Lucy and the Trot Poles

Last night was our second ride since Lucy's adjustment. The first ride was supposed to be just walking and trotting, but we were allowed to do a bit more on the second ride. We did the usual warm-up and then since there were already trot poles set up in the ring, I asked her to walk over them. The first few times she went over them, she picked her feet up really high. It was the cutest thing. As she got more comfortable with them, though, she settled right down and walked and trotted over them with no issues. She is so smart!

We moved onto a bit of canter work and she did not feel as though she was rushing as much as she had before she was adjusted. She still felt fast, but after looking at the video I am realizing that she has such a long stride that everything feels so much bigger than it looks. She felt much looser through her back and hips last night, and she even stretched down into the (minimal) contact a few times, which she was promptly praised for. I try to make our rides short but sweet and to the point, and we always end on a good note. I try to start with something she already feels comfortable with, then introduce something new, then go back to practicing whatever we had worked on in the last session. That way I feel like we always end with both of us feeling confident.

Kenny rode after I did. He does such a nice job with Lucy. He is a naturally gifted rider and he communicates so well through his position and voice.

Here is a rather long video of our ride last night.