So I had a lesson today, which, let me tell you was EXHAUSTING for both poor Limerick and me. Trainer rode Limerick first, was very good. Worked on counter canter quite a bit and some extended trot - he was really good. Then I popped on with her saying "we'll warm you up a bit then lose the stirrups". That "warmup" took forever.
So we did trot to canter transitions which were BEAUTIFUL. Then we were trying to do our walk to canter transitions...which we've never had any problems with before. Could not be done. He'd pick up counter canter each and every time-yet if I'd trot then canter, he'd have no problem picking up the correct lead. So here's my trainer going "what the heck are you doing?!" and Im like "hell if I know!" My aids were no different - in fact I was overexaggerating my aids to try to get him to pick up the right lead from the walk. So we picked up the wrong lead yet again, I was getting quite irritated at this point with him and me so I really half halted him, he switched his leads, I let go, he switched his leads again and then switched them back again...so in a space of 5 strides we had 3 changes. My trainer looks at me and was like "uhhh...did you want to do tempi changes with him?" Umm...no, but hey, it was pretty damn neat, despite being a total and complete fluke and something that'll probably never happen again
So I brought Limerick back to a walk, and I swear to God he stopped and looked back at me with a "well who knew I could do THAT?!"
It did resolve itself. I did 4-5 canter transitions with him from trot to walk, he picked up the lead beautifully, and then after that walk to canter was back to being easy and 'normal' again. Not sure what the heck I was doing though that caused him to have so many problems picking his lead up!
So we did trot to canter transitions which were BEAUTIFUL. Then we were trying to do our walk to canter transitions...which we've never had any problems with before. Could not be done. He'd pick up counter canter each and every time-yet if I'd trot then canter, he'd have no problem picking up the correct lead. So here's my trainer going "what the heck are you doing?!" and Im like "hell if I know!" My aids were no different - in fact I was overexaggerating my aids to try to get him to pick up the right lead from the walk. So we picked up the wrong lead yet again, I was getting quite irritated at this point with him and me so I really half halted him, he switched his leads, I let go, he switched his leads again and then switched them back again...so in a space of 5 strides we had 3 changes. My trainer looks at me and was like "uhhh...did you want to do tempi changes with him?" Umm...no, but hey, it was pretty damn neat, despite being a total and complete fluke and something that'll probably never happen again
So I brought Limerick back to a walk, and I swear to God he stopped and looked back at me with a "well who knew I could do THAT?!"
It did resolve itself. I did 4-5 canter transitions with him from trot to walk, he picked up the lead beautifully, and then after that walk to canter was back to being easy and 'normal' again. Not sure what the heck I was doing though that caused him to have so many problems picking his lead up!