Canter sideways!

We have done our first sideways in canter! I got on Juliano bareback and we have practised sideways in trot then circled a bit in canter. After Juliano's canter got slow and rhythmic I thought "Why don't we try sideways in canter" and guess what Juliano did - few steps to the side. We are taking baby steps, J only does 2-3 stides sideways and then I ask him to continue cantering straight on and we stop. After 3 successful tries I got off Juliano and allowed him to go back to eating grass. He came back in few minutes for some scratching and yawning :) One thing that hit me today is how sideways slows the horse down. Once we started doing sideways in trot Juliano's canter got slower. Today after sideways in canter Juliano didn't rush of he did the opposite - went back to a walk when asked.

The moment I've been waiting for

Today, I've focused on out freestyle again. To be honest I'm not happy with my saddle lately, I'm not sure it fits J and it puts me in a strange riding position that's why I do most of my riding bareback now. That's one of the reasons I'm focusing on freestyle, besides it's just so much fun.


Juliano was simply brilliant. I think it was the first time he was so responsive and thinking in canter. We could speed up and slow down, speed up and slow down again and this was all based on my suggestions - phase 1 with the string. For some this can be a very simple exercise but for us there was fast canter or no canter at all. Today Juliano was very focused on me and he delivered a great slow and rhythmic canter. One screw up on my part though. We were doing figure eights with a simple lead change in the middle. After few simple changes Juliano offered a flying lead change but I shut him down. I made him go back to a trot after he changed leads and I should have allowed him to continue with the canter. I should have trusted him that he will make it, instead I thought he is not going to change leads and he will only speed up. My bad! The good news is he offered and he wasn't upset after I didn't take it.

Freestyle - all systems check

I finally got my saddle out, it was covered in dust. 1 month went by and all we did with Juliano was liberty and bareback riding - it was simply too hot. I didn't have a specific plan for that day only to check if all "systems" still worked. To my surprise the breaks were working better than ever - canter/walk/back-up transitions perfect.

• Breaks - check


• Steering - check


• Gears - check

As all the systems were in place and Juliano was in a positive state of mind I've decided to give jumping a go. Juliano was always sceptical about going over jumps, he would squeeze in between two verticals of a square oxer, he would back up to a jump but he would refuse to go over. I think the underlying cause of our problem was my fear. I would ask Juliano to go over a jump but in my body I was saying stop before it. Clever horse, he knew better than me what I wanted. Today was different, today he was jumping like crazy. He felt my confidence.

Freestyle update

After the long winter of freestyle in the snow I now get to see the results. Juliano is more relaxed in canter, we can finally do the canter-trot transition. I'm going to repeat myself, but this was very hard for us. Juliano is so forward going it is hard to convince him to canter slowly, let alone go down to trot. It's not always perfect but we are getting there fast. I also convinced Magda to ride Dum on a savvy sting for the first time in the paddock.

Best winter ever!

Day after day we have tons of fun, is this what riding is about? For us, yes! We focus mainly on freestyle and it is paying off. Snow helped us improve our walk to canter departures. We can't do much of sideways or backing up as it is to hard in the snow, but I'm sure perfecting the upward and downward transition will came in handy in spring.

Today we went on a short hack with Joanna and Magda. We managed to canter down the field in deep snow, there was no overtaking all three horses kept distance and maintained good rhythm. After the ride horses wen't for a quick roll in the snow and we went for a cup of hot coffee.

Asia and Wisełka

Magda and Dum Dum

Me and Juliano

Boys in the snow

What a day! We have snow fall everyday now, winter of a century most say. Apparently, in this part of Poland, last winter like this was over 20 years ago. Most of my friends who don't ride are sick and tired of shoveling snow but I'm filled with joy. Riding in deep snow feels like sailing or windsurfing in high waves. Yes, it is very demanding for the horse so we do short rides and we only do freestyle, but horses love it. Especially Juliano as he loves jumping up and down anyway.

I arrived at the stables just before 2PM today so got a chance to ride both horses while the sun was shining. Juliano did great, we had so much fun. I left the speed in trot and canter up to him and focused on the way we were going. He was very responsive. Slight touch on the string and he was on the right track again. I didn't have to use the stick at all today. Well, almost :P





Pressing also got a run in the snow. I had problems at first to get him going. When you are used to a horse that canters just because you think of canter it seems like a lot of pressure if you have to squeeze another horse to get trot. It took me few minutes to get the stallion going especially in the deep snow. At first we was not thinking of going at all. He wanted to dig in the snow instead. There are a lot of things I have to get used to again, from my previous years of riding, before I got J. For example, for this horse it is easier to ride with contact. You let go of the reins and he gets lost, looses his balance. He is a great horse to ride, very obedient and willing, just different.





Riding both of the lads today just made me think how much we've changed with Juliano. How different we ride now. When you sit on a "normal" horse after doing PNH for some time you realize how good your horse really got over the years. Pressing just like Juliano is a left-brain extrovert but he does not show that under rider, so for me there is this spark of own invention missing. On the other hand he is easier to control and stop than Juliano. I hope both horses had fun in the snow today, I'm sure I did!