Sucking at Flatwork

So I've come to realize... I suck at doing flatwork. And Brantley knows it. It's not that he has a case of the "idontwannas", I just suck at being assertive enough to make him do it. Going around the arena at a W/T/C is easy enough, loose rein, go through our normal routine and such. But getting him to collect and do circle/spiral/serpentine work... God, I don't even want to do it. We've been having such a good time on the trails and galloping, (yes, galloping) through open fields, and jumping fallen trees that we have no motivation. I really need to find it though because I returned the fancy HDR hunter bridle with the patent leather and padding I bought him to get a Micklem. Yes, I spent money I didn't really have, but you know what, I can't take it with me and he gets really stretchy in the contact (when I occasionally find it) with it so it's a win. When I put the jumps out, he's all gung-ho and ready to work. We really need to find that impulsion and get going on this flatwork stuff. I can get him strong on the trails and build his body that way, but I want to be able to do it in the ring too. Plus, sometimes you just need to get fancy!

We're trying to be future eventers here!

"I'm ready to rock Mom!"

 Wendy, Cassie, and I went to Arcadia this past Sunday. Yes, I was supposed to go to a horse show and show off my pony under saddle, but with all the work I missed and the lack of riding time I had... Not worth it. Plus, it's a whole lot of money for nothing in the end and Wendy had decided she didn't want to go. Show by myself? Heck no. That's what I don't like about showing. So I dropped her a text 2 days before and said, "Show... or trail?" And that's how we ended up in Arcadia.

Professional Porter-Potty Pony...

Because of my lack of ride time, we did a little bit of ground work and he felt pretty sassy. I said this will go one of two ways, but him getting right on the trailer no questions asked made me feel like I made a good fantastic decision. And it was so... We got off the trailer, tacked up, and he walked right over to a bench so I could get on. Once again, no questions asked. I didn't have to send him anywhere. He just walked right up to me after I stepped up. Good sign? I hoped so. He was a little jiggy going out, but I welcomed it because I was just as excited. We led the way per usual, and he poked out to the trail. When we finally decided where we wanted to go we picked up a trot. I let him stretch out as long as he stuck with the trot and of course Elijah cantered to catch up (Get down with your bad dressage self E!).

Stolen from Cassie, that's B up front!

Stolen from Wendy

Relaxed tail swish - Photo Credit: Wendy

Another stolen photo. Elijah vision.

So proud of my boy - Elijah vision.

As we got deeper into the woods we found a clearing... And I picked up a canter with the girls following behind. We found another gear that afternoon... Holy crap. And he had so much more to give but leaving the other two behind wouldn't have been fair... Hehehe... We even jumped a fallen tree a few times and galloped down a dirt road. #WINNING!

I call this a success...

Carolina this weekend. Hope I get the same horse as last weekend. We have a hunter pace coming up. AH!