Session at Micki's

I went over to Micki's this week to ride Jordan and have some pictures taken. Micki took some real nice pictures of Jordan in shoulder-in and half pass. I am really happy with his work.

Jordan goes home!

Jordan went back to Micki's last night. The plan is for him to stay there while she is taking a week of vacation. I was so proud that he loaded without any hesitation, even though it was after dark when the trailer pulled up. What a good boy.

We've had good progress in getting a softer mouth the past two weeks. He can half-pass on the bit in both directions now, and do some shoulder in at the trot on the bit. His left haunch is still weak and he can cross fire on the right lead, or fall on the inside shoulder. His overall impulsion is 1000% better than when he arrived, especially at the walk. What a good boy.

apple flavored flexions

Working on many fronts since my last posting. Rain has taken away the canter, and many days were barn only goofing off. Introduced the clicker and target training. Very fun and rewarding. Also used the clicker for Baucher/Fillis flexions in the snaffle and double bridle. Renewed focus on jaw mobility according to the French school.

The right shoulder in is really, really good in walk and trot. The left shoulder in is still squirrelly. Using the inside snaffle to soften and bend, which is really helpful. It's clear to me that jaw mobility is everything, and it is not useful to do lateral work with the horse leaning on the snaffle or the curb, period. Jordan is making great progress.

I have banished all nosebands from the barn, which has been helpful. Probably not all horses would allow this, but his mouth tends to the quiet and sometimes it seems the noseband (even when loose) makes it worse. So they are all gone.

Can't wait to get some pics and see our progress. I want to see how much expression there is in the shoulder in especially.

more mouth training

Really concentrating on the mouth and neck this week. For the past 2 days I have been lunging before riding "french style," where the lunge line passes through the bit ring and goes back to the saddle or surcingle. This has helped him stretch well, at least while lunging, and I think it has carried over to his riding. Today I rode in the double but knotted the curb reins and never touched them. His jaw was the most mobile yet. I will use this combination again.

Nice shoulder in at the trot. Renvers/travers still stargazing, but some progress. I think we are figuring it out together.

better at the trot

Jordan is developing a solid shoulder in at the trot with a soft mouth. It was really fun today. Definitely getting better at coming off that left outside leg in travers and half pass. Took outside lead in canter when I asked for it on the left rein, which is also progress. Really mixing his sessions up with walk, trot, canter, and halts all over the place. Impulsion for lateral work at the trot is outstanding. Two sessions today in the ring.

really nice trot

Trot really coming along. Warming up with half-circles in canter, which were mostly calm. Really nice shoulder-in at trot, although I start losing some of the good contact when I start with half-passes in trot. Shoulder-in/renvers/shoulder-in at walk very smooth and easy. Multiple walk-trot transitions: need work. Right half pass at 85%--room for improvement. Nice sessions yesterday and today, in good cool conditions.

first flying change!

Crimenee! My wife beat me to it. Without telling me she was going to try anything, she asked for a change coming out of a tight turn around a barrel at the canter. He gave a beautiful, calm, clean change both times Maria asked for it. Go Jordan! But I'm jealous that I wasn't first. :)

back to baucher

Another nice session this morning. He's very calm, even dull. I stopped everything to do a bunch of transitions, just to wake him up a bit. Trot work in the stretch is really getting fun. But I'm also stopping to do lateral flexions at the halt. We did this two months ago NH style, on one rein and letting the contact drop on the outside. Now he has to keep his head up, maintain contact on the outside, and flex at the poll. I think this is helping. He could only do this to the right last week, but now it's good on both sides. His mouth and jaw have definitely softened a lot lately.

Whenever he stops lifting the bit I raise my hands and wait for the jaw to flex. I think my timing has gotten better on this exercise. Stretch at the canter is still hard to find, but it's almost constant at the trot now. I'm very happy. Just wish we could go out in a week or two and re-do those dressage tests!

Here's a couple more shots from last Saturday's show. I'm actually really pleased--this was the best he was capable of doing that day.

The Big Show!

Lots to tell. Jordan & I worked hard all last week getting ready for the RCPC show. We managed to get over there twice in the past month just to introduce him to the facility, but we were largely "winging it." We had never done the tests before, just worked on the movements and trusted our reader. The dressage tests were accurate but he was a bit hollow, especially for our first test. But he did as well as I had hoped, and he got better as the day went on. The jumping portion was just a pleasure. Our friend Jane got me very well prepped and confident, and we went out and jumped a perfect course. He was so calm and composed! Can't wait to do it again.

Our recent rides have included more mouth work, "action-reaction" neck stretching, and canter departs. He's already twice the horse he was on Saturday. Wish there was another show next weekend!

Another all-time best trail ride!

Tracy picked us up at 8:30 this morning and we rode out of Neubauer's again. Maria rode Jordan, Tracy was on Rico, and I rode Peppy. Peppy was a little cranky and tried bucking when I pushed him out in front. Later on he tried bucking when he was being left behind. Basically, Peppy just tested me every time we did something which required work. But he gave me a good ride, all in all.

We went down the big hill and rode around South Country, then crossed the river. Jordan actually led going into the river and did not show any concern! WOW! The boys hung out in the river and generally had a great time.

I rode back to the barn early and let the girls tear around the woods some more. Jordan had just an incredible day. At least two hours on the trail, with miles of canter and trot. Maria had a blast.

In the arena yesterday Jordan did well. We counter-cantered on both reins easily, using a serpentine to set up the outside lead, and riding in counter canter around the "racetrack." He felt very solid. Towards the end we did some trot work that included half passes on both reins. Really nice work. Yesterday's session was in the double bridle.

2' 3"

Really really smooth session this morning. First real halt-trot transitions. Very light back off of the halt, and semblance of back-trot transition. Beautiful canter on both reins in warmup. Trot on the circle in shoulder in and renvers on both rein. Nice lateral work on the snaffle only.

Jumping of single vertical in both directions--the left rein is still weaker for jumping. He knocked over his first attempt at 2' and 2'3" on the right rein, but took the left rein cleanly. We are working without a placing pole to make life easy. But they were beautiful fun jumps.

getting serious about canter

Real nice sessions yesterday and today. I'm getting serious about lots of transitions to all gaits. I'm cantering for longer periods, focusing on balance more than the departures, which are still coming along. We can spiral down to 8m or less on both reins at the canter, which I'm really pleased about. Today the shoulder in at the trot really felt nice--on circles and straight lines. Two days ago Maria took Jordan to the park again and did the most beautiful canter. The neighbors were in awe. I'm especially pleased with today's session--very quiet and responsive. Not a hint of disharmony.

one handed half pass

Very smooth, accurate session in the double this morning. Some trot work, which was weak. I think he's still tired from yesterday's trail ride! w-t-w transitions helped a bit. Good canter work today, 100% on both leads. Both half passes really nice now, except shoulders leading a bit too much on the right. This is mostly pilot error and I would not know this without the mirror. We ended doing some half passes one-handed, which were great. He is very light in the half pass and it only takes a whisper of the outside leg to get it going. Neglected counter shoulder in and travers on the circle today. Some figure 8s shoulder in the renvers, which were solid on both sides.

Best hack ever

This morning Tracy picked us up in her trailer again and we rode out of Neubauer's. We rode with Tracy & Tamara as far as 5 mile, then went to the RCPC for some schooling. With the group I made some progress with Jordan. Whenever he tried to pass a horse, I would put him in some small bending circles. He was able to slow his walk and soften fairly well. In the woods by ourselves we moved out at a nice trot and took a bunch of the log jumps. What a blast!

At the RCPC we took ALL of the jumps set up in the outdoor and schooled in both the indoor and outdoor dressage arenas. He did OK in the indoor but we will be at a disadvantage if we have to show there. I don't think he has much experience in indoor arenas and seemed pretty nervous. On the way out we cantered from the RCPC barn all the way around the South side of the field and didn't slow down until the woods. SO MUCH FUN! Jordan's trot in the woods was incredible--he has really learned to soften in the past few rides. He has never been this engaged. We worked a lot of w-t-w transitions on the way back, then switched to the double bridle and worked in the arena until tracy & tamara got back. He felt great, and I suspect he could have gone all day. What an incredible ride!

a little tired this morning

Jordan was a little slow this morning, but our work on his jaw continued to improve. He has trained himself to hollow out in one corner at the trot and this was causing the biggest challenge today, but I think we made progress. Canter work was a little better. Overall the action-reaction exercise is really making a difference.

Yesterday afternoon Jordan earned his union card when we gave a dressage lesson together to Kari, one of the instructors from Red Pine and a student of Lalo's. Kari was able to ride Jordan in shoulder-in, travers, and half pass quite nicely. We worked on the circle and straight lines. Jordan was a very good lesson horse.

action reaction

Very good learning session for the jaw. Have gone back to the basics of educating the jaw using Philippe Karl's techniques. Yielding of the jaw from the ground first, then at the halt, then at the walk. High wide hands leading to neck extension with contact. Very good results. Walk trot only today in the snaffle. Need to fix this issue before proceeding on other fronts.

complete session

We rode in the double today and I was careful to work all 3 gaits. Canter leads were 100%, although he is more excitable to the right. The right half pass is still weak, but the mirror is REALLY helping me find the problems. Shoulder in at the trot was incredible! To the left it is weak, which is consistent with his other issues with the left haunch. No problem this will be trained out soon. Nice quiet session with lots of high points.

Circle work at counter shoulder in and travers is coming along great. Counter shoulder in coming very easily, travers more than halfway there.

bitless session

Just out of curiosity I rode Jordan in the ring today with no bit, just my rope halter and a set of English reins. His bend and collection was a little disappointing, but he stretched well and was very controllable. We focused on canter work and getting that sticky right lead. I re-taught the lead from the beginning by stepping over on the left rein, then dropping the left rein and using the crop on the left haunch. This gave us a reliable canter depart on the right, which I then extended to a 10m circle. His canter was very clear and extended today. He has trouble controlling his excitement after a few canter departs, but this is simply lack of training. We will need to include canter in all sessions from now on.

Nearly every night one of us hops on Jordan bareback and walks him around a bit. Maria trotted him also last night and he did fine. He can pick me up off the fence, or I can mount from a bow. My vault is a little weak but he stands well for it, whether I miss it or not.

two great double sessions

I worked Jordan in the double yesterday and today. He is starting to offer genuine piaffe steps, which is a thrill to experience. He is doing combined lateral work at the walk and trot. Lots of transitions to extended trot, and walk trot transitions. Impulsion is very good.

Today we worked on canter some more, which was frustrating. We are still missing the right lead at least 30% of the time, despite lots of help. Not sure why this side is so weak.

Jordan wormed it Equimax today. It was very easy to administer, but he gave me a dirty look when it was done!

Caledonia Day

Tracy picked us up in the trailer at 8:30 sharp this morning and we were tacked up and riding at Neubauers by 8:45. WE HAD A BLAST! We rode out with Tracy's group as far as the pony club, then schooled in the two outdoor rings for an hour. We took the low jumps that were set up and also worked in the dressage ring. He did well but was not quite as soft as he is at Anarchy Acres. We walked back to Neubauer's through the woods alone and we has soft and on the buckle. Just a joy.

The right canter lead is hard to find again. We will look closer at this on the lunge tomorrow.

2' vertical

Jump session this morning. He was a little difficult to smooth out and got fussy a couple of times. I'm not sure he likes my A/P saddle. Anyway, we finally took the 2' vertical together and we both did fine. When Maria comes back I'll have her set the poles and we'll work up to 2' 6", so we have some breathing room for the CT at RCPC.

Lateral work is amazing, though. Half pass on both sides very easy. Shoulder in could use some smoothing out, but it is totally controllable. Renvers on circle no problem, without a crop or spurs, btw. Very responsive.

Missing the canter lead when we jump to the right. He really loves the left lead lately--maybe there is some soreness or weakness on the left haunch. We will also work on it from the lunge, where he also can take the outside lead on the right rein.

Tracy dropped the trailer off this morning in our neighbor's front lawn and we practiced loading. He does not care for the trailer but walked on at my signal from the ground after some work. Did not tie him the first session. Will need to practice a couple more times.

Dream ride

Rode in the double this morning. He was a dream! Very smooth and giving. Impulsion is really really coming along. Counter bend is totally there now, and very clear renvers on the circle. Travers on the circle developing--much easier to the left. At any rate, I was very pleased overall. We also did nice shoulder in and travers in trot.

I installed a 3 x 4 mirror in the arena yesterday and he adapted to it well. It's very helpful. I plan to enlarge it to 4 x 8 very soon.

Kailey jump session

Kailey stopped by in the afternoon for a check ride on Jordan and some jump work. She really made him look pretty flying through the air!

Kailey hopped on Jordan after I tacked him up and did a full warm up with him. He was very nervous and fussy for this part, which was a puzzle. He did not do anything dangerous, but just stuck his nose out a lot and refused to soften. I hopped on for a quick check and he did a little better. Nevertheless, I would say this "pop quiz" involving a surprise rider definitely unnerved him a bit. We will have to keep throwing things like this at him until he can take them in stride better.

counter bend

Lots of walk this morning. He is still resisting the right bend in most lateral work, so I slowed things down and really focused on it. In trot we did figure eights with constant bend--bend and counter bend. He did very well. T-C-T transitions on 10m circle. The 10m canter feels incredible! For some reason we still miss the inside lead on the right rein a bit. In walk we also did half pass to renvers on the circle to half pass, the circle quite small and approaching turn on the forehand in counter bend. I stole this sequence from a nuno oliveira youtube video!

lighter and lighter

This morning we practiced bowing from the saddle before working in the ring with the double. Really nice lateral work. Still working harder to get the right bend, though, in all lateral work. Half passes at the walk are really getting light and accurate. So much fun. Impulsion at the trot in the double really coming along. W-T-W transitions in shoulder in. Occasional piaffe steps being offered. (!) Shoulder in at the trot coming along nicely. Travers very solid. Travers on the circle being understood better now.

Have not missed a day of training this week--just skipped the blog. Have used the double twice this week and done at least one jump session. Riding bareback off the halter in the evening when I'm bored. Great progress all around.

great work on the circle

Yesterday morning was a jump session on my new (but used) A/P saddle. The knee pads were a great help and we had a fun session. I ended with some more lateral work on the circle, which is coming along great.

Today I focused on dressage work only, including canter transitions on a 10m circle. His 10m circle feels great at the canter--wow. This is real progress. A few weeks ago this circle at the canter was not possible.

More trot work at shoulder in, renvers, and travers. He was a little quiet today, so I skipped the w-t-w transitions. Maybe that was the wrong intuition. I cooled him off by walking up to the house and surprising Maria through the window. She got jealous and hopped on him for a 30 minute ride through the neighborhood. At least two people came running out of their homes when they saw Jordan walk past! Maria also crossed Newman and went around the park, including cantering in the grass. Jordan was terrific. He incidentally also crossed over some large gravel that was sprinkled on the blacktop without showing any tenderness. I sure love horses with good feet!

mid week progress

I worked Jordan in the double bridle Tuesday and Wednesday and was concerned that maybe I was pushing him too fast. He was doing well but there was more resistance than I had hoped for. However, I think this work was vindicated today when I rode him in the snaffle--he was incredible! We did circle work at shoulder in, counter shoulder in, and renvers. We also did w-t-w transitions in shoulder in--WOW! It was really fun. We ended up jumping cavalletti a bit with the stirrups still set long--not my strong suit. :) But Jordan did a fantastic job.

We did some jump sessions in the evening earlier this week, including introducing him to coops. Maria came out to take an informative set of pictures which mostly show me about to scream as Jordan calmly clears the jumps. But it was very helpful to see this.

miscellaneous sessions

Our friend Sarah came over on Saturday and had an enjoyable ride on Jordan. She trotted a little and took him all over the back pasture. Sarah was amazed at how responsive Jordan was.

Yesterday I missed our regular session due to rain, but Maria hopped on bareback late in the afternoon. I opened the back gate and they rode on our neighbor's land and introduced him to the traffic on Newman Rd. They looked great together.

Today I worked on trotting poles and introduced counter shoulder in on the circle. Long overdue. Renvers on the circle getting much better. Nice trot work all around this morning. A little excitable at the canter.

lots of canter departs

Nice warmup today, trot developing nicely. More lateral work on the circle at the walk and trot. Renvers coming along. Travers on straight lines and half passes across the entire arena. Canter on 10m circle sketchy. Simple lead changes through "X" OK. Need more work to control his excitement on the down transition. But a really good start. Using more high hands when he hollows out, which seems to be working. Some barrel exercises at the trot, also.

classical double

Beautiful ride in the double this morning. Focused on lateral work on the circle. Renvers coming along. Travers--not much. Nice neck extension(!) at the trot. Shoulder in at the trot. Great canter on both leads. trot-halt-trot coming along. He really stepped over beautifully today and kept his head rock steady. Nice nice work.

more classical

Started with one-rein circles with w-t-w transitions. Doing better, but still having trouble getting the down transition on one rein. He's figuring it out, though.

Lateral work on the circle at walk and trot. Renvers coming nicely. Better impulsion at the trot. Close to real neck extension at the trot.

Ended with taking the bounce jump a few times, as a 2' "X". Wow, is that fun! No drama, no troubles. Easy easy jumper.

jumping off the lunge

Maria took some pics and video of us jumping off the lunge today. We've done this lesson a couple of times. Jump Video 1 Jump Video 2

classical session

Much better weather this morning! Temps in the 70's and a bit dryer. Good session with double bridle. Focus on classical lessons--shoulder in on the circle, renvers on the circle, introduced counter shoulder in on the circle, etc. Good trot work with a steady head. Some extension at the trot. Beautiful smooth canter and canter transitions. Fun lesson.

first bounce jumps

It's still hot and very muggy, so this morning I decided to just lunge Jordan over some small jumps and skip riding him. After warming up over a single cavalletti I added a regular jump standard 9' after the cavalletti and had him jump both X's and verticals. I eventually went to the max height of 2' 6" on my lunge standard and he looked beautiful! Very calm run out and no problem or hesitation, ever. He never questioned the jumps once today. Once he was a bit too calm and knocked over the pole, same as from the saddle. Just a little bit of gas needed to ensure a clean jump with this guy.

2 rides, 2 riders

I rode Jordan in the early am and had a good session. Many canter departs, and many transitions of all kinds. Changing bend at the trot easily and without a fuss. Steady head. Right shoulder-in a little sketchy, spent extra time on this rein. Introduced travers to turn on the haunches.

Maria hopped on in the afternoon and took him over a few jumps before riding him in the neighbor's field. Jordan appreciated the change.

another hot day

The hot weather is back, so we rode at 7:00 am again today. Started with serpentines at the walk and trot, followed by clover leafs, offset figure eights, and change of rein on the diagonal. Very good lengthening and neck extension at the trot. Next challenge is to get the stretch sooner. Good clean canter departs on both reins. Neck extension at the trot more difficult after a few canters due to his excitement. But he is improving. Shoulder in, renvers, travers, and half pass at the walk. Shoulder in at the trot. Great w-t-w transitions on the rail.

Last night I hopped on for his first bridleless ride. I used only the neck strap for the first 10 minutes, then opened the gate from on his back and continued in the front pasture. After a few minutes I had trouble stopping him from grazing and had to revert to the halter. But a great start. Stopping, backing, turn right and turn left all there. Great bend to the inside off the neck rein, too!

clean canter

Another great session this morning. Clover leaf working wonders. 8m circles still sketchy, but I think my approach is wrong. walk-halt transitions really coming along. Many trot-halt-trot transitions as well. Down to 1-2 walk steps in the transition, and a couple perfect ones. Multiple t-c-t transitions on both reins. Very crips t-c transitions, and 100% on leads. Nice shoulder in, travers, and half-pass at the walk. Shoulder in at the trot developing.

Just keeps getting better

Did the clover leaf exercise at the walk and the trot, then 10m circles at the walk, trot, and canter on one and two reins. He really did well. Softer and softer. We had a single cavelleti in the center of the ring and did figure 8 jumps over it many times. Nice calm jumps. The double jump was set up with an "X" as the second jump and he took this real nicely. Just a wonderful session all around.

Loooooong session

Nice long session on Jordan today. His cruise lesson is doing better, but I'm still frustrated that he hasn't mastered it yet. It's not his fault and I should just chill. Riding with contact has gotten 200% better, though, so I know this lesson is working. w-t-w on the circle is very good. Multiple t-c-t transitions as well. Figuring out his leads--his canter stride is so short I have to look down to check. I did a couple of quick half passes at the walk towards the end that were really fun. He was a bit dull today overall but still managed to be a little fidgety when I put him away. At any rate, he really did well and I'm very pleased with progress to date.

feeling a little better

Two good sessions of basic work. Last night I rode Jordan for 30 minutes and did a cruise lesson at the walk and trot. I am pushing him harder through resistance and it's really paying off. All of that bending and yielding in the cruise lesson leads to incredible lateral work!

Today was a longer session with many more transitions. In addition to the cruise lesson (w-t only) we did a lot of 8m circles on one rein only. Lots of w-t-w transitions on the circle as well. His head was rock steady for this. Afterwards quick shoulder in and half passes at the walk, followed by his first mounted lesson with the lasso. The lasso work is quiet and gives him a good reason to just stand still while I get my loop made up. My rope work is terrible so he has a long time to learn patience!

back to basics

Micki & Lija visited yesterday to check up on things. I was happy that Jordan was able to show them some improvement, but disappointed that some basic issues were still not solved. At this point of training he should not be sticking his nose out so much. So this morning we did a long cruise lesson at the trot and a lot of bending around barrels. I did not let him rest until he could stretch his neck at the trot on a loose rein. I also set up some trot poles. I feel we need some longer sessions that will challenge his patience and push him through to a higher level. Right now he is still limited to "sunny days, short sessions, quiet rider, etc." Jordan needs to increase his range of tolerance.

Lija had a nice ride on him and made him look pretty if I was quick on the shutter.

family day

Mom & Dad brought my two nephews over yesterday and they all hopped on Jordan for quick rides. Jordan did his first mounted bow with Gus on his back. Way to go, Jordan!

This morning was a terrific session. Jordan did very good half passes in both directions. I rode with spurs for the first time and he reacted very well to them. My use of the dressage whip is sloppy so I really benefit from riding with spurs, especially for half pass and renvers/travers. Just can't seem to get the whip to touch at the right spot back there on the outside

Double session

Second ride in the double bridle today. Doing well. Many more transitions helping with impulsion. Pushed him through some fussing and he handled it well. Overall very calm and accepting. Halt-trot transition almost there. Travers coming along. Half pass still sketchy. Good long ride.

Goat session

About a 1 hour session this morning. The goats were in the back pasture with full access to the arena, but they ignored us anyway. First half was flat work--shoulder in and travers and the walk and trot. Started renvers--looked solid. Losing impulsion at the trot on lateral work. Need to release him more into the extensions. Go go go. Walk halt walk looking good. Trot halt trot still sketchy. Great neck extension all around.

Second half jumping. Set up two cavaletti 12' apart as an in and out. Tight turns in the small arena, but he did great. Took full loops around the pasture at a canter. Butter smooth all around.

first ride in the double

Had a fun quick ride last night at sundown. Just grabbed Jordan and hopped on to show Maria our jumping skills. Took 6-8 jumps in either direction and cantered over the double jumps once. Maria said we looked great! He is a pleasure to jump.

Today I missed riding early and then it rained. Finally did a quick ride at 7:00 pm. Tried the double bridle for the first time and it went well. We have worked the double in-hand about 6 times so far and he has been getting progressively better with it. Today's ride with the double was impressive--he halted with a steady head and didn't fuss too much over the curb. He is accepting the curb nicely and his flexion at the poll was noticeably increased. Just walk-trot and some lateral work.

interesting weird details

Woke up late and didn't get saddled up until 6:45. By then it was already pretty hot. Jordan was a bit tired and slow. Nevertheless we had a good session, all flatwork today.

Travers at the walk coming along well. Renvers on the circle developing. More good shoulder in at the trot. Can lose impulsion. Left rein of shoulder in requires more finesse--the right shoulder in is on auto pilot. Riding straight on the right rein he shows a very steady head at the trot with nice flexion at the poll. On the left rein he sticks his nose out more and it takes a lot of fooling around to bring him on the bit.

Multiple canter departs on both leads. Right lead difficult to pick up--missed it several times.

Many walk halt walk transitions today. Doing much better. Small attempts at effet d'ensemble to some effect.

best yet

This morning was the best yet. Jordan is stretching at the walk and trot, lengthening and shortening at the walk and trot as well. Halts almost on the bit now. Shoulder in at the trot on both reins, straight and on circles. Half-pass at the trot on both reins (semblance). Great jumps in both directions, plus took the double cavalletti jump. Nothing knocked over, so no points taken off! Another hot morning, but Jordan is taking it in stride.

Two jump sessions

At dusk yesterday I did a quick session of lunging over low jumps. It was fun and he looks great in the air. This morning I did a regular session of lateral work and then did the jumps mounted. Nice jumps in both directions, with very easy run outs. He is a smooth jumper and does not over-jump, which is good because I'm not much of a jumping rider!

I still wish he could trot better on a loose rein without speeding up. He needs more circle work at this point and is not quite ready to work straight and calm at the trot. It doesn't help that the gnats are just awful right now. But he is trying hard and really doing as well as any horse could do in these conditions.

A.M. jump session

We were saddled up by 6:00 am this morning to beat the heat. Steady progress. Shoulder in at the trot on both reins. Good position and control. Trotting on a loose rein OK now, although he will rush eventually. Travers at the walk improving. Left rein is more difficult. Jumped a cavalletti at the trot. Both directions 6-8 times. No hesitation, no over-jumping, calm and regular. Jordan did spectacular considering the heat and gnats out.

early ride

Worked for 45 minutes this morning before it got hot. No lunging, just a little bit of ground work. He can step over nearly straight or with a little counter-bend for one or two steps now. He can also step into a half-pass for one or two steps from the ground. Difficult to do this correctly.

In the saddle he is warming up very easily now. Nice serpentines at the walk and trot with little fuss over the change of bend. Trot-walk transitions with a mostly steady head now. Right bend easier than left. Canter on 15m circles in both directions. Terrific shoulder in and discernible travers on both reins. Neck extension at the trot. Beautiful collected trot after shoulder-in at the walk.

Really great sessions

Worked Jordan last Thursday morning and again today after I got back from Mincocqua. Terrific sessions. Lots of trot on circles and bending to a halt. Changing bend well. Lots of rein changes on the diagonal. Giving very good trot after quick walk sessions in shoulder-in. Walk-halt transitions reasonably on the bit--a big improvement. Straight-line trot really coming along.

working hard

Two terrific sessions yesterday and today. I am focusing hard on getting a solid one-rein stop. Jordan is super soft in the face but has trouble stopping his feet. For today's session I did a lot of yielding the hindquarters at a trot first, to give him a reason to stop. I also yielded his hindquarters when he rushed at the trot. I think this approach will work better. The one rein stop is coming, but too often he will not stop walking or will walk off when I try flexing his head at the halt.

Jordan is giving a better trot on larger circles now, including some straight line work.

For ground work I am desensitizing to the lunge whip and teaching him to stand still better. The right side is very good now. There is almost no remaining ticklish left on this side.

Shoulder-in at the walk very solid and controllable now.

In-hand work with the double bridle a few times now in the evenings, plus bow work and rope desensitizing.

basics

Two sessions today. Morning session was long reining, including multiple changes of rein and many transitions. More in-hand work including beginnings of renvers and half-pass. Fussy on the right side, but he's figuring it out.

Afternoon riding session with only a little ground work prep. Hot, humid, and buggy. I don't care--Jordan needs to live with a little adversity. He does well. Lots of one-rein stops from the walk and the trot. He is stretching wonderfully during the breaks. Trot still gets rushed but I think we are laying the groundwork for something better. He is figuring it out. Beautiful bows today--will try with Maria in the saddle on the next cool day.

Solid groundwork

I did ground driving sessions with Jordan yesterday afternoon and today. Very solid sessions. Bending well and changing directions more easily now. Able to flex laterally at a halt. Some backing. W-T-C. Good head position off the cavesson. Will try the bit again tomorrow.

Jumping barrels from a halt later in the day. A little trouble controlling his excitement when cantering on the lunge. Should be more desensitized to the lunge whip.

Focusing on getting good flexions off of the bridle, inside and outside. I think his one rein stop needs to be trained better for safety.

waiting for the trot

We did not work much on Friday--just a bit of lunging. We also walked Jordan up to the street a couple of times to get him prepared for trailer loading.

Today I carefully lunged Jordan and worked him from the ground before mounting. He is cantering from voice commands well, and doing nice trot-canter-trot transitions. After mounting, he did well at the walk with very little fussing. The trot is a still a challenge. He sticks his nose out and will only bring it in on a circle. He pitched a fit again and reared a bit when he wanted to run back to the barn.

To experiment a bit I long-reined him in the afternoon with surcingle and snaffle bit. He walked and trotted well, and never stuck his nose out at all. In fact, he was consistently behind the vertical despite being very light with my hands. Next time we may lunge off the cavesson to keep his head up more. Anyway, this makes me suspect Jordan still has a relatively weak back and is still not accepting the rider 100%. Need more training!

cranky session

Worked about 35 minutes this morning w-t-c, all mounted. Probably should have lunged first because Jordan was really cranky! Lots of head tossing, difficult to relax him. There were some gnats but he should be able to deal with this. He would relax in the bend but on a loose rein he would toss quite a bit. Need to give this some thought.

A little better for the renvers on the circle. Still figuring this one out.

BEAUTIFUL bows yesterday. I went out around 3:00 and he gave me 3 for 3 bows all the way to the ground, staying down almost 4 seconds each time. Way to go, Jordan! At least he'll look good for some pictures. :)

regular session

Yesterday afternoon I grabbed Jordan and had him jump the barrels a few times. It was too hot to do much else. He is clearing the barrels well, but I'd like to see him round better. For some reason he looks better on the right rein than the left. Should keep working on this until he softens better. Overall, lunging is pretty good now. Getting softer on the right rein, for sure.

This morning we did walk and trot work in the new arena. He is doing good shoulder in on the circle now, at the walk and trot. Waiting for him to show more expression at the trot. His work was a little rushed this morning. He has the idea of travers on both reins now, and is well started on renvers on the circle, both reins. We can do good shoulder in on straight lines, too, at walk or trot. No canter work today.

No more work on the bow recently--can't get his attention with all the gnats in his face. Need to wait for some cooler weather or windy days. However, he is dealing better with the bugs in general.

first shoulder in at the trot

Jordan tried out my new "arena" in the back pasture this morning and liked it. Now we have some straight sides to work against. We did just a couple minutes of stepping over before mounting. He still walks off when first mounted, need to stop this now. Good shoulder in on both sides, getting better at changing sides. Haunches definitely drift over to the right. Got a little renvers on the right rein, so I have the tools to fix this. Did a few w-t-w transitions in shoulder-in. 45m session.

morning session

Worked early again, bugs were better. Starting to ask for full lengths of shoulder-in. After a few minutes of shoulder-in at the walk he is giving a very nice trot. More bending barrels and a little bit of renvers/travers. First time tacking up in barn. Standing well ground tied. Lunged off of the bit for the first time, accepted it well. Waiting for more softness on the right lunge.

Showing off for family

Mom, Dad, and Kate came over for a cookout today. Jordan & I did a little showing off to keep the party entertained, and Dad snapped some pictures. Jordan did his first bow for an audience, even though I only started training this trick two days ago!