Day 3 with Goyani

Hmmm, today was a little tough.  Taking the time it takes is a difficult discipline when you know the show is in 2 days!  But under the careful guidance of Walter we are taking the time for Goyani to trust my hands and start to come more over his back as he moves.  It's so hard to keep my hands still and wait for the hindquarters, but it's a good discipline.

Even though he and his partner, Carmen, can do a lot together this is new for both him and me.  And I remember what it was like when I first started riding Remmer under Walter's direction, I could not do the things I used to do because with Walter's direction you learn how to get the horse coming over his back and cannot micromanage or fuss with the horse's frame.  I had a lot of great things with Remmer, but not that.  So it's been an amazing learning experience these past couple of years to learn how to do that with Remmer... and now asking it of Goyani, ...and I'm no expert yet!

Today we rode out in the cold, windy big arena here at Stoneleigh Park.  At times it was impossible to hear Walter's instructions, but we got through.

What was better today was that I felt Goyani going into the contact more at walk and trot, although for a lot of the time in the beginning it was a bit flat.  As the exercises progressed his hind leg became more engaged and I felt moments of him being more round and a little higher in the withers.

The canter wasn't good today.  We had some misunderstandings and then he had trouble holding it.  One flying change - don't know how I got that, but it worked!  So of course we didn't force the issue, just came back to things that were a little easier and by the end we had some nice trot and stretching and called it a day.

I'm so privileged to have the guidance of Walter for this event and this situation with a 'new' horse.  His patience is wonderful and he's so true to his principles of not forcing the horse and picking him up with the reins, using the exercises to build the engagement little by little.  As that comes, the front end will come up more and the horse's frame will want to be shortened.  Until then, perfect practice in the proper position.  :)

Tomorrow we head to the NEC so we'll have a nice arena and better light.  More then.

Yours naturally,
Linda