Coming Together: Baby Genius Lesson Recap

 On Saturday we finally were able to have a lesson. The last lesson I had was August 23rd and then we had the show. Since then, for a variety of reasons, we've been unable to schedule one.  I had always planned for my next lesson to be on Quaid and I decided to stick with that plan. 

In our rides I've been really trying to focus on forward, rhythm and relaxation. And trying to stay sitting up and stop leaning forward.  The weather the past few days has not been great. It appears that Mother Nature has remembered that it's autumn and she needed to catch up. It's been really windy and on Saturday we had a frigging wind warning for later in the day. I'd been working him in the wind to help him get used to everything flying around and he's been dealing well with it. But I was not looking forward to riding in the morning while at the same time I was determined that I was not canceling. The base wind was 35 km/hr with gusts in excess of 50. 

you can see his tail blowing here

I planned for a little longer for groundwork and that was a good call. We were able to get our communication established before I got on. At the walk Jane had me keep my hands low, and I swear that I've been working on it but his neck feels so far away that my arms have to be almost straight to be where she wants them. I even (gasp) argued with Jane about it but she pointed out that my elbows still had a bend and now the bit and arm were aligned. So I sucked it up and tried.  

and I can see that my hands are indeed too high here. 
*sigh* riding is hard

We practiced flexions because I was letting him look outside too much. But also don't hold the inside because that makes him curl. All of this sounds like we were a mess but we were not.  In fact we were pretty steady and Jane even commented that we had improved since she saw us last. As you'd expect with a green horse we'd be steady and then it would fall apart and then we'd get it back. Jane had us practice leg yield at the trot which we really hadn't worked on. But it was surprisingly okay. I tend to push too hard with my inside leg. 

he's trying so hard here

Here's a clip that is pretty reflective of our work: the good and the work-in-progress. 

The second left canter was really good and nicely balanced. After that canter we let him have a rest and then did a little work on the right rein and then called in. I really like his turn on the forehand- I've been schooling it in hand and under saddle asking for a single step at a time. Jane liked it and said that my work with Carmen has paid off in that I don't let him go fast like I used to let her. 

Our right canter has historically been a bit wild and wooly but it's coming. And it just goes to show how correct work and alignment make all the difference. 

I was so impressed with how well he handled everything. The trees were moving, the wind was wild, leaves were blowing around and he just tried his little heart out for me. At times he would startle and then just come right back. It was a lot for a young horse to handle and he just trusted me that it was all okay. Can we stop and appreciate that the weather was cold and windy and Jane was all 'you should canter' and I was all 'that sounds great!'  and Quaid was all 'well alrighty then'. 

Jane told me that she was really happy with the work we've been doing: "so proud of the work you have done with him in the past month. It was really good work. He'll be very solid at training level next year, schooling towards first." 

I know that he's a bit behind the vertical but there's so much to love about this moment in time. You can really see the horse he's becoming. 

I am not sure how much longer I can 
call him 'baby' genius.....