The Positive Training Plateau

Fiona and I have pretty much been holding steady on a our training. We've been doing mostly walk/trot work with some cantering where we can get away with it. When I say get away with it, because Fiona is having issues with bucking and kicking out when asked to canter. She never had this problem before at the beginning of her training, or if she did, it was fleeting. Perhaps she would do it once in a lesson and with one swift "get your butt moving", either with a bump to the sides of a crack on the hind end with a rope, she would give up on the idea.

Now a few things have changed, I am heavier now, almost back to my highest weight again, but trying to fight my way back down. We have been riding in a training martingale. Other than those 2 things, everything else is the same. It has been our longest, uninterrupted period of JUST riding. We've done very little desensitizing work and almost no ground work except for warm-ups, but most of the time I just saddle and get right on.

We even thought for a while that something might be physically wrong with her, but after several vet checks and a hiatus from riding at a trot or canter, she seems to be fine. Even lunging she doesn't seem quite as sore/hesitant.

So it is a little disappointing to go to the point where I can reliably tack up and mount without issue, and then get stuck where we can't canter together.

I am investigating some ways to resolve the issue, by going back to some riding fundamentals that I think we rushed through on our way to start canter work. I read Centered Riding, by Sally Swift and got taken to SCHOOL! Wow there's so much I don't know about riding properly.

So while the plateau is very frustrating, I think it will ultimately lead to better riding for us in the long run. Here's to hoping.....