Lean On Me

Another weekend, another lesson. I'm a bit sad I'm missing out on the weekend shows so far, but honestly, there hasn't been anything worthy of the expense (about $4-500 for ferry fares alone - trailers are expensive when they charge by the foot!) Since I know our move closer to the shows and events is imminent, I'm finding it a little easier to save the $ and stay home for now. Besides, I can live vicariously through the blogging community and all the great outings everyone seems to be having this spring :)

Waiting for the fun to begin

 I'm still hoping to have a proper show season this year and be there for their schooling event day and the dressage % days at a minimum. I have my eye on some little jumper days too and obviously the 'big' fall events, but of course it's all dependent on how quickly I find adequate boarding. Fingers crossed, I have a great coach lined up there and of course, S is here and I plan on continuing getting her help with Ginger.

As you can probably guess by my enthusiasm for a show season this year, my lesson went well! Midge brought pretty much the same attitude to the lesson as she did to the previous days schooling ride. Soft, responsive, and fairly forward. I like this new pony! Leg yields, shoulder in, haunches in were all great - fingers crossed, we've had no issues with gradually increasing the difficulty and we're doing 'proper' grown up pony lateral work more often than not. She impressed S by cantering multiple 20m circles to the left with a respectable amount of softness and balance. We're not anywhere near perfect, but generally we're in a positive trend and I'm hopeful we'll be dressage worthy at some point in this lifetime :) The right was harder for her, so my homework lies there. All our current issues revolve around us both being left handed. I let Bridget hang on my right rein too much and that being her weaker side, she quite happily takes advantage of that and leans on me and does the whole motorbike thing.  I just generally feel more uncoordinated that way, as does she, so we both need to step it up a little. S had us work in the trot and focus on having a correct bend and make Midge responsible for holding it, and me responsible for immediately correcting her! I mentioned I felt like I was nagging, and her response was that that's her point entirely - I am way too passive about correcting Bridget. Make it quick, make it effective, and then leave her alone, rather than my default of asking nicely...repeatedly. Easier said than done!

We finished up with a fun little cross rail 'course'. Bridget of course loved it, but her gas tank was running a little low and we called it good after 10 minutes or so of that. Unsurprisingly, tired ponies are good ponies, and my hack home was much less eventful than yesterdays athletic show of pony naughtiness (who says pony can't collect the canter? In place, even? LOL, Bridget, you're so busted :)