March 26, 2014

Monday I did a mini solo schooling practice with Poe.  I concentrated on a few races I need to build some speed, skill and or confidence in.

I started with ball and cone and there was some improvement.  Nothing special, but Poe and I rolled like it was no big deal.  We moved onto speed weavers.  This is a race I do not usually spend much time on or really push through, and because of this, I don’t think Poe has really taken it as a serious race.  So I pushed through it and Poe lit up.  The second time through I hardly did a thing.  He flew up through the poles, sat back and spun around the end pole, and flew back up through them.  We pulled up and he was licking his lips, had his head up, his ears forward and was ready to roll again.  Which we did, even faster.

Our last race for the day was three mug.  This is a race that we have made significant improvement in over the past few days and apparently, It has clicked for Poe.  He rolled through it with tight turns, rolling into his turns and digging out of them.  We ran through it in both directions several times and Poe was on fire.  It felt so smooth and clockwork and he couldn’t have looked happier.

It was a quick session, but it ended on a perfect note.  Poe was glowing happy, and I felt like we rocked it.  After I untacked and put him up, Poe followed me around, nuzzling and being generally affectionate.  He seemed so proud of himself.  And I was certainly proud of him.

There’s nothing quite like a good ride to set you on the moon.

March 25, 2014

On Saturday, Carol Ann and I drove up to Maryland and took part in the Taylormade Stables Individuals competition.  It was a fantastic opportunity to school in a competition format.  For me this meant I got to get a better feel for what Poe and I need to work on.  I also pushed a little more than I would have in a team setting, although I should have done that a lot more than I did.

Our speed weavers race was pretty crap.  I really had to work through the whole race.  In reflection, I usually warm up through bending and move on, never really pushing through it like it’s a real race.  I also found I need to put some more work into my ball and cone / high low, ball skills.  Poe was completely cooperative in those races, but unsure of what I was doing and my confidence was not where it should have been.  Another race I was pretty crap in was bottle.  My end pick up specifically sucked. Again, I blame it on my personal confidence in Poe.  I need to lean more, holding my outside rein lightly to keep him straight, and trust that he will do his part.  I got my pick but it was a weak pick.

I was particularly happy with my mug and flag races, which are generally strong races for me.  3 mug was a bit sloppy at my last practice so I was exceptionally happy to roll through it with that mechanical flowing feel, for the most part.  We lost it just a little on the last turn, and we need to put on some more speed, but the improvement was significant.

Another skill Poe really has going for him, that I need to push him to improve even more, is his amazing breaks.  On most races we were hanging tight with the pack until just shy of the end of the lane, when I checked him up for his turn.  Part of this was because he was often on the wrong lead, and I didn’t trust him to pull through the turn on his own.   Linda correctly told me that he is ready for me to push him through it anyway, and I need to listen to her.  Toward the end of the session he switched his lead on his own just before the turn and was setting himself up like a pro.  This is where I was loosing ground.  I can fix this.

The other place I can gain some ground is when I come up on an obstacle mid lane, and need to check up to complete a skill.  Poe can fly up and stop.  He does not need me to check him up in advance like a pony in training.  So I need to work on trusting him to do his job efficiently.

The pony is smart, and he loves this job.  He really wants to do excel.  So bottom line, I need to trust him.  And really practice bending, like its a real race.

**photo credit to Genevieve of EquiStar Photography**
you can find a link to her work on the right hand side of the page. She is wonderful enough to allow me to use her work in this blog.

March 23, 2014

My new riding friend, Beth, came out and tried games out for the first time. We started with the classic flag fliers race and she picked it up quickly.

We moved onto mug shuffle, 3 mug, bottle and ball and cone. She picked them up quickly and really enjoyed herself. Simon was have a ball too.

The last practice I had with Poe he was a total slug. But for this practice he was spot on. Beth even pointed out how much he appeared to be enjoying himself. And he was. He was digging into his turns and pulling out some speed.

I am excited to have more practices with Beth. It was fun to introduce her to games while getting in some low key practice.