Laura Klecker gave a clinic for her students and it was a wonderful opportunity to work Victor in a new environment and experiment with helping him focus using the product, Perfect Prep.
Victor loaded like an old pro and we were on our way! Carol and I decided to overlap our sessions so that Victor and Waverly could get good breaks and ringside water. It was a humid day but the breeze was blowing and both Victor and Wave were sweating no problem!
I warmed up on a loose rein to get Victor's hips swinging and his neck reaching and he was amazing. He is really understanding this warmup technique and I love the way he feels when I do finally take contact. He also felt great after yesterday's chiropractic adjustment!
This past week, Laura and I worked to teach Victor to turn on his forehand (hind legs crossing only) and then trot off. He didn't quite understand under saddle so I took time on Friday to explain the exercise on the long lines. He quickly accepted the half halts from the outside rein while yielding from the inside "leg." I was delighted that he remembered that feeling when I asked on Saturday under saddle!
The perfect prep must have been working because... and I know this sounds crazy... there was a fire burning beside the arena!!! The farm is still in the clean up stages after the ice storm and a few logs were left smoldering beside the dressage fence. Victor hardly noticed them! He did bulge away very slightly but nothing like his typical reactions to distractions. I schooled turn on the forehand to a energetic trot transition right next to the fire and it helped him! He was completely focused on the exercise and noticed the flames and smoke, less and less. I couldn't have asked for such a test but I am delighted with Victor's performance.
After a water break, Laura and I took a little time to teach Victor haunches in on a circle. It worked really well to request a leg yield on half the circle and haunches in on the other half. Victor is so much more sensitive to my positioning for inside bend. It was an amazing feeling to have him leg yield away from my left leg and then as I drop my right seat and heel, he wraps around into a haunches in! He was so carefully stepping and crossing behind with amazing rhythm and engagement! The feeling was just hypnotic for me and it was a huge training step for Victor!
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We took another nice break and then returned for the BEST and most correct leg yield's Victor has ever offered! He softly accepted the outside rein and moved beautifully into it and away from a gently pressing inside sit bone. Best reach and rhythm yet! Left hind is still the focus but it was sooooo much better! We used the exercise, on a diagonal "think medium to x" and then leg yield the rest of the diagonal line.
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Oh, we also found that I could lift his frame in front of the saddle with a slight tap to the hind leg. It felt so correct and he understood with just a minor adjustment. Of course, I love that he is offering the stretch always that his back is so soft and rideable now! We do give him that stretching relief but he needs to build stamina in his new grown up frame, so we just ask him to wait a few moments longer. He's getting it!
So after all those successes I suppose we were due for an error. My darling, sweet Victor didn't want to go home. I don't have a crystal clear understanding for why he didn't want to load up once we were done. He was cool and comfortable, and seemed completely relaxed. The only two factors that could have played a factor: Victor needed to urinate and Waverly was upset in the trailer. While we were trying to load, Waverly was trying to exit his stall. Not the entire time but he was definitely unsettled. We made the decision that it would be better for Carol to take Waverly home immediately and so Victor and I found a stall to hang out in where he promptly relieved himself. I've never heard of that happening before but I trust Victor and he had a reason to not load. Luckily, one of Laura's clients had a trailer that was similar to Victor's personal transportation and he was happy to accept that ride home. It was a very long day but my list of "Victor-ies" is much much longer than our errors so I consider the day a success!
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