Great Ride on Moe!

 I had a great ride on Moe yesterday for my lesson. I was a lot more balanced and was gripping with my calf rather than my knee as I had found myself doing during my last lesson. Also, I was a lot more relaxed and so was Moe, though she was still just as speedy as usual.

I love this one!

 Throughout my lesson, I asked her come round and on the bit, working on that the entire lesson. I rode her around the dressage arena at the trot, changing directions several times and asking her to drop her head. When it came time to canter, I sat back, asked for the transition, and managed to get a left lead canter on a 20 meter circle. As I cantered, I held the outside rein to slow her down. The second time I cantered, she picked up the right lead rather than the left lead, so I made a diagonal and circled to the right on the other side of arena instead.

Toward the end of the lesson, I tried one of the new Training Level dressage tests, the 2015 Training Level Test 2. I gathered up my reins at A, then circled, gradually shortening the reins as I circled until Moe had lowered her head and relaxed. Then I went up centerline, Besides Moe not picking up the correct lead on the left lead canter part, the test when smoothly and seemed like one of the best tests I've done. Moe was relaxed and wasn't taking off. In fact she was going quite slow, probably because I had shortened the reins to get her to lower her head and become round.

 One of her best traits is her walk. She has an excellent, smooth walk, with her legs reaching forward and her hips swinging. If she went to a show, she'd likely get a ten for her walk---it's that nice.

The test went like this: Up centerline, X halt salute. C track right. At B 20 meter circle, at K across the diagonal, then canter between C and H. As I said this is where we had the problem of Moe not picking up the correct lead, so I returned to trot to try again. When she still didn't pick up the correct lead, Meghan said to go ahead and stay in counter-canter. I made a 20 meter circle at E, then before K returned to trot. I made a circle at A, then I free walked a loop from F to X to M, then trotted again, circled left at E, made a diagonal at H, cantered before M, circled at B, then returned to trot and turned up centerline.

  I had a great ride and test, and Meghan said that I had done great. It was a much more successful ride than last time, when I first rode after some time off.

This is what winter riding clothes looks like in California.