Sunday, June 10, 2012

Mounted ZUMBA!

T-Minus 5 days until the 4-H State Horse Show.  So the weekend was filled with fun horsey activities.  Friday morning and Alaina had a Western/trail lesson with Dawn.  They worked on lightening neck reining, elevated trot overs and canter.  Sunny is still not back to normal movement on the right lead but it is better.  The biggest issue Alaina is having is with back throughs - and Sunny has been very good at them in his history.  So, further training needed.
  Saturday morning and Ivy/Pico, Alaina/Ahab, and Roxy/Trouper worked on equitation - including posting trot w/out stirrups!  Roxy was worried about "falling off at the canter" so Patty said she could pick up stirrups before cantering.  That was the challenge Roxy needed, so she cantered stirrup-free and handled it nicely.  Then Nancy, Mallory, Mary, Cynthia and I rode.  Patty had us try moving our hips in a figure 8 with the horse's walking movement.  Voila!  Zumba on Horseback.  We worked on sitting trot (Splash is pretty good) and the changing diagonals every 6-4-2-1 stride (Mary made really good progress with her introduction to posting).  Splash took correct leads for our canters although we had one unasked downward transition to trot.  Our biggest issue at the lesson was leg yield left.  Splash was NOT responsive.  Again, more training needed.

The party lesson extended into Sunday when we met our horsey friends at Hideaway for lunch and then went to the Western Dressage Demonstration at Pinto World.  Cliff Swanson demonstrated on a beautiful Morgan Stallion - how to work 10 meter circles in the 20 meter circle, change of rein through the circle, leg yields, haunches-in, and shoulder-in.  The audience applauded when he discussed the desired impulsion of the trot in western dressage - NO LIMPY LOPE ALLOWED.  Ivy learned about putting your weight in the right (or left) stirrup when leg yielding right (or left).  Posting is not allowed during any level of Western Dressage.  Splash and I might try it out at the next Dressage show.
My YaYa Sisters are riding Wednesday evening but the girls and I will be completing the mighty preparations for STATE.  Trailer loading and a last practice ride for each.  Hope my horsey friends have fun with out me but I will be thinking of them.

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