Blowing a Hoolie

Dear Lord it was windy today, but as Little B had had a few days off I decided we had to do *something* constructive. Fresh from watching the fabulous Becky Holden in action on Sunday - and in particular watching her start Impy a lovely just about to turn 3 yr old Fell cross pony with her brilliant in hand and long line work, I thought we'd see how it went.

Now I've done a lot...an awful lot of inhand work over the years - learnt my skills at Turville and proceeded to practise them throughout Safi's life. But Becky works slightly differently to start them off...and it does make perfect sense in that they learn about opening the shoulders, accepting the outside rein contact, leg aids and stretching into the contact...all from you on the ground. The classical work is brilliant for suppling, collection and the lateral work...but that will all come later.

Anyway...windy...very, very windy. Bally came in like a coiled spring with the occasional Tigger bounce, so it took a while as we walked steady, stopped and backed, repeat a few times...add a few minor head tossy little minx moments and we finally got into the yard.

I was going to work her from her normal headcollar tonight, with her bridle on as it always is for work now -once she's established I will start to ask for flexions from the bit and work her off it (with a transition period of bit and headcollar clipped together)

So duly kitted up with roller, and her driving reins and normal reins we toddled off to the school....if anything it seemed even windier and we had a good five minutes of twitchy fidgeting being gently corrected before I felt that she had her mind on the job enough to have a walk in hand round the school - even then she forgot her manners once or twice, but a few walks round and a change of rein and we were able to have a very short lunge.

She was a good girl - transitions good, but once again slow to halt...oh and I forgot to mention one 10 second blast of total lunatic leaping and broncing on the right rein - completely stayed on the circle - didn't pull just went YEEEHAAAA then trotted when asked...one of those "do I really have to sit on her one day?" moments lol!
Then I brought her in to the side to change to the short reins to introduce the inhand stuff...I was just fixing the rein on when something spooked her and wallop, because I was standing right in the way she shoulder charged me and I was left sitting on the ground hanging on to her...Madam at least had the decency to stop and look at me with a hint of chagrin

I dusted myself off , finished attaching the other side of the rein without any further leaping lol and we went off to have a go...... well blow me down she was super - she zones in completely when she has to think about stuff and was concentrating really hard on what I was asking. Walking in time to my circle, not dropping her shoulder or drifting out through her quarters, moving off my hand and whip aid, listening to the outside contact and stretching forward and down when invited to...couldn't have asked for a better start!! Repeated on the other rein and again, really good try from Little Miss B :-)

As she was now so focused on her work I wanted to finish of the session with a brief try at the same stuff on the longline and she was great - we only did five minutes each rein, but I could manoeuvre her in circles, on to a straight (ish lol) line and back onto a circle, all at a nice forward and calm walk. Brilliant for her first attempt...any wibbles were down to me not being quick or clear enough with changing my contact or positioning, so she did brilliantly considering I'm such a plank with two lines sometimes. The difference in her attitude when she's being worked is incredible - once you have her attention and occupy that fiendishly clever brain I think you could let a bomb off and she wouldn't notice (Larri feverishly prays that this works in dressage test environments in future!! LOL!)

All done and both feeling exceptionally pleased it was off back to the yard where Gi had just turned up so we all wandered down the field after Bally had been untacked and brushed to have her dinner and some hay