End of the Year Analysis

I set a few goals for Calvin and I to accomplish in 2015. This year has been a huge year of change for me personally, more than I expected from the get-go. However, with change comes positive growth and I'm really happy to be standing here at the end of the year looking back at all we accomplished.

Here are the goals set forth Jan 2015:

Goal 1: Finding our motor--impulsion (check!)

Check! Calvin is much more responsive to leg/seat aids. This is one of those "never stop working on it" goals. Not only have we found the motor, but we've been practicing transitions to help fine-tune the stop/go pedal.  

Goal 2: Straightness, straightness, straightness! (check!)

The amount of times Calvin has shoved my leg into the railing has greatly decreased. Since he's growing up, he's learning to be less wiggly under saddle and stay straight.

Goal 3: Building a solid top line (check!)

Calvin really learned to travel long and low, indicating a stronger back. He's really filled out due to both maturity and the amount of work done under saddle. 

Goal 4: Beginning Piaffe 

This was a goal I pushed back for a few reasons. First, I honestly didn't ride him enough this year to feel comfortable teaching him this advanced move, perhaps if I was able to ride 4 days a week this could have happened. Also, his brain just doesn't seem quite there yet to handle the bit of frustration of learning the piaffe, I'll push this into mid-year 2016, with the hopes of having a basic piaffe by the end of 2016 :) 

Overall I'm really happy with our progress. His brain "falls out" less often and he starts to act more like a grown horse and less like a baby. That being said, he's still definitely a baby and I can't fault him for doing baby things like spooking, being wiggly, etc. When I think to my past and all that I did with my previous four year old horses, I'm so happy to be going slow with Calvin. He's super responsive, sensitive, and happy with his "job" of being a dressage horse and that's really all I wanted.