I don't really have anyone to brag to so I'll brag here.
A month or two ago I posted asking for advice on how to strengthen her hind and get a better canter. One tip I got was poles. And while I certainly don't think she magically got stronger from trotting over 8 poles on the ground twice, the very same session we did that, she had *perfect* canter departures. Several of them. She enjoyed it so much I could barely get her to trot. I don't know exactly what happened but I think the exaggarated movement of trotting over the poles just loosened her quarters so much.
So I started tossing out a few poles every single session we had inside. The difference has been nothing short of miraculous. She's gone from running away from me into the canter (which was more of a gallop), to being able to depart almost straight from the walk. I'm able to collect her more. Most importantly, the entire horse is screaming HAPPY when she gets it right.
She has also always freaked out when I get out of balance. She runs away as soon as my weight is off, and if I don't correct myself immediately she gets very scared and often starts bucking or spinning. Cut to today, I was jumping her (which is an achievement in itself, she's always been very scared of it) and my stirrup decided to detach from my saddle *mid jump*. I obviously lost my balance, landed on the inside, and she immediately bolted and spun. Then she STOPPED. I was sure she was gonna start bucking and throw me right off but she *stopped*, despite both my heels being dug into her in an effort to stay on. Holy smokes I'm so proud.
She also effortlessly jumped everything (okay, so the jumps were at most like 30cm high, she could walk over them if she wanted), from a beautiful canter, and she switched canters over the diagonals instead of just landing at a trot! She departed into a cross canter *once* instead of 90% of the time and she corrected it herself immediately!
I've had this horse for *four* years, and FINALLY we are making progress, and I'm amazed by the pace of it. It's such a wonderful feeling when things go right at last. And it's about bloody time!
I am an amputee veteran in NorthEast Ohio, and I'm looking for a charity that gets veterans in the saddle, again. I love riding, and it was my heart for some time. I'm big, but not fat, at 260, crazy, I know. (I used to have a love affair with a Mule named Jasper. Haha) I worked in stables as part of my rehab, but I am desperate to get some of that four legged therapy. I know there is a charity somewhere near me, but I cannot find it for the life of me. Please help, even if it's helping out in stables to be around them. The Soul needs them.
