What a lesson!

Today was my second lesson with Sara. Best lesson ever!

We had the use of a lovely Chestnut Hannoverian mare called Daisy. She started off feeling very stuffy, trying to get her forward off my leg was really hard work and she spent the first ten minutes shying at the jump wigs, falling in, falling out and trying to stop at Sara, the gate and anywhere else. We decided that she was just testing me and after a walk break Sara said not to be scared to take a stronger contact for now and really push her into my hands. Off we went again but with real purpose this time and in seconds the mare transformed. She went into dressage superstar mode and the power and forwardness from her was incredible. She was so much fun! I need to work on sitting her canter as she is so uphill, powerful and bouncy I found it hard so we worked in sitting trot to help improve my seat. During the canter I really tried to engage my core and sit deep, I obviously must have shifted my weight slightly as she gave me a huge (and clean) flying change. We stayed on that rein then went back across the diagnonal and asked for a second change which was so big she nearly launched me out of the saddle... At which point I got a fit of giggles and stopped riding completely :) we continued on with working with developing my feel and starting to feel what may happen, I knew on one long side she would fall in on the top corner so I needed more inside leg, then she'd fall out to the gate so outside leg and so on. She knows her dressage so it was up to me to keep my contact and she was happy to show me up as soon as I dropped the outside rein :) the more she worked the more she motored and it was so amazing to feel that much power. We found her extended trot and I think she has even more under the hood still.

It was a mega fun lesson and amazing for me to ride a horse like that. She's a pretty girl too with a fantastic temperament although typically Mareish in lots of ways and I think would just as happily hack around a farm as she would step up ten gears during dressage.

I loved my lesson on the ginger Ferrari, Sara got to watch her for the first time today as she has only ridden her, not seen her under saddle and she thinks the Mare could work FEI level with some more training. She's for sale at the moment for the mere price of 20k If only I could win the lottery ;)

Daisy

Bad Angle but pretty girl