Right Lead Canter: Oh my god.

So, it's been almost 2 years since I have cantered to the right. Or, at least properly without having to endure crow hopping and bucks and then breaking down into a trot after a few strides.

Had an awesome lesson today. I rode Amber again, and she was just as awesome as last time. Really nice mare, so quiet...it's nice to ride quiet for once.

We did some canter work, specifically working on my right lead canter. To the left, I was balanced and had total control...to the right, it was like I was unbalanced and had little control over her, and she was leaning on my inside leg hard. Obviously, I'm a little out of practice to the right.

Let's face it. Gulliver's issues to the right were deeper than just "I don't want to". I didn't push the issue too much because of that. There was pain/discomfort involved there. With Jack, honestly, it was lack of practice, but I was waiting to get the "green light" from Patricia, and I think her holding off on me even when I was ready took confidence from me. My fear issues over riding on the flat w/t/c are pretty much gone at this point...and I now realize they HAVE been gone for a while, but I felt like I was still "rehabbing" because Trish was holding me back...but I've been ready to get back to the level at which I SHOULD be riding for a while.

What remains? Jumping. And even that is seeming less scary...I know that the fall Belle and I took had NOTHING to even do with jumping, it could happen on the flat too, but my mind just associates the two. And I didn't think about it, but I also had a fall off another horse going over some barrels and a pole where the stirrup fell off the stirrup bar in mid-take off and I smacked my back on the jump and it hurt pretty bad.

But yeah, in hindsight, I think I could have gotten Jack's right lead in a short amount of time, if I had only realized that I *did* have the confidence back.

In my defense, Amber was a little stiff to the right today, so that didn't help me out!

All in all, I'm SO glad to be w/t/c again. So glad. It feels like I'm finally working at an appropriate level. Moving forward. As much as I loved Jack, it felt like I was going in circles at walk/trot (no pun intended, I know we worked on circles sooo much). I feel like maybe we could have gone a little farther if we'd gotten the okay for canter months sooner...not to place any blame on Trish, half the time it was too wet to canter safely on a horse that was unbalanced at the canter. And she was making an effort to make sure my confidence was high enough to do so without anxiety, and I was assuming she'd know when I was there, and I didn't say anything, and of course she assumed I was not ready because I hadn't said anything.

Also learned a horse I used to feed at the barn when it was Spring Bank still lost a freaking EYE. She's an older mare...actually on land not owned by the barn, but we fed her for the owners anyway back then...they also had a rig stud in non-stallion fencing right beside her. Well, one day he apparently got out while the mare was in heat and kicked her and apparently her eye was torn out. They got him gelded after that, but...you know, that horse should have been gelded a lot sooner. He's not breeding quality, and they don't have proper facilities to house him safely, and he was just an accident waiting to happen. I know hell would have broke loose if he'd gotten over to any of the mares at Spring Bank...