Belated clinic recap!

I'll cut right to the chase and say that it went AMAZING! Svenna really brought her A-game and got lots and lots of compliments. She wouldn't have it any other way. She did scream a lot when she was in the stable, but was energetic and focused once I got on. I was very strategic the week before with my riding, I worked her hard Sunday, then left her alone till Thursday when she had a light hack, then off again Friday. I wanted her a little bit jumping out of her skin for the weekend; my biggest fear was running out of pony. 

Jeremy really liked her, and I will give you the main takeaways in bullet form:

• More forward! Even more! Squeeze! Forward! Now! Go! 
• Poll up, she is past the long and low stage and ready to really get to work
• Use head to the wall leg yield, shoulder in, and shallow loop to engage the outside hind leg
• Don't waste the lateral work, really hold that outside rein! 
• Half halt HARD and reallllly take the outside rein going into and during the canter, and don't let her putter out, she's strong enough to keep going now
• Let her take a stronger contact
• Do a thousand transitions. Then do a thousand more. 
• My pony is really, really fun to ride and I love her

I was most surprised by having to ask her to raise her poll, I really didn't think she had it in her to work that hard, for that long, in that frame. But she did, two days in a row, without getting very tired, a clear indication that she's ready to step it up! The way he had me working her forward was different than I'm used to- there was a lot stronger contact, but it helped me harness her power- she felt more like a real horse and less like a rinky dinky pony. 

The video is like watching paint dry- I apologize for not having pictures. I wish I had more pics, we looked so beauteous and clean (for once!) but I was there alone so was only able to trick someone into videoing the second day, which was admittedly less sparky than the first.

Also I just noticed that my title is a pun...Beale-ated, get it??