In this picture his neck is extremely cresty, his forehand is heavy, and his hind-end is tiny in comparision (his butt is big, but his rump as a whole is not muscled). Now this year's picture...
In this picture, his neck is much less cresty and fat, and his hind end is MUCH more developed and overall he looks more fit and proportional. I thought that difference was amazing.We have been doing much better than in my last post. Last weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, Mom and I tacked the horses up and took them outside to play (getting them used to carrying tack again). We got a smaller sized breastplate that fits much better, and Mom is using the larger one on Charlotte. Woody and I have been having some tack issues though. Its not his behavior or anything (he has been an angel standing still and accepting the tack), but its the actual tack. I am trying to find a tack system that will work for the Harry clinic. Last Saturday I out the Theraflex and Wintec on him like normal, and when I took him out and he started wanting to run and I said "let me help you!" so, he was doing starjumps and bucks and kicks and cantering, but the saddle was NOT holding up. It was slipping really far forward and to the side, and all kinds of directions. I thought if thats happening on the ground, I don't know if I would like to ride in that arrangement. So Sunday I got Sassy's old furry green pad out and decided to try that pad with the saddle and see if that would hold better. We went out again and were playing and running around and it seemed to holdup well. It didn't move and I didn't have to fix it, but the problem is that the pad is really wooly and is like a winter pad; I am afraid Woody would get extremely hot in that pad. So today I got my old pad that a friend made me a couple years ago (it is a plain white dover pad with my name stitched into the corner of the pad with a running horse). I put that on him without shimming the saddle up with the camping mat material Linda suggested for those without Theraflex. I put it on and played with him and we had a really good play session. We went outside and did Figure-8 around the barrels. At first Woody was really resistant, but after a couple of turns he started becoming a partner and actually offered to trot around the pattern! It was really amazing. Then we did circles with me really focusing on giving HIM the responsibility to continue circling and keep the speed. Once I had that thought of do whatever you want, I'm not gonna prevent you from doing something or micromanage you, he stopped trying to duck down and eat! Then I sat on a barrel, Yo-yoed him back, and he circled at a trot perfectly and even cantered! It was cool. Then he jumped over two barrels laying down (a first, he always jumpes three, but usually runs out if there are two), twice in the circle game. We went inside to the round pen and I rode him a bit. We did Push a Ball, Weave, and we even jumped a bit. I was really focusing on having a plan, but being flexible within that plan.
Basically the overall them for us is FOCUS. I think the last saddle situation was the best one because it is a light pad, I even mounted from the ground and it didn't move, and it held in place while he cantered.
Terrie is coming tomorrow to trim and to help us with a trailering lesson. I will write about that tomorrow. She is also bringing a couple western saddles beause my mom is thinking about going western for the harry clinic. Also, my last two dqys of exams are Monday anf Tuesday, and then SCHOOL"S OUT! It is very exciting, and Mom, Terrie, and I are going on Wednesday to audit a Harry clinic at the farm where our clinic will be (we will scope out the directions and farm, and , of course, LEARN!). It will be lots of fun.
Until next time!
~Eden
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