My lesson was last night due to a conflict on my usual day, Sunday. We had a good 50 minute lesson, so I didn't plan to ride today. When I got to the barn, it seemed Bestie didn't plan to ride either - this is her "if I don't look at her she will go away" posture.
We're still working on strengthening her, since she carries her right hip lower than her left. It's better than it was back in the fall, and she has put on muscle - so good to see. We did lots of little circles with me working on fine tuning myself .... things like keeping my hands in position like I'm carrying a tray, dropping my heels - pretty basic stuff, but I still need Paula's reminders to keep it all going at the same time. :) My main challenge is bringing my leg back behind the girth when needed; I just can't get it back there, which Paula says means I need to work on my lower abs (learned that at Pilates last week, too!) and stretching my hip flexors.
This coming week's lesson will also be on Friday night, because holistic vet Kim Henneman is back to our barn on Sunday. I'm really interested to see what she says about Bestie. I feel like she looks so much better. Amazing what a little more riding time with the support of a good instructor can do.
So today was salon day - a full grooming, conditioner in her mane and tail, bridle path trim, and hoof polish. She pretty much zoned out on the cross ties. There was one spot where her neck meets her shoulder that she really loved curried today. Typically she doesn't really react to currying, so it was kind of surprising to see her stretching her neck as I did that spot on both sides. Love the single piece of hay hanging from her mouth.
It was pretty quiet at the barn. A good night to have her parked on the cross ties for a while.
With spring grass coming in, I thought this article about spring turnout from Holistic Horse was very timely and super useful.
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