Ah Kate! What a mission it was even getting her to the clinic. I had done everything I could for her abscess, and when she was still off I took her to the farriers and had a pad put on her foot. This helped her immensely, and though she started a little short she felt really good throughout the lesson.
Grant was pleased with how much her flatwork had improved, though she is still a hot little number and always will be. Good old TBs eh. She is a lot stronger. Last clinic she couldn't canter down the arena without switching out behind and now she is doing it no worries.
It was the same exercises again. You would think it would get repetitive but with three such different horses, I have to ride so differently each time it's actually not repetitive at all! Kate was really good. Hot yes, but very eager to jump and really powering off of the ground.
When we jumped the other jumps after doing the trot pole to fence exercise she was a lot hotter. I struggled initially to see my stride to the oxer at the end of the trot pole exercise but I need to really stay soft and maintain the canter and then it's easy. Kate was really jumping over everything huge and I was grateful for the Prestige because I'm not sure I could have sat on her in the old Pessoa. Cantering down the final line (short 6 strides oxer to upright)v was probably the hardest because she doesn't trust the check and would bound through the hand so getting the six evenly and smoothly was quite the challenge. So much so I didn't actually manage it, but like Grant said I just have to ride the horse I have and she will always be a bit hot. That being said at home she tolerates the check better so it's only a matter of time until she does when she is out as well.
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