Today was a busy, somewhat hectic day, but one that was completely enjoyable! Steve, the farrier came to trim all ten horses, plus two that were brought by a friend. The neighbor with her young charges came over so the littles could see what trimming a horse's hooves looked like. Then it was on to the arena for a dressage lesson from Pam Larson. Three of us were taking individual lessons. Mine was on my little horse Downie - a very green pony who is all of 13 H 3". We have not yet introduced canter under saddle, but under saddle, Downie has a nice, over-tracking walk, and a decent trot, though you wouldn't call either gait exceptional.
After my lesson I showed Pam a video I had taken of Downie in the pasture. In the video the little mare was all riled up by a flock of wild turkeys and the neighbor's cattle, who had just been turned into the neighboring pasture. Pam exclaimed at how uphill Downie's trot and canter were....something you don't see under saddle. She reminded me how important it is to watch our horses running free, when we get to see their purest gaits. It lets us know what they are capable of (or not capable of). It's up to us to use that informaiton to guide their training, and to be ready to recognize those brilliant gaits when the horse does offer them under saddle. Gustav Steinbrecht, in "Gymnasium of the Horse" was a strong proponent of this practice of fully evaluating the horse at play in order to recognize the horse's strengths and shortcomings.
How wonderful! She looks amazing!