, and worked on striding, approach, and shaping out. The horses were great, and I’m looking forward to working with her more! 🙂

Today I rode my ex-lease! She was very sweet. She tends to chip and have very small strides, but by the end of the lesson she had opened right up and was getting the right spots and getting 3 regular strides through a small 4 stride line – impressive for her and I was very pleased with her. She is getting much less spooky, and has much more confidence in herself! 😀

I rode the hunter pony again today! He was great. We worked on a little combination, the last jump around 2’6. Since it was trot in, he was a bit lazy but I just asked for a bit more and he was great. After the combination, we looped back either right or left to a single vertical also about 2’6. He was great, and he is getting better and better at shaping out and getting clean lead changes! This guy has so much potential 🙂

Today I rode the green pony, who is currently in heat. She would not stop whinnying in the barn, which was quite funny, and then once we were in the arena she felt very restless at the walk, but then really lazy at the trot and canter. She was quite fired up, so we worked on striding mostly, and then I rode her to an oxer (which she hasn’t really jumped before). The first time, she dodged out really quickly, but my trainer had told me to sit right up and ride her to it, so I just stayed stick still in the saddle and I was fine and rode her around again. This time, my trainer stood next to it, and I really rode her to it, and she cleared it beautifully! I was happy with her, so we ended there. 🙂

Today I rode the same pony I did on the 27th. We worked more on shaping out around corners and not breaking from the canter – keeping a consistent pace and not breaking until asked. We also did a few 3 jump courses, and he is learning more and more to go right to the base of the jump, and listen to the rider’s aids as to where to take off. Overall he continues to improve and I’m very pleased! 🙂