Huey makes strides

My mother's schedule and the weather have kept her away from the barn more than usual. So the last few weeks I've been making an effort to spend more time with Huey. Armani is my "horsey number 1" and gets the first ride. After riding Armani, Huey is "horsey number 2", and is an easier ride.

When Huey first arrived he tended to fall over his inside shoulder and throw his head into the air. Since they race horses counter-clockwise he really tipped cantering clockwise. It felt like riding slalom on a motorcycle or at least how I imagine that would feel. We have been riding lots of loop-de-loops.

He did not have much of a concept of moving off of my leg either. Any pressure to him meant "faster". So we have been working on moving away from pressure through leg-yield and very shallow shoulder-in. His canter has been improving. I had a few very good rides on him. I was so happy I called my mother to tell her.

So the next day we were riding our respective horses. Another lady was riding as well. My mother started to dismount. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Can you show me Huey's canter?" mom asked. The other lady riding with us looked inquisitive. I suddenly felt a little shy about "showing off" for an audience. I waffled around for a minute but my mother insisted. "I'll hold Armani for you."

I trotted Huey and got him to relax and stretch. Then I asked for a canter in each direction. After we were back to a walk I gave him a pat. "Oh he looks so light!" the other lady exclaimed.

"He looks so much better!" my mom said.