working together

The weekend riding lessons have paid off! I now feel like Rosie & I are starting to work together & the bond between horse & rider is growing. She is a fast learner, definitely faster than me. Reads my mixed signals & does what I ask, which isn't pretty because my signals were mixed. But now that I am getting used to her stride & how responsive she is I am sitting alot more comfortable. Still need to work on the canter. 

We tried out 2 saddles that we picked up off ebay. A Wintec dressage & a Status All Purpose. I really felt out of sorts in the Wintec - my canter was attrocious - bouncing all over the show & I just couldn't get comfortable. The next day we used the Status - ohhh what a difference. I felt quite at home.

We have also put the drop nose band on the bridle & Rosie is not holding her head so high & for most of the trot she is quite relaxed, we can even do a few complete circles with only a small amount of contact on the reins & the occasional half halt to slow her down. She also has a lovely halt.

We also practiced some figure 8's around a couple of bending poles, first at a walk & then at a slow trot. She turns well to the right the left isn't as tight but we just need to practice this some more. She really is a treasure. I still cannot believe that she was destined for the meat works - it just makes me shudder.