Working on walking

I rode! I rode! I rode!

Okay, now that that's out of my system...

It's finally warming up, and the ice melted enough for some riding yesterday. The arena - that big slushy mess I'm riding in - still isn't in great shape, but it was manageable, especially since my goals for the moment are getting Domino straight, rhythmic, and balanced in the walk.

We started off with one of Domino's characteristic, "Are you sure you really, really want me to do this?" bucks. When he realized, yes, I really, really wanted to ride, he settled in and we got to work on a circle in a patch of arena that seemed dry enough.

He started off a bit tense and looky, with some calling to his friends in the barn, so I played with some counter-flexing to try to get his mind on me. Inside bend for five strides, outside bend for five strides, and relax. After a few attempts in both directions, he was listening to me pretty well and carrying a relatively nice inside bend, so I moved on with the ride.

One of the hard things about Domino is that his neck is very short, very thick, and set on very upright. It makes going in a relaxed, long frame rather difficult for him, especially when he's tense and hasn't been ridden outside in a few months. That said, I was pretty impressed with how hard he tried this session. I asked him to do one of our trademark exercises that I've found very helpful with getting him balanced and under himself: leg yielding in and out on a circle. He collapsed in on me when I first asked, but I toughened up my inside leg and tried again and the memories seemed to flood back. He did very well after that first boo-boo, and I was happy with how things were going.

I did a little loose, relaxed trot work for a few minutes just to let him get some stretching in. He's much easier in trot than walk. After a few more circles, I brought him down to the walk and let him out to the buckle. He stretched down and forward, making me a very happy camper because it is hard to get him to do that.

Domino seemed quite pleased with himself and was in a very happy, affectionate mood when I hopped off. He had lots of face itchies, which had to be scritched. My friend rode around on him for a few minutes, and he was a good boy. We ended overjoyed that we'd gotten a nice ride in, and eagerly looking ahead to spring. I can't wait to really start getting him fit and working consistently.

Goals for the next ride, whenever that may be: introduce some more trotwork. Transitions galore!