It was absolutely gorgeous today - in the mid 60s, sunny, and a breeze blowing. Couldn't ask for better riding weather. Still, it was windy, so I thought it might be in my best interest to longe Oliver first, since he was frisky the other day, and it might not have been the bit. Shouldn't have worried - he was a bit lazy on the longe. I don't know why horses do this, but he was rolling his eyes at first on the longe and showing a bit of red inner-eye. Ben used to do this, too, when I (or Holly) would put him a bit deeper on the bit. Anyway, it was pretty apparent to me that Oliver needs to learn to stretch into the bit and lengthen his neck - he likes to arch his neck and pretend to be on the bit. A curse of his conformation, I guess.
Once in the saddle, he was a tad bobbly on the contact until I start "playing" with the reins a bit and softening him, instead of just bridging the reins and keeping my hands steady, like I initially did. He seems to like the livelier contact much better. I let him look at the crossrail with the brush underneath, which he predictably gawked at, and then trotted him up to it. He slammed to a stop, and then thought about cat-leaping, which would have been uncomfortable for both of us, so I turned him the opposite direction and trotted him at it again. He went over it beautifully, and when I turned him around and trotted over it from the other direction, he went on the first try. He seemed to cat-leap more in that direction, so I trotted him over it a few times until he started to settle. Rob Chase was watching me, and said that Oliver really sits down behind when he jumps - I wonder if it's a greenie thing or if that's his natural jumping style? I experimented with lightening the contact up to the jump, but Oliver seemed to be unsettled by it and started rushing, so I took a firmer hold and he seemed to like that better. I thought he was ready to try something new, so I walked him up to a little brush box. He didn't seem to be phased by it too much, so I trotted him at it and he put in such a nice little jump over it. Even did it the other way, too. So, after jumping that a few times, we went over the trotting poles on the ground, and then wandered out of the ring and over to the dressage ring, which involved jumping the little natural ditch by the driveway. Perfect. He was such a good boy in the dressage arena. A little wobbly, but went forward off the leg and even did a couple of nice 20 meter circles - he's never been in that field before, so I was thrilled that he was being brave.
I think he's going to take a little while to grow up mentally, but I also think that he's going to be pretty brave when it's all said and done.
With Sam, we worked on getting him to go from long and low to a more uphill frame and more between the hand and leg. He was in his Happy Mouth and seems to love it - he doesn't seem to panic with this particular bit. Lots of work on keeping constant communication with his mouth, keeping my hands in front of me but lively and active, and keep pressing him to the bit with my leg. He was perfect today - much rounder, with nice steady canter departs on the bit (gotta think about compressing the stride at the trot, keeping the hands low, and "talking" to both sides of his mouth while I ask for the canter depart). We have a lesson with Holly tomorrow so hopefully she'll see some progress on the flat.
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