Straight A student

 Dan and I (and Funny) trekked back to Rana's today for another lesson. Yes, it's only been 3 days, but we wanted to reinforce what we had learned the other day. Plus, Dan and I are so bored and just so glad to be doing "SOMETHING". :) And honestly, ha ha... Funny was so naughty I think Rana thought we needed sooner rather than later! ha! 

I put Funny in the pasture and we worked Dan first this time. Partly because I thought Funny could use a little energy expenditure before her turn and partly because I was a teeny bit early and wanted to do some pillar work before Rana got there. But by the time I got him in the arena she had gotten there. But it's fine, this is essentially pillar work too. We put the lunge cavesson on him and I handed him off to her. She put him on the lunge and he was perfect! Like... perfect! He was so happy too. He was even frothy, with no bit! I told her that he was drooling the other day when I worked him. Like a long strand of drool hanging down. 

She just did his slow trot. He did the whole thing pretty much with his nose on the ground, lifting his back and with all four legs underneath him. His hind end was tracking up to the front end and in line with the front end. He was actually bent. His wither was upright and slightly turned to the inside and he was using his back. And going to the left he was 100% sound! And going to the left, his hard way, he was much improved, but still a little less bendy. He just has a hard time bending that rib cage that way. But he was much sounder than Saturday and only had a few wonky steps. And his wither seemed more upright today! It was still tipped a hair to the right instead of in to the left (slightly!!! Ideally it's mostly upright). 

We talked and she said that the dysfunction is the same no matter which direction he's traveling. BUT... tracking right is so much easier for him to correct it. Tracking left... it's harder to correct. So I asked about whether I should do more to the right or more to the left. She said to start right, then go left, then finish right. Because we're strengthening him more effectively when he's tracking right because he's more correct. And that will also strengthen him on the left rein too... so rather than strengthen his dysfunction.. let's strengthen the proper biomechanics way and add a little bit of the hard way, but not too much. Makes total sense to me. :) 

And he was cracking us up. He was literally dragging his nose on the ground at one point. Luckily he didn't kick himself in the schnoz this time. ha ha. Oh, and yesterday at home, he tripped a lot on the right front. At one point he even landed on the palmar aspect of his fetlock! I was a little worried, but he had zero issues today. I think it's just my footing in my roundpen and arena. I think it's too deep and rolling so he was tripping on it. 

So yep. We didn't do a ton with him because it's hard work. But she said that for the next month if we do this routinely.. he'll be so strong!! She did say she thought we could also do some light hacks, focusing on straightness. But suggested maybe doing a little bit of this before we rode. I can do that! Pillar work for the win!