Well it has been an eventful few weeks, with some dramatic developments...
Furst Love has been going from strength to strength under Genevieve Edwards and is getting stronger, fitter and happier by the day. Genevieve is a very talented rider especially with young horses and I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone who wants their young horses brought on in a gentle but firm manner.
As I mentioned before, I am a great advocate of one rider bringing along young horses to keep them clear about aids and trusting their rider. On Friday though, Genevieve had a tumble off one of her naughtier wards and will not be able to ride Furst Love for a few months. She broke some bones but is on the mend as we speak and expects to be teaching on crutches by next week!
Meanwhile, I have taken back the reins on my youngster and I am happy to say he is behaving so well for his Mummy. I notice that he is much more forward and willing to move off the leg without too much effort. This makes riding him much more fun as I do not feel I have to "nag" him to keep him moving.
I put this new and more positive attitude he has down to his wonderful surroundings and comfortable routine which Genevieve and I have pieced together for him. Flat work 3x per week, jumping a few cross bars and roads and tracks the other 2 days. Of course he is out all day with his playmates in the glorious Georgia sunshine so he is never agitated at being in all day, day after day.
Yesterday, I practiced our transitions and noticed that he is very receptive to my voice commands on the lunge so I tried them under saddle, and ...Presto....when I said "trot" in my Lunge voice he responded immediately so I could time my voice command with a gentle leg aid re-inforcing the voice command. I am trying hard to avoid intensive negative re-inforecement techniques such as too much whip or spur. I want Furst Love to be happy to do his job and not be switched off and resigned....we have all ridden horses like that and they are hard to turn around.
The canter transition was much the same with a little "canter" voice command and he was away. This time I sat deep in the saddle a few strides out and timed the command so that he understood my seat and voice aid mean canter. It worked like a charm and after a few transitions, he was waiting like puppy for me to ask! What a joy to ride such a sweet natured horse and what a change from the bucking bronc who wouldn't move forward 3 months ago! No bullying, no coercing, just common sense and a good, healthy routine to bring him to this great new head space!
Furst Love and "the Contact" continue to be a little challenging. I am forgoing consistent contact in effort to cement his desire to move forward. Once he relaxes into a forward rhythm then I ask for a more consistent contact. Some horses like to poke their noses out and above the vertical, Furst is a "diver" and likes to park his snozz between his knees. It is harder for him to do this when he is forward so I try to get momentum in the trot so he is pushing more from behind into the contact in front. Again, I am
not stressing about getting this achieved in any period of time... I know that as he grows and strengthens
all the things I am asking him will become easy for him and then, and only then, will I start putting more pressure on him. I have the luxury of lots of time to get him where I want him and I am taking the time.
I am also riding another dressage horse at Echelon called Wyland. He is a Weltmeyer gelding and an absolute poppet owned by Natasha in the barn. I am working him while Genevieve is off and concentrating on switching him "on" again. Natasha wants to do lower level dressage and he is trained to PSG but really doesn't want to be bothered to do much requiring excessive energy!. It is an interesting challenged and I am starting with just getting his fitness level up and making him a little sharper of the leg with lots of strengthening transitions and bending through his frame.
Gen on FurstOver and Out - send your positive thoughts to Genevieve !
