Amazingly, Kaswyn is still sound. Although I'm excited to be riding a sound horse after a year of vet visits and medications, I'm anxious to do something more then just walk and trot. At least I know that when we're able to do some lateral and collected work that I won't have to re-teach Kaswyn everything. Once he knows something, he's got it and knows what you want. That doesn't necessarily mean that he'll do it correctly. My trainer and I joke about my horse and say that he does things "Kaswyn's Way."
Heres what my horse might say for some of these movements -
Instead of staying straight and balanced in the half-pass to the left, I'll just fall on my left shoulder and drag you to the left. That's Kaswyn's Way.
Or how about that left canter pirouette? How about if I just stab my back legs into the ground and spin around in as few strides as possible? It's a pirouette, right? Close enough. For Kaswyn's Way.
The traditional rein-back is so overdone. I'll just do it Kaswyn's Way and fly backwards in quick, uneven walk steps.
Most of the time after one of these episodes I'll just get on his case and make him do it properly, which he will do without much fuss. But if I don't get that half-halt, lose my rhythm or connection, or don't have enough impulsion or bend, he figures I'm leaving it up to him. To do it Kaswyn's Way.
All Good Things Must Come To An End
3 years ago
1 comment:
Wow, Kaswyn's Way is just like Pavie's Way! My trainer and I figured out that her lovely schoolmaster horse is throwing everyone off to the right. Not a lot, but enough to make a difference. So we started to concentrate on sitting very very centered and straight and perfectly perpendicular to the ground and he threw a fit. Stomped his feet and squealed and did huge Spanish walk steps, he was so mad. "No, no, no, you're wrong and I'm right! I cannot possibly balance differently because anything *I* am doing is obviously right!" He did the same thing with learning pirouettes to the right--it was a little difficult and therefore was Right Out. :-)
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