Saturday at the clinic

Saturday was a fun drive in the morning and then the afternoon would be open for instruction in the dressage arena. I wanted to get an early start and the fun drive wasn't so much on my schedule as working in the dressage arena was... Neither one happened as it turned out.

We didn't get there until around 1 pm.  I pulled Kat off the trailer and hooked him up as Gary was there, but had to leave soon.  I drove Kat down off the hill to where Gary was by the one obstacle and he checked things over before sending us off to warm up. It was a bit breezy and cold so Kat was sure feeling it. Add in the other two horses trotting around and the mini with the hyperbike (which is wicked cool) and he was rarin' to go.

I took him over to the one obstacle and mainly we just walked. Around the 'gates' through this way, out over here, making him bend and flex, give and take and finally I let him go into a trot. He wanted to move, but I didn't want him getting wound up too much.  When we got back over to Gary and the other obstacle, Kat was still a bit fresh. He was listening though, so I took what I could get. We wove through the poles and Gary told me to use more half halts. Somehow, part of my bad habit of holding on while asking to turn was a good thing. 

When maneuvering through the obstacles the inside rein signals the turn, while the half halts with the outside rein, keeps the horse upright and prevents a dropped shoulder or hip. Makes sense and we tried it again a few more times, tightening the turns and maintaining forward momentum.  At one point though, making a right turn, we sorta overshot where we were supposed to go through. I stopped Kat, then asked him to turn to the right. He got frustrated and reared to show his feelings. 

Knowing this is how he expresses himself I cracked him on the butt for it. He can be frustrated, but rearing is not the way out. Gary laughed and turned to hubby who was videoing the episode and said "She sure knows how to handle stallions." 

We eventually moved to another part of the obstacle and as we came around to go through the posts- to read railroad ties, Kat aimed directly for one of them. I stopped him just before he would have beaned himself good on it right in the forehead. Good thing he has excellent brakes!  We worked a bit more and Gary had to go so then I took Kat out and let him trot to burn off energy. He still had a lot of it too.

We trotted around the outside path of the property and called it a day. The wind was picking up and I was cold. Kat was still a bit wound and could have kept going for a while even though the other drivers and horses had already packed it in and left.   I wanted to get off the cart and warm up. Besides there would be plenty of time to play tomorrow and I could lunge him before we got started.