Training stuffs

I am adding a training update.  There has be SO many this year because SO much training has been happening in my and my horses lives.  If you didn't pick up on it I am being incredibly sarcastic here.  Training has been lacking on the Steady and Amy front this year.  We, for the most part have just been staying acquainted in the saddle.  You know like the long breaks in between any riding happens and then you get in the saddle and you both are like, "oh yeah, I remember this" and Steady thinks, "yeah this is that thing when that lady climbs on my back and flops about and I put up with her flopping long enough and she tells me I'm super awesome and feeds me"  and I'm like, "um my brain remembers where things should be but my body seems to protest every moment and then we are done".  YUP that's what we do peps.  It's incredible. 

There has essentially been one thing I have been working to accomplish all season.  My horse, over time, has come up with this new skill.  The skill is tuck my nose completely against my chest when I do my trots and canters.  I had one trainer make the assumption that, "oh I can see this horse has been trained in draw reins".  Excuse meeeee?!  AH NO.  Never not once, ever, never, ever thank you very much!  Unless the track trainers thought their horses could run faster by adding draw reins to them during a race I am 100% certain this horse has never been ridden in any thing other than an egg butt snaffle bit since the day he came off the track. I haven't used ANY training aides whatsoever.  No side reins, no nothing. I have been the only person to ever ride this horse so it makes it real easy to know what has happened in his training.  So excuse me Miss trainer lady, it has been good old fashioned shitty riding that has fucked this horse up. SO THERE!

Really she wasn't being rude and she gave me some tips to try to get his head up.  Once we cleared up that the problem was not cause by draw reins she then  said she thinks he is just a "submissive peer".  I think that is a good description of him.  Steady is an over achiever, AT EVERYTHING.  He thinks you want something?  Well he'll just go the extra mile.  So you say please bring your head down, and he takes that as, ok if that is what you want and proceeds to put his nose on his chest.  Jumping, Steady jump that.  OK I can jump it higher and faster than everyone, seeeeeeeee! There is a pattern here.  Anyways we went home and tried to work on the homework, unsuccessfully.  So I went to my usual trainer and she gave me some body mechanics stuff to use to get him up, up, up.  Tips like, maybe if you don't ride like complete garbage your horse will go nicely.  And it has help greatly.  I think we are getting an edge over the nose tucking thing beautifully.  It is still a work in progress because now the steady contact is not 100% yet.  But it is close and he has never moved better than he is now.  Here are some stills of a video my daughter took.  I would post the video but even at 11 my daughter has the videography skills of a seizing cat.