Over the weekend Maxwell upgraded back to the large arena. The last couple of rides have been in the front paddock which is much smaller, as we'd been working on upward and downward transitions, staying straight, staying responsive, etc. This weekend I wanted to work on some trot poles so we moved back to the big ring.
On Saturday I had my phone on my hip while I rode alone, and decided why not play some music? Just as we got done with our warm up and started to tackle the trot poles for the first time in several months for Max, Starman by David Bowie came on, and you would have thought Maxwell was the biggest Bowie fan in the world, because his stride got big, his trot floaty, his ears forward. I only wish I had video from that day of trot work, because it was really quite entertaining to see him move while that song was on! But Sunday, day two of trot pole work, I set up the Go Pro for the first time and caught some clips of his trot poles. (I'm angry at the gopro. What a pain in the ass, and after all the work I did with the clips, it still wouldn't upload in 1080. I think I need a new computer!) The horse has come far in his trot and trotting poles in general. I've focused a large portion of our riding this winter on trotting. He used to hop over trot poles, not really sure exactly where his 4 feet were supposed to land, but he finally has that forward moving swinging trot, versus the short choppy racehorse prance trot of times past.
The video is nothing spectacular, but I thought I would share it, as I am very proud of the progress (slow but steady) that my horse is making, and I love admiring him as a spectator, which is something I never get to do, so video is my only measure of our progress from a different view. I'm so excited for the horse he is becoming. I am still trying to figure out what bit would be best to try and transition him back into, but so far I've got nothing, so we've been cruising around in the hackamore still. Which he loves, and doesn't complain about. And yes, it absolutely IS possible for a horse to properly carry themselves in a hack. They aren't "on the bit" but they can use themselves and round their back just the same with the right encouragement. Love this big goofy bay. The video is kind of boring, just trot poles and more trot poles. I truly cherish every mini hurdle with this horse.
Stay tuned, I know I've been lax on this blog yet again. I'll have another post shortly, I'm sure!
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