On The Brink

Scott came yesterday for a great clinic, in spite of some really dreadful weather - it's been monsooning intermittantly for the last three days. Blech.

Ella has been tricky lately - about two weeks ago she suddenly turned into a tight, pissed-off cow, and I gave her some time off and took her to our fabulous chiro/accupuncture vet, and while she's TONS better, I'm still not through it. I think she's waiting for her back to hurt (and she was working like GANGBUSTERS up until this point, so I'm confident there's nothing more serious than the Building-Towards-PSG Soreness Blues), and is still guarding herself a little. Scott was, of course, great with both of us, encouraging me to not hold her so much, and to keep my sections of workout short to keep her confidence up until she was more her usual self.

The mediocre results from the show really lit my hair on fire with Midge - I've been way braver about riding him more forward and risking the balance instead of staying "safe." He's very powerful and up-and-down, so unless I hit the throttle he looks tight and carthorsey but if I do hit the gas he sometimes catapaults onto his forehand and we're off to the races. Scott loved where I was taking him, reinforced all of my exercises, and told me to kick on. Yay!

Cleo was a rockstar. I've been starting to play with the FEI Young Rider Grand Prix test, which is sort of terrifying, and so we went through some of the trickier parts of that. I really get the passage now, and I just need to play with the transitions in and out of piaffe to find the combination of aids that makes them both smooth and active, AND keeps her confidence up. I'll find it. We also worked on keeping her through the neck and not letting me take a hold of her - sound familiar? :)

And it's back to the daily grind today. Is it the weekend yet? I could use another weekend.

(by the way - blue boots are on order. omg!)