Recaps of recent rides with Knots

In bulk format again, since I seem to be able to hit this in ebbs and flows.


Knots and I met several times lately. First ride was back to dressage basics. We warmed up in the side reins on the lunge line. It was humorous to me, because every once in a while he would throw in a silly buck. He gives me the side eye when he does it. One day I'll get a picture. Anyways, after that he was pretty good. I rode him and tried to push him into the bridle at the trot and canter. He wants to break into the next gait when I try to push him, but for the most part he is trying. He was not galloping off from my spurs! If I try to move him over, he just moves over. Sometimes not especially willingly, but he moves. And he isn't trying as hard to root the reins out of my hands, which is another bonus.

Our next ride was a return to jumping. The 2'3" course I set up the week before was still available, and I got ready to go. My goals were to not to have a driving seat and to get good spots (haha lofty goals...). I did ok. Knots was relaxed when I sat on my zipper instead of my seat bones. Progress!

I don't know why I am so far out of the tack, but I don't seem to be driving him to the base of the fence and then getting whiplash as we go over the jump. Still ugly, but improvement.

I was gone for the weekend in the middle here, and Knots' next ride was actually with one of my students for the most part. For our lesson, the goal was to work on position and learn what it feels like when the horse responds correctly to the aids. We aren't talking rocket science here, just horse moving off leg. So I lunged the student's horse while she lunged Knots. After she lunged Knots (who was in a mood on the line...), I rode him for a minute and tried to demonstrate riding him into the bridle, complete with swinging hips.

Then my student rode him for a bit. She was learning about swinging her hips in the gaits and letting her elbows be more elastic. Knots was ok, he wasn't a rock star, but he showed her that just because she used a spur didn't mean he would run off. He also allowed her to experience riding a horse with their head lowered.

While I don't do it often, its nice to use Knots to show students some concepts they might be having a little bit of trouble wrapping their head around. He's up to helping about four if my count is correct.

We are officially trying to attend the Meadowcreek Schooling Horse Trials September 6th. I'm hoping to feel confident about running Beginner Novice, but goldilocks is an option also. I think we are going to school either August 1st or August 8th, depending on how things go. At that point I should be able to mail in my entry and carry on. Cross your fingers rides keep going smoothly!