All Dressage And No Jumping Makes Dino A Cranky Pony

Dressaging is the worst. Plz to run & jump. 

Dino's and my cabin fever have hit an all-time high at this point in the winter. While I am incredibly thankful to have been able to ride nearly all the way through the winter this year, both Dino and I are totally over this whole routine of only walking at home, almost no jumping, and having to travel just to do flatwork. We're both starting to get grumpy and antsy for more exciting activities. 

On Saturday we had a chill stroll around the farm in the mud to de-tune from Friday's tough lesson, and then Sunday presented us with the opportunity to hack over to our neighbor's small but partially-thawed outdoor arena. Dino and I have been there several times before, but this was the first time we hacked there by ourselves, which he found a bit overwhelming. EuroPony was giving googly eyeballs to every tree and shrub, but I think it was a good trust-building exercise to ride out so far by ourselves. 

The fact that I then asked him to do actual work once we got there put him at his tipping point, and homeboy was CRANKY. 

It took quite a while to ride him through all of his tension, and my requests for him to use his inside hind leg a bit more and/or canter were met with bucking. 

Working: So Offensive

Eventually I got him to be through and soft in the trot (achieved through not nagging, and giving him the bit) and we had some decent (read: not hideous) canters. Once Dino settled mentally and put in some good effort, I let him be done and we headed back home. 

Hopefully we only have a few more of these types of rides to get through before things start warming up and drying out, and the running & jumping can resume!