One thing leads to another

Pick 'em up, put 'em down, Derbs.

The theme of the next few weeks, Christy informed me tonight, will continue to be “Fix it – NOW.”   And the sub-theme needs to be “Ask nicely, then correct.”  I’ve been rewarded when I ride more assertively and responsively recently, and I need to continue to speed my deployment of fixes – and reduce my tolerance for a less than crisp response.

Tonight’s ride focused on getting the hind legs engaged. The trot work improved after we cantered (got both leads, nice transitions, yay) but not before I started to wear out, due to the effort I expended at the beginning of the lesson.  I was working harder than the horse was at the outset as we worked on developing a good quality trot circle.

Toward the end of the lesson, I needed to switch things up, as my legs were getting tired after the circle work. We decided to do big laps, focusing on getting Derby to really step out.  He was moving nicley but I can feel the difference in his fitness a few months ago, and his fitness now.  I know that as he gets fitter (and as I do too) the quality of our work will improve.  In this sport, one thing leads to another.

On my way home, I mused about all the work we need to do and the things we need to practice, an I admonished my self not to get impatient with the horse, or with myself, for that matter.  As Christy said, I need to focus on fixing issues as they arise, in the moment. And I can do that.

As I continued to muse, my subconscious fixed on the word “Fix” and connected that to a video I watched about eleventy-billion times back in the day.  For those doing the math, yes, I saw MTV’s first video, yes, I was a child of the 80’s.  Here is a very apropos selection for your enjoyment.