For those of you who were wondering, the verdict is in...Weiser weighs 1130 lbs!
I was surprised when I put him on the scale on Friday. I seriously thought he would weigh almost 1300 lbs by now. Just further illustration demonstrating how drastically underweight he really was :(
This Week's Training:
I had a small training breakthrough on Tuesday in our lesson as I began to feel how dramatically Weiser likes to sit on my left leg and fall through his shoulder. With the lovely Cindy Thaxton on vacation half of last week, Weiser and I were mostly left to our own devices. Upon Cindy's request, I rode Weiser with draw-reins run through the flash to help him develop proper muscle memory for submission to the bit, without putting too much pressure on the bit itself. He was less than pleased, but we got some good training out of it!
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| Small steps in developing a more manageable canter! |
Saturday, we took a field trip to Christine Felker's beautiful home, High Shoals Farm. This was the fourth time Weiser and I have been able to go, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to run through her stunning fields! Weiser, however, was feeling a little too good, and threw many good-natured bucks in as I let him run through the field. Cantering him up and down the hills has proven an excellent opportunity for me to check his straightness (when you are trying to hand-gallop a straight line and drift drastically left, it becomes clear he is not straight), as well as continue our work with submission. The field is also an excellent place for us to work on Weiser's canter. He has a massive, ground-covering stride, that he is slowly gaining the strength to carry in a more controlled and collected manner. (He thinks that is hard work!) Outside, I like to ride in a half-seat, making sure he is really coming forward off my leg, and then sit and establish a few more gathered steps. When we are farther along in our training, my hope is to use Christine's amazing hills to build strength and power in our collected and extended canter.
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| Serious lack of submission |
