Of sensitive horses ...

Really awesome Jeff Cook style course I set in 'my' ring at PWF

My horse is sensitive ALL over.  His skin, his back, his legs, while he's eating, when I fly spray him.  The only time he's NOT sensitive is when I'm cleaning his sheath.  Lol, he LOVES to have his sheath cleaned, it's hilarious. Dirty little Muffin, lol!


This week is dressage bootcamp!  I've found that my biggest problem as a rider is figuring out how to get deep enough in my corners smoothly.  The last time I schooled in a dressage ring was literally December of 2010, yikes!  There isn't anywhere close by that has an actual dressage arena; even when I lessoned with Gigi in Rome, it as in an indoor with normal walls and mirrors.  I have problems for instance, trotting down the centerline then making the right hand turn to the rail.  I have trouble keeping him steady and straight, then getting a nice uniform bend and making the turn smoothly.  I'm always worried I'm going to catch my foot on the rail:(  Any advice?


I swapped out the Myler D with the Herm Sprenger D on his dressage bridle, and he didn't feel as soft and supple in it as he usually does.  Maybe he isn't as fond of the bit with his mouth strapped shut.  Normally, I have the HS on my hunter bridle with the plain cavesson.  The dressage bridle has a flash.  Overall, he felt a little stiff today, and a little bit heavy with some inversion.  I guess not TOO surprising since I only rode him ONCE last week, on Thursday during our jump school.  He's been off since then, so I'm not worrying yet.


Warmed up with LOTS of circles and half turns, a'la Jeff Cook.  Ran through pieces of the dressage test.  Worked down the centerline both ways many times, trying to keep him straight from nose to tail and working on that turn away from the judge.


I also worked on the 20m circle doing trot/canter transitions.  I've done a bunch of 20m circles doing w/t transitions, it was cool doing the t/c.  He finally started to relax and get a little bit softer.  Our upward transitions from the trot to canter were very good and not "runny":)  I attempted one lead change across a diagonal and it was an epic FAIL.  I didn't try again, just cantered up the centerline and halted a few times, trying to keep him from hollowing out.


Overall not a bad day.  We've had better, but we've certainly had worse, so no complaints.  I bathed him and scrubbed on a few small patches of fungus on his legs.  I bleached his hind boots last week because there was a stubborn spot on the front of both rear cannons that would NOT go away.  Today they looked fine.  Next Thursday I will be scrubbing, pulling, cutting, clipping and polishing.  Less than 2 weeks away, can't wait!!!