Tika had a pedicure last week. Even her hind feet got all prettied up without an issue. She was a very good girl.
Today was ride #2 on the Beautiful Wadatika. Getting to the point of forward motion went a little smoother, and we weren't more than a couple of strides into things when Curt gave a bit of a push and Tika was loping. I'm finding Tika to be a bit challenging, since I'm commanded to simply sit and depend fully on Curt to drive her forward, stop her and turn her. He's not as easy to read as a cow, as it turns out. Or even a HydraBull. I'm not always sure which way we'll be going next, and Tika is just jerky enough to have me feeling a bit like a rag doll.
The jerkiness is really Tika listening and trying to do what's right. She moves fast, then hesitates to see if she made the right choice, and before the stop is complete, she's moving again. I used a little leg today to help her move forward, and a bit more rein as well. As I suspected, the right rein causes her to toss her to shake her head a bit, but with Curt pushing her from the center of the round pen, she forgot about the pressure I was creating and listened to him.
I was looking at some videos on you tube today and came across this one, shot nearly a year ago, on Darling's YT account. Wow...whiplash!
Today was ride #2 on the Beautiful Wadatika. Getting to the point of forward motion went a little smoother, and we weren't more than a couple of strides into things when Curt gave a bit of a push and Tika was loping. I'm finding Tika to be a bit challenging, since I'm commanded to simply sit and depend fully on Curt to drive her forward, stop her and turn her. He's not as easy to read as a cow, as it turns out. Or even a HydraBull. I'm not always sure which way we'll be going next, and Tika is just jerky enough to have me feeling a bit like a rag doll.
The jerkiness is really Tika listening and trying to do what's right. She moves fast, then hesitates to see if she made the right choice, and before the stop is complete, she's moving again. I used a little leg today to help her move forward, and a bit more rein as well. As I suspected, the right rein causes her to toss her to shake her head a bit, but with Curt pushing her from the center of the round pen, she forgot about the pressure I was creating and listened to him.
I was looking at some videos on you tube today and came across this one, shot nearly a year ago, on Darling's YT account. Wow...whiplash!
5 comments:
Yay pedicure!!!
Not gonna lie, I got really nervous at the end of the video. One foot in the stirrup on a green horse makes my stomach turn. I watched a girl get dragged to death once upon a time and I worry so much. All my students kick both feet out of the stirrups before they dismount, and any horse I'm not sure of gets leaned across without stirrups.
It's amazing how much progress she's made in a year. Watching her grow is so enchanting.
I remember this video!
She's come a long way!
Now we need an updated video once you get a few more rides in!
Dom, I got tossed and drug once about 20 years ago. No fun at all, especially when you see a rail road tie sitting in the arena that was part of the 'always there' trail course. Fortunately, my foot slipped out of my boot before my head made contact :)
I'd bounced in this stirrup before, but this particular day she was feeling jittery, I guess. Not a pretty video, and slow motion doesn't make it much better, lol!
Yes, Blob...once she gets a bit more relaxed I'll try to get some new footage. Or maybe once she's back home? Hard to video through solid walls in Curt's round pen.
Tika with a brand new pedicure. That's pretty cool.
I've ridden that halting ride you're talking about with an insecure horse. Challenging for sure but I love how much try goes into it.
Wow good for you and Tika, even if its a little challenging. That video is really cool, so didnt expect the jump at the end though!
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