An update on Gus

So it's been another couple weeks since I last updated you on Gus. So, here goes.

Last week, the 28th - 29th of February, we had a major snowstorm. I think it dumped somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10" of heavy, wet snow. So, needless to say, B cancelled my lesson, which was scheduled for Wednesday evening.

The next day, Thursday March 1st, I was finally able to make it out the barn. That was the first time I had ridden Gus since the previous Wednesday (the lesson I mentioned in my last post). So we worked on the same things as we did in my last lesson - which was 3 loop serpentine, to butt.to.the.wall leg yields. Then instead of the leg yields, we did a long side in the canter. Rinse and repeated, ad nauseum.

My next ride was just this past Wednesday ... aka lesson time, yet again. I feel like I've been a horrible horse owner, but I've really had no desire to ride lately. Not sure why but I haven't. On Wednesday, we worked on a simple exercise, but it wasn't simple in execution.

Basically, there were six cones set up in the area, on the quarter line. They were set at RSEVPB. The exercise was to ride, at the walk, turn on the forehand around the letters, switching to turn on the haunches. Basically you did a serpentine around the cones. Not super hard, but hard to ride correctly. I'm forgetting now, but I think Gus did not like the turn on the forehands ... B though he would, cause well, he can just fall on his front end, but I think those were the ones we were having issues with. We did, at the end, have some very nice moments on our turns.

After the walk work, we immediately went to the canter. Using the cones as a guideline, we cantered the quarterlines, after passing the last cone on the long side, we went straight for another couple strides, then made a more square turn, then another squareish turn again, this time ending back up on the quarterline. Rinse and repeat. The only time we had issues, was going to the left, where Gus would try to duck and drop his inside shoulder. Then we'd end up crooked with a not.so.squarish turn.

The trot work consisted of leg yields on and off the rail, using the cones as a guideline once again. The cones set on the quarterline at E or B were a marker for when to change the bend and leg yield back to the rail. These, for the most part, went fairly well. One direction went a lot easier then the other, but it's escaped my mind, once again, as to which direction faired better.

My goals for Gus these next few weeks are pretty basic. Ride more. B and I both agree that Gus is moving evenly ... stiffly, but evenly. So, hopefully that will just improve with more regular work.