Cavalletti

I tried to mix things up a bit for Cody last night and I put out some ground poles. And knowing how uninspired he's been lately I brought the carrot stick and plastic bag to help our lunging. He wasn't thrilled with my plastic bag but I think it got the point across. By the time I got on to ride he was moving out even with the tiniest of verbal cues. Prior to riding we had a few "moments." Some bucking and trying to spin around. He does not like going to the left away from the arena gate. He wants to go toward the arena gate.

It took a lot of trotting to get some cooperation and even then the slightest thing would set him off in a speed trot or heading for the gate. I'm still surprised when I say "easy" that he'll put on the brakes even when he's spazzing out. I should have just stuck to the trotting and the poles but I asked for a few canters that he didn't want to give, and there wasn't a lot of room with the poles set up. That was my fault. So there was more trotting. In the end I got some pretty decent rein backs that I don't usually get. And when I got off I lunged him a bit more hoping he'd stretch his back a bit and loosen up. He stretched a bit in the trot but the canter was a little spazzy still. After all that I did some stretches with him. He's pretty good at the back stretch when I drag my knuckles down the sides of his tail. We did the leg stretches, tail stretch, and tried the belly lift.

I'm not enjoying riding in that saddle, I think it's tipped too far back, I might have to adjust that somehow. Next time just trotting I think. No poles, just moving out and getting comfortable.