Week of Lessons Day 3 - in which we find a problem :(
So today started with coyotes, feeding sheep (I like sheep), visiting with the border collies, tripping over a stick (go me) and unloading 90ish bales of hay. Good fun. I enjoyed it.
Then we went down and the girls rode in a jumping lesson then Debbie and I rode. Poly started out tighter in his hind end than he has been in a while. We went along for a while and he slowly warmed up. I spent the first half hour riding with my outside hand anchored on my breastcollar so that he couldn't pull the rein out of my hand and it was absolutely anchored as an outside aid. Circles, circles, circles, asking for bend/straightness/etc. He was much more supple to the right today - in fact, his right side was better than his left. His left side is about the same as it was before. So not too bad.... We did some lengthen-trot work, and then some canter work, right rein we cantered around , and did a 10m circle, and then switched to left and did the same - he was unhappy about the left circle.
Then we cantered a 20m circle with groundpoles - like a circle of jumps kinda thing. The left was ok, but we were nice, fast, trot, nice, fast, faster, nice, faster, trot...and crap like that - not real steady but ah well. Then to the right he was a disaster - ducking off, trying to switch and go left, and getting progressively more upset. We went all the way around the arena. We went over just 3 poles. He got more and more upset. we tried trotting a 20m circle, he was upset and ducking off to the left. Kathy checked his hips ..... and he was ouchy in the right. Compensation for hocks, maybe stifles, but hocks for sure. Crap. So we did a trot circle over the poles to the left, and called it quits. He had been soo good until then that obviously it was time to be done.
So... he needs some fitness, fitting up, etc, and it is doubtful that I will ever do more than teeny little X-rails. Oh well. On the upshot, I guess I can do the dressage stuff. Kathy did say that "hopefully your little guy will be ready to go soon" but she figures Poly'll be ok as long as I am careful.
So then the weather was miserable and the footing SUCKS so we didn't ride her horses today. Ah well. We sorted sheep as the rams got in with one of the batches of ewes, and I got to watch the border collies at work again. It is so cool. Moved some wild meat into dog kennels, and so on. And that was it for the day. Long day, but good day.
A bit bummed about Poly's back, but I guess it is what it is and Kathy was happy with how he went today. So that's a good thing.
I linimented him and threw a cooler on under his rainsheet to keep him warm. He'll do.
So that's all for tonight...
Then we went down and the girls rode in a jumping lesson then Debbie and I rode. Poly started out tighter in his hind end than he has been in a while. We went along for a while and he slowly warmed up. I spent the first half hour riding with my outside hand anchored on my breastcollar so that he couldn't pull the rein out of my hand and it was absolutely anchored as an outside aid. Circles, circles, circles, asking for bend/straightness/etc. He was much more supple to the right today - in fact, his right side was better than his left. His left side is about the same as it was before. So not too bad.... We did some lengthen-trot work, and then some canter work, right rein we cantered around , and did a 10m circle, and then switched to left and did the same - he was unhappy about the left circle.
Then we cantered a 20m circle with groundpoles - like a circle of jumps kinda thing. The left was ok, but we were nice, fast, trot, nice, fast, faster, nice, faster, trot...and crap like that - not real steady but ah well. Then to the right he was a disaster - ducking off, trying to switch and go left, and getting progressively more upset. We went all the way around the arena. We went over just 3 poles. He got more and more upset. we tried trotting a 20m circle, he was upset and ducking off to the left. Kathy checked his hips ..... and he was ouchy in the right. Compensation for hocks, maybe stifles, but hocks for sure. Crap. So we did a trot circle over the poles to the left, and called it quits. He had been soo good until then that obviously it was time to be done.
So... he needs some fitness, fitting up, etc, and it is doubtful that I will ever do more than teeny little X-rails. Oh well. On the upshot, I guess I can do the dressage stuff. Kathy did say that "hopefully your little guy will be ready to go soon" but she figures Poly'll be ok as long as I am careful.
So then the weather was miserable and the footing SUCKS so we didn't ride her horses today. Ah well. We sorted sheep as the rams got in with one of the batches of ewes, and I got to watch the border collies at work again. It is so cool. Moved some wild meat into dog kennels, and so on. And that was it for the day. Long day, but good day.
A bit bummed about Poly's back, but I guess it is what it is and Kathy was happy with how he went today. So that's a good thing.
I linimented him and threw a cooler on under his rainsheet to keep him warm. He'll do.
So that's all for tonight...