Yeager had one very exciting (at least to me) first today- his first trail ride! It ended up being a short hack down the road, but he was a superstar. Looked at a couple things, had to stop and evaluate the cobblestones at the road crossing, but other than that he just cruised along. I found a perfect hill for slow hill work- a flat dirt road with a gentle (but definite) grade. There is a road that winds around a lake just behind the barn. While I will have to be mindful of car traffic and probably some cyclists, I bet this will be a favorite conditioning hack. I was so very pleased with my discovery since some straight line work is exactly what Yeager needs.
We also cantered undersaddle for the first time, to my absolute delight. We've been working on walk-trot transitions and he offered me a wonderful, slow rolling canter. He has a remarkable whoa on him for an OTTB, but does a fair imitation of a giraffe at the trot. His balance is slowly improving. He does seem to be very sensitive to footing issues. On our hack, the trot he offered going up hill was much more balanced and forward than the one he offers in the ring. I think a good bit of the next month is going to be spent OUT of the ring, getting him straight. I believe that's the most productive program for a young horse anyway.
Every ride, I get more and more excited about this horse.
The rest of this week looks like:
Tues- walk/turnout
Wed- lunge in side reins (farrier)
Thurs- light hack
Fri- hack working on transitions
Sat- free jumping
Sun- turnout/off
About Me
- Kristen
- I am an equine massage therapist, army wife, mother of one beautiful son, equestrian, dog lover, avid cook, voracious reader- and always trying to balance the demands of all my interests. I've dabbled in most of the disciplines and am interested in anything horsey. I gave up riding for a bit when I was pregnant with my son, and was ORDERED to go back to the barn by a husband who was tired of my moods.
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