Working Two Horses

The night I picked Kenai up from surgery was the first night I worked both horses.

 

It was fun. Both did well; both had their moments; both were very lightly sweating at the end of their respective 20ish minute sessions.

 

I lunged Griffin for 5 minutes to warm him up and put him in the mindset of work. Then I hopped in the saddle and we rode for the rest of the time. Walking at first. Then trotting a lot. 

 

I wanted him to work on trotting with a steady rhythm without balking for some reason. When he had some solid effort and accomplishment with that we worked on our trot-walk, walk-trot transitions. No big deal!

 

So then I just trotted him hither and thither around the barnyard, circling the jumps (which he could care less about compared to Miss Q who is all OMG BRIGHT COLORS ALERT ALERT!). He really settled into a nice rhythm, popped into a canter a couple times, but came right back to the trot with a flick of my fingers on the reins to check him.

 

Such a good boy!

 

We ended with a great halt and phenomenal backing. 

 

: : : : :

 

A quick change of pads and tack from one horse to the next and it was Q's turn.

 

 

I walked her around the barnyard and each jump. And then we repeated that at the trot and then the canter. Each direction at each gait before progressing.

 

 

And then we jumped! We jumped our new pretty jumps!

 

Small crossrail, two 2' verticals. Mixed up direction as we went. Trotted them and cantered them.

 

Then she clipped the middle vertical and knocked it down. So I made her jump her mess. Cue spazz out. But we worked through it. And then I fixed it and turned it into a big crossrail. High sides at 3'3"-3'6" or so. Middle about where the other vertical was. Shouldn't be a big deal.

 

And it wasn't. 

 

BUT...

 

She jumped the HIGH sides of it several times.

 

The question of whether or not she could jump 3'+ is now answered. She can do it and do it well. 

 

She can jump 3'+ on a bend as she makes a turn to see her friends, too. Sigh. Silly Q.

 

Not what I wanted in that moment, but she jumped clean and came out on the correct lead.

 

Quite the athlete I have, it seems. Both of them. Great little athletes in the making.