Week 18: Springing Ahead

                After a time change and some slightly warmer weather I realized it was again time to update the blog! It seems that Finn and I have finally had a big breakthrough. Last week Finn and I rode outside for the second time since I purchased him and we were able to walk, trot and canter! To start the ride I brought Finn into the ring and led him around; allowing him to sniff and glare at anything potentially scary. He seemed fine so I had my dad drag the mounting block over to the ring and hold Finn so I could get on. Right away Finn seemed ready for work! To my surprise there weren't any spooks so I decided to go up to the trot. With quiet hands and a bit of inside leg Finn went right on to the bit and glided around the arena like an old pro.

                After coming to the conclusion that Finn was ready for a challenge, I decided to stand in my stirrups and allow him to canter out. I started up in 2 point with my hands resting on the fuzzy part of my new half pad and then decided to sit down. Finn automatically slowed down and arched his neck (yay!) with little protest. I repeated this simple exercise in both directions with pretty even results.

                With such great results in the ring I decided it was time for our first hack out! Next to the farms outdoor arena we have a cross country field so I decided that’d be a great place to start. I kept him walking forward and I reminded myself to breathe as we encountered some scary things like cones and jumps! At first Finn shied away from the big jumps scattered about the field, but by the end he seemed cool as a cucumber. I am hoping that this nice weather will last and help me achieve more great rides! The date of our first event is set for June 9th at Plantation Field and we hope to practice a bit in the dressage arena before then.