Riding Lately

#barebackturnoutstandards

It's been hard to write recently for a couple of reasons: lack of time and lack of excitement.

Happy horse. Happy rider.

This isn't to say things have been bad. No, no. Quite the contrary.

#horsecuddles

Nope, instead my days have been full of spending time with my happy horse.

#girlplease

And enjoying the slow process of incremental progress.

#dawningoffourthlevel #shhh

Each day we work on relaxation and throughness.

#nightrides

Then we work on maintaining a good rhythm in half halts, and developing more collection.

#gallopfaces

Then I'll look into lateral work, and test obedience to lateral aids.

#postridewrapslobbers

Most days, that's where we end. My time during the week is limited, so a 30-40 minute ride is all I have time for.

#morningrides

Most days I don't even put a saddle on either. It's all about maximizing my time.

#hackdays

Once a week we'll go for a hack. Sometimes it's a quick mental break around the property. And sometimes it's a long drawn out trot/gallop session for fitness.

#happypony

And once a week when I've actually put a saddle on my creature, we'll put the pressure on that lead change work. The work on relaxation has really gone a long way to making our changes better. The idea of multiples required for fourth no longer seems completely out of reach. This floors me.

#cozybarn

But overall, the progress is very slow, yet steady. I know we're knocking down barriers to a move up, but there's no huge achievement or milestone to celebrate. Only the quiet enjoyment of a team enjoying their daily work.

#lovelydays

And really? Can you ask for anything more?