BIG Baby Step!!

Well we did it!! And what a superstar Bally was. All the prep work we've been doing over the last 12 months paid off and B took to her first ridden experience like a duck to water.



Picked a ridiculously windy day, but hey-ho, we never let weather dictate what we're going to do...well unless it's absolutely peeing it down lol!

As you can see B was a superstar!

http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/LarriDB/Backing%20Bally/

Today was if anything even better!!

Jen came with me for ground support and we started the session same as we did before, up to the mounting block, correct any movement, wait till she's standing and lean over. Got Jen to lead us a few steps and then slid off and walked her back to the block.
Then I got on her properly and slowly sat up, let her get used to the weight again and then off we went into the school with her on the lunge line - this time I'd attached stirrups..although they were set at "potentially whizzy baby" length - i.e not far off a jockeys ;-)

After we'd done a circuit each way I then asked for some big circles and changed the rein across the diagonal each way. Bally was really attentive and getting the turning aids clear so I asked Jen to let us loose, but still walk near us and so we went SOLO !!!

Bally was just fab, she'd got the idea of the steering from the long lining and working into the outside rein from the inhand work. She was fine with me giving seat and leg aids to turn, so it all flowed really beautifully :-D We used the whole school and lots of changes of rein and circles with odd halt walk transitions thrown in, she stretched down when I asked her to and gave no resistance when I collected the reins back....so.....

I asked Jen to pop her on the line again just to be safe, went onto a 20 metre circle at B and asked Bally to trot on...which she did and she was lovely!! Bit wobbly to start, but we soon found a nice rhythm so did a couple of circles, came down to walk, changed the rein and did the same on the right, her transitions were great each way

Asked her to stretch and let her walk off on a long rein to finish.

I'm still grinning...although my hips and thighs are a bit ooyah lol!

**Edit**
Just noticed that the skinny blog interface cuts the right hand side of the video off grrrrr

Link to the whole thing is now in a seperate post.