On 1/24/07, Karen Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > BUT, also don't rule out her past training, if you don't know the details of > how she was started under saddle.
I don't know about that--all I know is that she is listed in Canada in 1996 at age 7, before that was Iceland where I'm assuming she was trained. > Is it possible > that Gat was pushed to go at speed in her gaits in all her initial training? > Maybe she thinks that's what she's supposed to do, and is trying to do the > best her conformation allows? If that's how training is done in Iceland, well, that's probably what she thinks she should do. > Didn't you say that she canters in the pasture, at liberty? Well, she doesn't do it for 'fun' that I've ever seen...the only time I saw her cantering was when she was following others who were cantering. It wasn't the calm, relaxed canter. > mature mare on the quiet side (I think?) She's very quiet. > I'd suspect > even more that her pacey canter might be due to tension or past training...? I'm suspecting it's tension and past training....Gat is calm with Alex but I know she's not in love with arena work so she probably has tension doing it. > Get her balanced and > relaxed - bending, lateral work, flexions.... I'm reading Alexandra Kurklands (sp?) clicker book and she was recommending ground lateral work for balance in the canter (if I read that right late last night). > Maybe not ask for canter for so long at a stretch, but ask for shorter > stretches of a nice, relaxed canter and brag on her profusely when she > delivers it. Usually in a class they do not do as much cantering. Alex was cantering for me to video so she could see how it looked. >The trotting is good for her, as are the low jumps, but also lots of walk-trot transitions, with > a little bit of backing-up interspersed will get her rear-end engaged too. Alex's riding class is mosting at the trot, with poles and low jumps--not much canter--and she wants to practice more jumps. I'll ask her to do some backing up and some walk/trot transitions when she practices on her own. I'm wondering if that Balance rein would help -- from my understanding it is supposed to help engage the hind end, not sure if I'm right. > Just some random thoughts... Thanks! V
