4/14/08 Had a moment discussing with her whether or not it was required to stand politely for mounting by the mounting block. She's not delighted about it, but it can be done... Started out with some bending work and then some trot work with stretching down and letting go in her back. Her natural tendency is to hold tightness in her back and a somewhat in her neck, so we worked on that so that she could swing through in trot. Then on to canter which went well. Cantered over 2 poles spaced 9' apart, which was easy for her. Then on to cantering over the cross rail, which I allowed her to miss in every way possible and just got out of her way so that she could have the space to figure out the distance. She got better and better. Very good. She's goes home tomorrow. I'll miss her goofy self, but know her pasture awaits!

4/9/08 There was some wild lungeing going on in the indoor, so I thought today would be a good day to go to the outdoor. She is always tight the first few minutes, so I just let her go forward until she relaxed a bit. Then on to canter work which went well. Then we did a pole on the ground in trot and canter and then 3 poles on the ground in a little pile and over that. Then a small vertical, then a small cross rail, then a bigger crossrail. It all went well. Nice start.

4/8/08 There was a person jumping (and not badly) in the arena when we went in. She was doing a cross rail and I was all set up to introduce Sif to a cross rail today, but the person raised it to a vertical and I thought that was beyond us just yet, so didn't jump. Did a lot of trot work today, helping her stay soft in her neck and then on to canter work, including the dreaded right lead. She picked it up more easily yesterday when I had a pole on the ground for her to pick it up over, but after a few misfires, she got it twice today. Move that right shoulder back left once in canter and things came together quite nicely. Some work on backing and sidepassing too. Did very well.

4/7/08 Yay, back in the tack after having time off due to her chiropractic adjustment. We started out in walk work, with a review of coming forward and down in her neck. Then on to trot work, which was predictably tight, but willing. We were trotting over a pole on the ground, which went well, then we did the pole at angles, which she did well at too. Then we used the pole to help with the canter tansition, which was especially useful to the right. She has a pretty balanced canter (yet another Specklike attribute). Canter right has her dropping her inside shoulder, but she is coachable about it and once it is lined up, it tends to stay. We cantered the pole and did it at angles. Then we walked past the very scary One Heart portable tent building and she was worried, but brave. Very good day.

3/25/08 Sif got her shots today, so I didn't want to work her too hard. But we lunged a bit and she was happy to go. Then I got on and rode. A lot of work in walk and trot discussing keeping the shoulder in front of the hip, yielding to the leg and yielding in the poll; all of which is coming right along. Trot work is a little more relaxed, but she is tight in her back. It gets better each time she stretches so that is where we are focusing. She was very good.

3/24/08 Lunged her and she did excellently. Got on and did a lot of walk work, showing her how to relax in her poll. Leg yield and side pass coming along, sometimes even relaxed. On to trot work today, where I helped her let go in her poll and stretch. She figured that out nicely, so, much praise, and enough for the day.

3/21/08 I worked Sif first because it was her morning inside and I figured she'd rather be working than standing. We started with lunging which went well. She is bending much more easily to the right and lunges generally quite well and understands and abides by voice aids well. Right lead is a little more difficult for her, but if given time during the transition she gets it most of the time. I mounted and she was a little light on her feet, but polite. We spent the first part of the session discussing letting go in her poll, a lot of walking around and quietly discussing. She figured it out and took a breath. We fooled around with leg yield and then sidepass. I usually teach them in the other order, but she was volunteering leg yield so I played along and pretended I asked for it and then did the other direction. There were some fits and starts, but all in all very good. She reminds me so very much of Speck. We need to compare pedigrees.

3/19/08 She was much better about leading out to the arena today, more attentive and polite. We lunged again today and she was dramatically better. Though it is notable that that first time I asked her go to the right she resisted to the outside enough to actually turn her butt to me and kick directly at me. She wasn't even nearby, but she got a clearly negative response from me anyway, and was a peach after that. She was much more relaxed to the right and by the end we were cantering over the pole on the ground in both directions. Plenty of hella bad distances, but that is the point of the exercise--to let them figure it out with out having to deal with a rider. She did very well.

3/17/08 Happy St. Pat's! Sif came out yesterday, so she only had 24 hours to settle in and they were also in today due to drizzle and generally miserable weather. I got her out and brought her to the tie area. She is a little tight to lead and inattentive when tied. She even went so far as to scream for a friend, which got her a poke on the neck. While grooming we did some work on getting her to drop her neck down and forward, which was difficult for her the first time. She was exhibiting classic Miz Scarlet Effect. Then we proceeded to the indoor, in a very slow manner, taking three steps at a time and requiring her primary attention to be on her handler. The first bit was very slow, but she improved the entire time. We went into the arena and lunged to the left at a walk which went quite well. We had a pole on the ground for her to walk over and that was a big shock the first few times, but she figured it out. Trot was a big quick and canter was pretty good. Then we went to the right and the magnitude of her asymmetry came to light. I think half the problem is that she hasn't been worked from the right at all from the ground, because she was unsure even what I was asking. Once we got that worked out, she was bent left and walking right. She was game to try though and I encouraged her. She had a few Miz Scarlet moments when the other horses in the ring changed gaits or the like, but she came back to me mentally more quickly each time. She did canter on her right lead, though it was difficult for her. It will be interesting to see over the next few days if she gets noticeably better, which I suspect will happen, or not. If not, I'd suggest having her chiropractically adjusted sooner rather than later. But let's wait and see.

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