Ready!

So since Arwen is still on her mini vacation to hopefully self recover from whatever is ailing her, Trainer let me ride a different horse in my lesson last night. Not just any horse, but the horse that basically taught me to jump and gain enough confidence that I was ready (at least mentally, lol) for a horse like Arwen. Ready (thats his name) is just so sweet and simple and fun. I leased him for about 8 months prior to buying Arwen, and did my first ever (and only, so far) show on him last September. 

Let me start out by saying-complete opposite ride to Arwen. Ready like an extremely light contact, and a lot of leg. I was basically completely staying out of his face on the flat and over fences. It was weird to have him just maintain a pretty easy rhythm without a lot of input from me, or having to take a feel before the fence. And then after the fence, no taking off! Again, SO. WEIRD. He's also very straightforward and honest-point him at a jump, he goes to it. I think in my entire time riding him (and watching other people) he refused on me only once when he didn't know where he was going. Arwen, on the other hand, is a much more precise ride. As I've written about before, she has refused. A lot.

Not only does he like a different feel from the rider, OMG is he uncomfortable. Has a much shorter, bouncier stride at the trot, same with the canter. I think if I were to ride him more I would definitely get used to it again but man...Arwen has spoiled me. She is just so smooth and easy when she moves. That is for sure one of the things I really, really love about her.

Also, Arwen is naturally so uphill and balanced, transitions, lead changes, etc are generally fine. Totally different on Ready. He's a little more downhill, and I didn't have the best pad on him so my saddle was tilting down a little which didn't help. So I felt like I was getting thrown forward, even though I probably wasn't. Funny how just a little tiny change in balance point can really throw you for a loop (or at least this unexperienced ammy, lol)

I swear I looked like a dead fish up there on him at the beginning, I know I felt like I was being bounced all over, couldn't stay down in my heel, and my canter transitions were horrible! Plus, he doesn't take up as much of my leg as Arwen does, so I felt like it was swinging like a pendulum. I think Arwen has definitely covered a lot of my flaws/weaknesses but made me stronger in other areas.

But jumping...jumping was so fun on him. When I rode him before I was definitely kicking him all the way to the fence but this time, since I KNOW what a quality canter is supposed to feel like now I wasn't taking any crap. I had a crop and I USED it. So by the time we got to jumping, he was listening well. We did get some half strides in because I was using too much hand, but when I finally softened and just kept my leg on, we nailed our distances each time. It was really nice!

Tonight I'll just be riding Arwen around at a walk. Maybe a couple steps of trot in the arena to see how she feels, but thats it.