Hey hey my little mule diary,

first lesson since a couple of weeks today and this was such a great one! Davalee was commenting our new and improved backing with "Wow-where did that come from?" which we then laughed at of course...We rode outdoors (usually scary and anxious provoking...) and Annie was in frame, selfregulating speed and listening to my seat. Amazing! Days like this is payback for all those times those things did NOT occur...

 

Practice sessions leading up to this one were focused on the "titta hit" exercise on the ground -capturing the eye of Annie and then adding on the yield of the hindquarters as a sort of "newborn" version of the baby lunge. That was only ok today so we need more practice and adding on to move forward when the eye is sort of bleh....

Under saddle we have focused on transitions. Primarily from working jog in more elevated frame to free jog in a longer, lower frame and back again. Now we often actually transit in a step or two instead of half the circle before anything changes....

 

So the homework until next week is focused on lope to working jog transitions. This requires shortening the frame (i.e. getting more collected) for several strides prior to asking for the jog. I will have to expand my cones to more like a 30 m circle rater than 20 to provide more room for my big big mule. Also to keep supporting the frame throughout and give the release more gradual as compared to the big ol' release we have worked with up to now to ensure she understands she has done it right. When she gets that big release immediately after lope she tends to flatten out and also rush a little before we recapture the frame. But as Davalee said- "Now we have something to work with!" Yay!

 

So hop to it then! Riding on the schedule for the weekend for sure! Time to go fix dinner now. But one more thing-we did the rope gate at Davalee's. Yippie!