Finding the Right Button

Those of you who follow me on Instagram ( @equestrianmama ) already know that I've found Curtis button to the left lead. I spend hours the other night watching Youtube videos and one guy said just go in the corner and ask for a canter. Not a lead, just sit back and kiss and they'll do it themselves. Didn't work. Right lead right lead right lead. Making him do a flying change after he gets the right was making him really hot and half the time he'd only change in front and it's too hard for me to tell from the saddle, so not a technique I want to be stuck using. I tried counter bending to the right at his neck and kicking him over into it with my right leg. This is still the magic trick sometimes for Twister when he is being stubborn. But it just made Curtis hot.

Then I saw someone mention leg yielding into it. So I asked him to get a decent trot and leg yielded left. His neck went a little right but not so much as I have to with Twister. I sat down and KICKED with that right leg and kissed and BAM. He got it 2 out of 3 times. Not bad at all. I'll take it.

I haven't decided who I'm going to ride Sunday in the hunter pace yet. If it's Curtis I want to work his butt off tomorrow so he has today off and we can try our new trick again tomorrow. I'm going to ride Twister tonight because he had shoes put back on. He felt pretty good Wednesday night walk trot but didn't really want to canter. So I've continued to paint his feet and his got another gram of bute and I'm hoping he gets all beastly tonight when I get on to ride. It's supposed to rain all day Sunday and I'm not so gung ho about taking the greenie out in the rain on wet grass while barefoot.......

Part of me says I should just ride Curtis now that I've been galloping him and pumped myself up for it. But I know I would be more at ease on Twister. There will be lots of things for Curtis and I to do, starting with our dressage show in November and all next year.

never holding for the farrier again lol