Lesson Recap: Dr. Remus vs. Mr. Remus!

Life needs to stop for five minutes so I can write blog posts. JEEZ this week is crazy and it is only WEDNESDAY. Anyway I had a lesson on Sunday (which seems like ten years ago by now). Remus was overall excellent but we had two problems. His Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personas were fighting with each other at one point of the canter work and then he ran out of gas by the time we were jumping. It was hot, it was humid, I get it. And I am actually glad he pulled his stunt at cantering so she got to see what he does (he has been foot perfect every time before this, brat).

After rearranging the whole world to fit in the lesson (thank you husband for babysitting Dad, worse than a toddler at times), I headed south to get to the lesson. Luckily as before though it was hotter than last time, the flies were still at minimum there, so much better than my house. So I quickly tacked up and hopped on. I remembered my dressage whip this time. But I was ready. Remus was actually forward for him at the trot. He always is like ON at that place so forward. As if he is showing off.

We did some basic trot work but didn’t want to wear him out so started canter deparatures at the walk which he was REALLY GOOD about. Like one or two steps and boom in it he would go. Again this is huge for us. Both ways he was SO GOOD. He had some great canter work. Like who is this horse? And we cantered around and around until I could not breathe and then I would ask him for a stop and he would collapse. Thanks, Quarter Horse stop. So then we had to work on making him trot forward when I brought him down instead of screeching to a halt. We got that too. THEN we started working on the canter from the trot. The first way (to the left) he was pretty good. Again, we worked on transitions. Getting him to canter, canter some, then come down and ask again. We went to go the other way.

Which is where the wheels fell off the bus. Shades of Mr. Hyde appeared. He would not canter. COULD NOT Canter. Then he did his impression of the bucking bronco (not really but he did buck, this is the first buck since we left the east coast). I knew trainer could get on him but I was pissed off and didn’t want her to have to get on my bad horse so I  smacked him with the whip and we finally got it and we made him canter forever. Of course we were BOTH exhausted then (see ran out of gas above). We had to rest a bit as she set up some small cross rails and jumps to oh I don’t know just run a course before the CT this weekend. Be a good idea right? Um. Nope. I turned to the first line and Remus was like bahhh I don’t want to. He barely made it over the two cross rails. NO GAS.

We stopped to discuss and literally I could feel Remus saying uh huh I am done. So I said to trainer I think he is done and she agreed. But I said we have to do that line again and she again agreed. And yay we did it. And he had a bit more oomph but if I know anything about that horse is that if I push him harder when he is like that he is going to try to jump but knock everything over. We called it a day. It was a great lesson actually. I love how he is cantering so much better (albeit that one time) and I am actually ENJOYING cantering him. Except when he gets that heavy on the forehand feeling and then I either push him forward OR make him trot then canter again. Oh Remus, why you gotta make me work so hard??

So we have a show this weekend and I hope we can make it over the course. My dressage is at 9:40 but I don’t jump till after 2 pm so I hope we can make it. The good thing is I got a stall for him so will put a fan on and water in there and let him chill after dressage. What was I thinking? OH yeah I was NOT thinking. Sign up for a CT, it will be fun (temps are calling for mid 90s and BIG TIME HUMIDITY, so much fun UGH). Jumps will not be that high so maybe we will get over them all? Then again? Who knows.