Remus Lesson Recap

Remus is just doing so fantastic at Trinity. He is still shedding out some for some reason and was really muddy the other day but I am so pleased with his general happiness and calmness and the way he looks and his fitness stage. We had a great lesson on Saturday and I even had a bit more forward Remus. Let’s bottle that shall we?

NEXT TIME, I am getting video, I hope (unless it is over 80 degrees there is no point). But Saturday was about 60s and a lovely breeze blowing. We started our lesson warming up and I let him go in his basic on the loop trot be-bopping around the ring. My instructor pulled me up and said I had one goal for this lesson. It was fine to let him meander on the buckle to warm up but after that I had to pick up the reins and get him moving from behind and being a real horse.

So what is happening in Remus’s world? If Erin or me aren’t riding him regularly (Erin is the girl who jumped him the other week) he gets lazier than normal.  I ride him once a week in a lesson. Erin hops on him when he is bad or she wants to pop over some jumps. But he is devious with a school pony personality inside.

People in lessons on him can’t get him moving sometimes and once they get after him he does scare them because he will move on (not that he is doing anything wrong, he just needs to start out moving so they aren’t unnerved). So I had to work  Remus pretty hard. THANK GOD FOR NEW MEDS for breathing for me. OMG. I was exhausted but didn’t die or vomit or fall off so that is a win?

We started at a brisk trot and I had my reins shorter than I have ridden in a while. Trying to bend your elbows and not poke them out is hard y’all. UGH. We did some serpentines and circles and just kept his butt moving. I got some Nice and Just like that so I think she approved!

We cantered one way and he was really good. Then she told me to pop over a cross rail so I guess we are jumping now right? HA. Went over some trot poles then to a small vertical then we reversed and trotted the vertical and cantered the poles! The first part we messed up but for some reason the reverse was easier? No clue. We kind of fell apart a few times so she got after me again. He has to be in front of me the whole time and I have to not collapse at the jump or put my reins in my crotch. Hmm who knew (OH I KNEW but I still do it!).

Anyway we did the cross rail to a gate at an angle and he was pretty damn perfect (as was I, for me anyway). Then I went over an oxer and fell apart again. But when I represented to it it was great. We then proceeded through a grid (set small but a lot of bounces). I should have taken a photo of it. They reset it after I was done so a new grid of doom next week.

Anyway it was a pole, then two poles on top then a half cross rail, then a full cross rail, then a small oxer, then a gate.  Over it we went. I was a bit slow the first way but the second way I got it! Then we popped over a mini course and combined the earlier elements. I did let out one curse word I shouldn’t have due to me not sure if I was going over the right gate (I was, hahaha). The ring is tight with a lot jumps right now and I am not great with directions. So that is never good, right?

But it was a fantastic lesson with a horse who was with me over most things and moving forward!  So brand new feeling to my ride. HA! How about that? Who is this horse?

Also when we were done in the lesson, I asked him to canter the other way just to do it and he went right into it and cantered nicely. So then I stopped and was done. He is also reintroducing bucking to his canter lately (nothing bad but still) and he has not done it with me any time so I think that is Remus just expressing himself. HA.  Feelings, he has a lot of them!

So a good lesson in the books. Thank you, more of this please. Now trying to find time for another lesson this week between rain (ugh) and work (double ugh). Happy Tuesday all!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and has a good week ahead!