OPEN LESSON DAY - 15 JAN 2016
First lesson of the day was with Tweet and Praline.
Tweet had 2 points as her goal for this lesson:
1) managing correct canter strike off from the ground as well as ridden;
2) fine tuning of seat
~ Tweet attended the Alexander Technique Clinic in October 2015 and now needed eyes to check that she was still on the right track, few months later.
In theory, Sandy explained how correct canter strike is attained, as written in the German handbook of riding (outside leg behind/inside leg on the girth area, to activate first stride of canter, using left hind).
Thereafter, Sandy explained her method of attaining this.
Second lesson of the day was with Anne and her new young 18hh, Obelix.
The goal set for this lesson was settling Obelix in work and helping Anne consolidate her new style of thinking and riding. Anne started having lessons at Xenophon at the end of July 2015. With Anne's new horse, Obelix, she is now practising to apply what she's been learning during the past months.
Third lesson of the day was with Joanne and Caradoc. The goal of this lesson was to teach Caradoc to use her core muscles, starting off with walking over a pole placed higher off the ground, to encourage lift. This was a warm-up exercise, walking over the higher pole to contract her core muscles without the rider on board (as can be seen in the pics uploaded, this is hard work and Caradoc tried to cleverly make it easier by jumping, rather than walking over. The exercise was repeated under saddle in trot and canter but over a pole flat on the ground.
After the three lessons,
Sandy displayed a demonstration session on Helena's beautiful Belle (chestnut).
Ending the day, with Sandy training her own horse, Lazar - to follow Lazar's story, click here http://www.xenophonec.info/#!lazar/c12s4
