Wizard Ride 159; Another Gear

Monday, 7/19/10

One of my favorite kinds of rides at my barn is under the lights at night. On Monday, the footing was perfect and the air was cool. The large arena is perfect for working on fitness and legging up. It’s also very good for canter work because it is so spacious. We did an easy warmup, working on mostly straight lines with a few large circles. Wizard felt relaxed and forward. I eased him into the canter, and we worked on some large circles and also straightaways. Within his working canter, he felt relaxed and more confident than he has before. He was light on the bit, and responsive to my leg. I squeezed with my leg, opened my arm an inch or so, and he glided into a forward canter. I brought him back to working canter a few times and asked for the forward canter. It was pretty close to a hand gallop, but when I do a real hand gallop, I mean business :^) It felt great to find this new gear. It is a thrill every time we try something new.