In the last post I described how I had needed to got to phase four with Bonitao to get the canter transition to be snappy. In this case it required the use of a junior carrot stick to back up my leg aid. Now I can report on the result !
Today I had one of the best rides ever on Bonitao. On a recent nightstop in Toronto I had time to watch the latest DVD from Parelli. Now usually I file these away in the back of my mind to be reviewed when they are relavent to my current stage. But this one was the right DVD at the right time.
It concentrated on "Freestyle riding" around a figure of 8 pattern and really emphasised the importance of body position and weight in the stirup, which also translates to body position. For some of it I could run simulations by walking around my room in Toronto (think I wore the carpet a bit thin, sorry!) for the rest I needed to be riding.
In the early part of todays ride I really concnetrated on those lessons at walk and trot. Amazing results. I then took those same principles and applied them to canter transitions. The first transition was from trot to canter and needed the lightest leg aid and one stride. From there they just got better and better. Snag was the canter to trot, walk or halt was now not as good.
For this I had to go up the phases again to a full blown phase 4 lateral flexion. Soon after that I was getting downward transitions that were so good the first one unbalanced me !
The moral to all this is not to be afraid to go up the phases when riding. It gets the problem fixed sooner with less frustration for both of us. BUT be sure to use all the phases each time (even in a "he won't stop" situation) so that he rapidly learns "what happens before what happens happens".
After this indoor session we moved to the savvy park field where we did more figure 8 as shown on the dvd, using weeds and cones, and even a few nice canters.
To end the session on a really high note from Bonitaos point of view, but very boring from mine, I sat on him for 15 minutes as he grazed.
At the end of the day I took him to his field and he whinnied for me as I left. What a great feeling.
Today I had one of the best rides ever on Bonitao. On a recent nightstop in Toronto I had time to watch the latest DVD from Parelli. Now usually I file these away in the back of my mind to be reviewed when they are relavent to my current stage. But this one was the right DVD at the right time.
It concentrated on "Freestyle riding" around a figure of 8 pattern and really emphasised the importance of body position and weight in the stirup, which also translates to body position. For some of it I could run simulations by walking around my room in Toronto (think I wore the carpet a bit thin, sorry!) for the rest I needed to be riding.
In the early part of todays ride I really concnetrated on those lessons at walk and trot. Amazing results. I then took those same principles and applied them to canter transitions. The first transition was from trot to canter and needed the lightest leg aid and one stride. From there they just got better and better. Snag was the canter to trot, walk or halt was now not as good.
For this I had to go up the phases again to a full blown phase 4 lateral flexion. Soon after that I was getting downward transitions that were so good the first one unbalanced me !
The moral to all this is not to be afraid to go up the phases when riding. It gets the problem fixed sooner with less frustration for both of us. BUT be sure to use all the phases each time (even in a "he won't stop" situation) so that he rapidly learns "what happens before what happens happens".
After this indoor session we moved to the savvy park field where we did more figure 8 as shown on the dvd, using weeds and cones, and even a few nice canters.
To end the session on a really high note from Bonitaos point of view, but very boring from mine, I sat on him for 15 minutes as he grazed.
At the end of the day I took him to his field and he whinnied for me as I left. What a great feeling.
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