Saturday 30 October 2021

Added Impulsion

 I feel like Sophie and I had a bit of a rocky winter and spring of 2021. There’s no dramatic story to be told - just your average young horse shenanigans and a middle aged rider who’s not as brave as she could be. 

This past summer saw a gradual improvement where she surprised me by being very mature more often than not. Still, I was not ready to put my foot on the gas and I was very interested in keeping things quiet and non stressful. Relaxed and happy confidence boosting miles were the name of the game for both of us. 

This fall, Sophie’s been very consistent (in the best way). My husband came with us for a trip to the club grounds this past weekend and was amazed at how calm and happy she seemed. “Of course, she’s a good girl!” I said. But, it did make me realize that when he last tagged along not that long ago, her behaviour was inconsistent and I had far less trust in her to make wise decisions.


Happy pony and rider this weekend. Thank you to G for taking pics! 

The past couple of weeks I’ve stepped it up and have actually been riding again. (I mean I’ve been riding all along, but you know what I mean, recently I’ve been *riding* my horse and being way more proactive and demanding and actually schooling things rather than just putting happy easy miles on) So, things have fallen apart a little and the picture is rarely great, but the pieces are coming back together and big improvements feel imminent. 

Part of my gradually expanding confidence in the pony has resulted in really riding her properly forward. I don’t feel like I was actively restricting her before, but I certainly wasn’t pushing for more on the regular, either. I felt like I was at my limit riding her sillies last winter, I didn’t need to show her how to add more power to them :D 

Because there are already some large-ish gaits hiding in this small horse package.





So, we’ve been having fun rides. She’s starting to feel less green all the time and there are moments when things feel absolutely wonderful. Then the wheels fall off, and we start again.


Exhibit A: Sophie “No, I will not canter on that lead today” Wheels falling off, I’m not feeling wonderful but at least there is still one tire on the ground, lol


 What’s fun is that we now have those good moments pretty regularly and they’re easy to go back and find when things fall apart. 


Me: “Stop with the drama”  and S giving in with just a sassy tail swish this time ;)

Sophie: “Oh yes, canter, it’s my favourite, why didn’t you just ask?”

While I don’t necessarily regret how slowly I’m taking things with her, a part of me thinks if I am in this position again with a young horse I might wait a little longer to get to work. If I knew then what I know now about how much she’d mature mentally and how easy she’d be this year vs last year I might have just waited and saved knocking my confidence. Then again, maybe it’s partly the year of getting out and doing stuff together regularly that’s made a difference. Who knows :)


There were days last year where simply getting her near this end of the arena was a challenge. 


Hope you all had a good weekend!


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13 comments

  1. She looks fantastic!! The route you took definitely seems to be working for her.

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    1. I don't think you can really go wrong with slow and steady BUT of course I always wonder if I could have done more and been further ahead :)

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  2. You guys look great! She’s like the opposite of Charlie lol - huge step in a little package. Glad things are feeling so much more consistent now!

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    1. I feel like there are some buttons and predictability these days - I found it too anxiety inducing riding the pony with no real brakes or steering and a big sense of humor!

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  3. Wow, you both look REALLY good!

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    1. There's obviously so much to work on, but the pics I got are pretty consistently showing a pony who's happily forward and who's balance/strength seems to improve weekly. I'm getting little glimpses into what our partnership could be and it's exciting!

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  4. You guys are looking good!! Your hard work is paying off.

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    1. Hard work. So much of it! More than I ever would have thought going into this adventure.

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  5. It's so rewarding when those babies start to become consistent! All your hard work was Sophie is paying off 🤩

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    1. There were a few weeks in summer where I was just happy she brought her brain to work :D Schooling exercises and building strength feel like small potatoes compared to finally getting her consistently on side and ready to work.

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  6. Lots of baby steps make for big improvements in maturity and confidence. Those easy miles make a difference in the long run. :-)

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    1. I'd hate to tally up how many hours/miles we've spent essentially just letting her see the world in a non stressful way, where with Bridget I was good to go from Day 1 and was out showing and doing all the things well within the same timeframe. I feel like they'll even out in the end though - B has a naturally easy going brain but zero work ethic and kind of just is what she is. Sophie likes to work and learn new things ;)

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  7. Looks like pony has quite the reach in the canter

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