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# Lisa's Blog post # 15
- URL: https://www.myvirtualeventingcoach.com/lisas-blog-15/
- Published: 2011-05-04T03:32:00.000Z
- Updated: 2011-05-04T03:32:19.000Z
- Author: Administrator
- Tags: ~Lisa's Corner~, #Import 2026-01-20 00:55

We galloped today! It was a slow gallop – about the speed we would go during XC at BN – but it was so much fun!! This warm weather has taken the edge off his spunk and he was acting a little lazy so we had a refreshing canter along the drive from the road to the barn to wake him up a little. It seemed like he was thinking, “Are you *sure* we’re supposed to be doing this? You actually *want* me to do this?” He was very calm. We turned around and did it toward the road on his other lead – he did great! I can’t wait until we are cantering all over the place!

We also did very well at right lead canters! I can tell that my position is correct when he feels balanced and fluid. During our last lesson Lesley gave me 2 new tools to help me help him stay balanced. She had me move his shoulders over at the trot toward the outside of the circle as I asked for the right lead canter – that works like a charm. She also had me place my whip in my right hand positioned so I can use it on his shoulder when he falls in – that also works like a charm. Yay!

I also set up 4 trot poles to add a little variety to our lives. I have done trot poles with him a bajillion times at his other barn and he’s *never* had a hard time but today he could not get the stride right! It seems like every time I ride this horse, I encounter a new problem!! After stumbling through them a few times a brilliant thought crossed my mind! “Hey, this isn’t going well, maybe I should think about how I can fix this.” Once I steadied him with my leg a little better he hit that first pole in stride and was fine. The emotional trauma must have had an impact though because he ended up getting pretty wound up. I eventually realized we were not getting anything done so I took him to another part of the field to just trot and try to get him to relax. That didn’t work so I walked him on a loose rein for a while. He soon did relax so we went back over to where we had been working, did a few more canters – *which were awesome!* – then called it a day.

What I learned today - *don’t be dense*.

No really, I need to be a *lot* quicker to stop if something’s not going well and figure out how to fix it! It is stupid of me to be so focused on what I came to work on that day that I keep riding around thinking a problem I hadn’t counted on facing will magically work itself out. I should have fixed the trot pole problem after one bad time through it. I should have taken him for a walk as soon as he got all wound up.

One of Lesley’s quotes is “ride the horse you’re on at the moment”. I will need a lot more tools in my toolbox before I can do *that* – since Cotton so creatively comes up with new things so often! But using the ones I already have would be a step in the right direction… duh!