In hand work

Yay and wonder, we have reached the end of our stall rest journey with an all clear to return to work. Now it is just some rehab-type work to build the muscles back, etc. etc. All good things.

One activity we did pick up over the course of the stall rest (other than OHMIGOD LEMME GRAZE I’M STARVING) was some work in hand.

I took a lesson with a local trainer who studies horse and human biomechanics. She has watched him under saddle before, and then she watched him trot down the straight side. He’s long had some hip issues that I’ve been dealing with, and she saw that as he walked he would dip his right hip (correct) but not dip his left hip (not correct), which was translating to stiffness throughout.

In short, our homework has been getting him to bring his left hind under himself when he’s working. We’ve been walking in small circles bent to the inside (of course). Then I use the handle end of a dressage whip like a leg aid with light touches on his side as he starts to lift the inside hind. Lots of halts are added in the mix to ensure he stays balanced and focused. The challenge for him is not swing his hindquarters out when he stops.

Then we try the same down the long side in a shoulder-in type movement. He has a tendency to fall on the forehand, and this exercise has given me a new level of understanding of the mechanics of it. In hand, you can see him start to speed up and lose his breaks. Part of this work is to challenge him to be more cautious and slow down. The focus is less on the speed on the walk and more about him recognizing how to balance himself and use his hind end.

First he did this: 

Then some of this while I took some photos for my friend:

Rubbing it in (literally) to his buddy that he's not working

We'll be getting his massage therapist back into the loop too.

Now, onto first rides.