Thursday morning I moved Hans over to the show grounds at Tryon International Equestrian Center. This can be a little stressful–Hans has not shown a lot and can get insecure in new places, which means a LOT of screaming! Fortunately, he kept the screaming mostly in check, for which my ear drums were grateful.
Hans was VERY on his toes for my ride with JJ, as is typical for him. We focused on basic loosening exercises again and keeping his attention on me. There is a LOT to look at, and Hans is easily distracted, so we used lots of lateral exercises and transitions to keep directing his focus back to me.
I am not showing until Saturday, so the plan is another lesson tomorrow afternoon (I will also do a light ride in the morning first–Hans does much better with a light early work when he has no turnout). JJ is unable to warm me up for my tests Saturday or Sunday–she needs to ride her horses at home Saturday morning and is actually in my class on Sunday–so my other coach, Jeremy Steinberg, will warm me up.
