We now have 3rd gear under saddle. It has taken a while, but we finally got there. I don't like to overuse the round pen and I think Miss Mazy has been ridden in there a whopping total of 4 times now.
It has been super wet and as a result- slick. Not where I would work a horse, let alone, kicking the speed up another notch. Then with a month off after having her wolf teeth pulled, it just wasn't coming around for us. But with a break in the weather and enough days to dry up the round pen, there was somewhere to work with good footing, that I could let Mazy go and she couldn't get too crazy on me.
I let her loose to free lunge and work all the bugs out on her own. After several laps around at a lope she slowed to a trot for several more before she stopped. Change directions and off she goes again. When she's relaxed and stops on her own, then shes ready to go to work.
I got on her and let her walk around some to start. Then we went into a trot and from there I asked Mazy to canter/ lope. It took her a few strides before she broke into it and from there she got a lot of praise.
Of course with training- if you go one direction, you must go the other direction too. If you never work the horse going one direction as opposed to always working them going the other, not only will they never develop the other lead, but their body will also show the mucsles developed on one side more than the other. Of course she did just as well that way too and the other night we picked up where we left off, popping over a few small jumps to round it off.
