Last Thursday, I rode AJ for the first time. He's an OTTB, bay with a wide blaze and about 16hh. He's got some sort of skin condition that they've had checked out by multiple vets and college research programs -- all of them have been left shaking their heads, but he isn't bothered by it. It's just kind of unsightly.
AJ also has a stereotypical lesson horse attitude and once we were in the ring, he began testing me right off the bat...seriously, he swung his butt away from the mounting block! I got after him and he stopped moving so I could get on, but then once we walked off, I had to really kick him to keep him going. We'd done a couple of laps at the walk and I was already getting tired!
Finally, L handed me a crop and then asked me to start trotting. As I kicked him forward, she said, btw, he's very uncomfortable. She was NOT kidding.
I've been spoiled, Promise was very comfortable and had long, even gaits that were pretty to look at and very nice to ride. The first horse L put me on, Knight, was also pretty comfortable, despite being a bit wonky in one direction.
AJ...is a back-breaker. The trot isn't as bad as the canter, but it's very flat and since I switched to hunter many years ago, I've been taught to let the horse post for you, allowing the stride to give you some impulsion on the up beat. It's hard to post to him, with very little "up"! And, his canter is kind of side to side and front to back.
Ouch. I could barely walk when I got off of him and for a few days afterwards! But, it was a great ab workout!
Anyway, we went around for a while and she didn't have me doing the UUD/DDU exercises, but had me do some 2-point to stretch a bit, and then we started cantering ground poles, set about 6 strides apart, on the 2 long sides of the arena.
She commented this week on my lack of stamina, in comparison to last week. She said, you just kept going and going and I commented to C that you were going to be sore! I told her that when he broke the canter in the corner a few times coming out of the line of poles, I knew it was my fault and I got mad at myself and wanted to make him do it right.
This week, she had me doing UUD again and that lack of upward motion really affected my ability to do it. It is hard to begin with! She ended up having me do 2-point at the trot for a bit before letting me go back to posting trot.
And then she had me canter some poles a few times and then had me do a pole to an 18" cross rail, and finally, had me do a different 18" cross rail to a little 18" vertical.
The first time over the pole-cross rail combo, I definitely got too far ahead of him and even with his flat style of jumping, it felt like he almost jumped me out of the tack. Second time around was better, when L told me to stay up and back and that I did not need to jump in 2-point with AJ. She said just give with my hands and wait a little longer to come out of the saddle, and a little longer to come back into it after the jump. Each round got better, and the only trouble I had with the cross rail to vertical was the distance.
AJ has this uncanny ability to stay at the same speed, yet lengthen or shorten his stride. I was kicking him on, trying to get 6, and he did it in 7. :-| I appreciate that he's a lesson horse and is saving his own butt (and will likely save mine, too!) but, it's still kind of annoying! LOL
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