Left canter enjoyment and flying changes

Luba on April 19, 2012 at Horses of the Sun

Got up early this morning for a riding lesson with Sonja and Luba. Sheila was already there and had Bill all tacked up in voltige gear. I asked Sonja whose saddle to use, mine or hers, and she set us up with voltige gear too.

Sonja and Sheila/Bill in front of the barn.

The voltige surcingle is pretty simple, but I managed to put it on backwards. Heidi, Sonja's daughter, didn't even realize it could go on backwards when I asked her to check how I had tacked Luba up. You learn something new every day!

The correct way to put on a voltige girth is so that the metal dee rings are towards the front :)

Luba was in a mood. She pulled back from the hitching post, and also stamped her feet and pinned her ears before we coaxed her over to the sand ring.

We worked for about an hour, alternating between lunge line sessions and walking while Sheila/Bill had their lunge line session. We started on the left rein, and Luba wasn't sure she was in the mood to work. We had an interesting rodeo-like start (I stayed on!), but she soon settled. She picked up her left lead right away. It took me a while to relax after the rodeo start, but by session two, we were both feeling more in the groove.

Sonja prepares Luba for the canter by saying Now (pause) Now (pause), and for the third time she gives a quick flick of the lunge whip and says NOW!  During the second session, Luba started counter cantering on the left. Sonja said in a deep slow voice, Nooooo and then flicks the whip to get her to do a flying lead change. It was so smooth, I couldn't even tell when she did it.

The thing that struck me the most today was how obvious is the elastic band that is her topline. I could really feel it pushing up under my seat as she rounded driving forward from her hind end. Made me really think about relaxing my seat and trying not to hinder the energy in that elastic band.

It was soooooo much fun, that we plan to do it again tomorrow!

Nancy in her happy place

Legs

Parade of ponies back to the barn,

Luba much calmer at the hitching post after  some left canter enjoyment and flying changes.