Post by equus8 on Aug 22, 2010 17:34:53 GMT -5
Kelly walked the exited stallion into the ring. Today she was going to work on piaffing. She had brought with her some side reins, sliding reins, a dressage whip and a lunge line. She wanted him to be relaxed before she started the training. The attached the sliding reins to her saddle and sent Prince out on the lunge. He did walk trot canter both ways for a good twenty minutes until he was finally doing an easy trot around her with his tail hanging loose. Kelly then took off the sliding reins and put on the side reins so he would be able to bring his neck up. She attached the side reins to his snaffle bit and held the curb reins. She brought him to the wall and started to walk him. Then she stopped him and backed him up. Kelly took the dressage whip and started clucking. Before she even started tapping him with the whip he was half stepping, what Kelly called "jigging". "Good boy" she said. She asked for his neck to come up even more and tapped his leg for him to collect more, keeping the energy with her clicking. Then she started tapping him with the whip and he started a fast piaffe. She slowed her clicks and taps but kept the energy, wanting him to hold his legs up. He did it for three steps and then Kelly stopped him as a reward and to give him a break. "That's a good boy" she said and started again. He got it much quicker this time and did it for four steps. "GOoooood boy" she said and started asking again, tapping him with the whip. He started right away and kelly let him hold it for six or seven steps "goooood" she said and let him stretch his neck. She turned him around and after a few minutes of a break, she asked him again. First she asked him to collect, using the reins and her whip and then she started tapping him and clucking. He moved into a fast jig and she slowed it down and collected him even more. He did it for two steps and she stopped, letting him know he did it right "Good boy!". She asked again and he moved straight into a piaffe for eight steps. She asked again after a short break and she made him do it for ten steps. "You're such a good boy!!" and she asked one more time, this time she mad him do it for fifteen steps".
After doing the ground work which took about thirty minutes she got on him and took off the side reins. She asked him to trot a few circles and then collected him, then she started from the walk, first doing a jig and then a few steps of piaffe. "Good booooooy" she said and did it again for eight steps. She gave him a short break and then made him do ten steps of piaffe off of the walk. "Now, we are going to do it from the walk" she said. She started at a medium trot, collected it and then started a five step piaffe. Prince aced it. She extended the trot out of the piaffe and then did it again, this time leaving in a passage across the diagonal. Prince was very good at the passage. The stallion had been very good so she let him cool out on a loose rein.
After doing the ground work which took about thirty minutes she got on him and took off the side reins. She asked him to trot a few circles and then collected him, then she started from the walk, first doing a jig and then a few steps of piaffe. "Good booooooy" she said and did it again for eight steps. She gave him a short break and then made him do ten steps of piaffe off of the walk. "Now, we are going to do it from the walk" she said. She started at a medium trot, collected it and then started a five step piaffe. Prince aced it. She extended the trot out of the piaffe and then did it again, this time leaving in a passage across the diagonal. Prince was very good at the passage. The stallion had been very good so she let him cool out on a loose rein.