Finding that Left Lead

Everything has been pretty quiet recently and just chugging along as normal this July. I do not particularly love the heat this time of year, so I try to plan all my vacations and time away during this month. Montego has been feeling great after his hock and stifle injections. I think the stifles were the key we have been missing for finding a more comfortable canter. I am excited to see how the next month continues with our training before our big show at Devon at the end of August.

Both horses are getting ridden about 3-4 times a week which I do not think either are complaining about. It has been hot and like me both my horses are heavy sweaters and prefer cooler temps to the warmer months. After my dressage lesson in July, I have been riding Luna more in her dressage tack to try and get her to balance a bit better through her entire body. She has really been a horse that I have needed to take a lot more time with to help her figure out where to put her feet and move correctly. I have mentioned before just how much of a challenge I had this Winter and Spring keeping her Left front shoe on her foot through her shoeing cycle. I am not trying to jinx it but she’s been doing much better on that department lately. My farrier thinks a lot of it has to do with her strengthening her hind end and also growing a deeper foot which helps her shoe fit a little more closely. I think her Professional Choice Bell Boots are helping A LOT, but also think she is finally maturing into large gangly body.

Part of these growing pains are her new reluctance to pick up her left lead under-saddle. Luna is a big runner in the field. Being a baby she has lots of energy that she needs to zoomy out of her. You guessed it, in the field BEAUTIFUL left lead canter, no issues. Put her on a lunge line and she will pick up her left lead canter about 50% of the time from left. She likes to pick it up about 25% of the time going to the right too, so no explanation there. But under saddle, she will not give it to me. She will just counter canter around like its no issue. Probably makes sense she was a shitty race horse if she hate this lead SMH. After taking her to the dressage lesson, I felt she is definitely much stiffer going left than she is right. It is like riding a 2 by 4 that direction. Trainer B sent us home with a couple different suppling exercises to try to even out that left side to be more like the right.

After a couple of just walk trot rides, I finally attempted to ask for our left lead canter. She gave me the right lead two times before finally picking up the left lead. I praised her a TON and ended on that note. I think the suppling has made a big difference. She just bulges in her should and does not want to pick up that lead. I am having a saddle fitter out again to make sure all the saddles that I found actually fit my horses again, just because I am not convinced her jumping saddle fits her 100% which could also be making a difference.

As we get into August, I am not completely out of the humid muggy weather, but planning on continuing to get both horses ridden as much as I can with a couple of outings thrown in for the both of them in between. Really happy with where they both are and so grateful I get to have two amazing horses in my life.