Today I had help with taking photos of Dewey, so after he played around on the lunge line and got down to business I had paparazzi to take photos of him being good!
First I went through my pre-mounting routine which includes patting the saddle, leaning over, and taking some deep breaths. I love this first photo because it captured my big sigh - and Dewey's!
Then once I was on I wiggled around some in the saddle so he could get used to me, and then I took my quick breath and asked him to "walk on". He happily began walking, listening carefully to my cues. It's good he was paying attention to me, since I had no dogs today as backup. A true test of whether he's doing what I ask or what the dog says!
When I rode Dewey the first time a couple days ago we just walked a bit each direction, but today Dewey was feeling confident and my back felt good, so we did some trotting as well. He is very sensitive, all it takes is a little quick breath with the voice command to get him going, but he's starting to listen to my seat and legs as well. Additionally, he is stretching and reaching for the bit to look for contact with my hands. He really needs a dental, and his mouthy-ness will diminish significantly once his teeth have been attended to.
It's very cute to have him walking and trotting and listening so carefully to me, he even got excited about how well he was doing and picked up a little canter. It was the wrong lead, but he was so proud of himself! He even hopped over one of the ground poles during our four strides of cantering. He was really tuned-in to me and came right back down to a walk when I asked, and even halted and backed up when I asked. He's very smooth and easy to sit, not bouncy at all even when he hopped up and down a little to get himself into the canter. I'm sure once his teeth are floated and comfortable he will be looking for the bit even more, and that's a great sign that he wants communication from his rider!
I was asked a question today about why I use this small flat jumping saddle for Dewey's first rides, especially after watching him romp around on the lunge line. This saddle fits Dewey quite well, which is the first priority. If the saddle is pinching him or uncomfortable he's less likely to enjoy his work and more likely to act up in protest. I also chose this saddle because it's one of my old favorites, and the balance point on it suits my long femur quite well. My back still gets somewhat sore and so my stirrups were very long today to accommodate for that. Normally I'd ride a youngster with a shorter stirrup so that I can stay in a two-point position and get off of his back more. The last reason I love this saddle for starting young horses is because it is so flat and simple. If things go awry as we all know they can with unpredictable youngsters, it is really easy for me to stay balanced. There is no saddle horn or deep seat to get in my way of moving with him, and if necessary it's easy to get out of the saddle to do a quick dismount.
Overall a really good second ride for Dewey, and looking forward to great weather later this week!
No comments:
Post a Comment