The time off during the arena work at Judy's did not do any favors to Saumur. He felt stiff as a board the first time I got on after his mini-vacation playing in our pastures. It's the old adage: "Motion is Lotion!". Even though Saumur had enough motion, it wasn't exactly the kind of gymnastics that his body needed. Running, kicking, and playing hard is good for his mind, but while his mind certainly was refreshed, his aging body thought otherwise. Judy and JP told me not to worry, but I (of course!) was (almost) jokingly saying maybe Saumur needs to retire with JP... Not a good idea! Judy had me work him through the stiffness, and by the end of the lesson he was much improved. And the following day Saumur felt like his old self again. We also started him on Adequan, which my "needle phobic" is tolerating well... so far. Judy was wondering how he would be by shot number 7? She's the one poking him, while I am feeding him treats. As soon as he feels the sting Saumur bites into his Granola bar with a vengeance. Something has to pay!
Mr. Charming (Remy) has no such qualms. He spent his time off playing very hard with Chambord, and came back to work unscathed. With him the challenge is keeping his focus and not let him get bored. In that case he seeks entertainment on his own. Remy's canter is getting so much better, it is a ton of fun. My problem is that I still have the tendency to get into a two point, without Judy's constant reminders of "let yourself sit in the saddle" I think we'd gallop off into the sunset... Another 'aha-moment' was when Remy started to hump up in the trot and I backed off, wondering if he would buck. Not the right thing to do: "KEEP YOUR LEG ON!" came from the bench. Remy wasn't forward enough, and therefore he threw his "up-movement" in. As soon as I had him from the inside leg to the outside rein all was well again.
So, even if time off didn't work that well for Saumur - I can honestly say it's the opposite for me. I could get used to this!
No comments:
Post a Comment