First Dressage Lesson with Luke

Today was my first dressage lesson with Luke. I was so excited! I rode Luke at Upper Pond on Tuesday after work. And we had a great ride in the arena. I rode inside for about 30 minutes. Luke and I are working together better and better each time. Though I'm riding "English" I haven't been messing with Luke's head set, which is quite low from his Western Pleasure training. I wanted to wait and switch him over to a regular snaffle bit before asking him to pick his head up for dressage work as I've been riding him with a shanked bit. A short shank but a shank nonetheless. I don't want to confuse Luke or mess up any of Kyle's good training. And I think the difference in the feel of rein cues from a shanked bit to a snaffle will help with that. And Luke has previous dressage training.

Anyway, after riding in the ring on Tuesday, I took him out for a short trail ride. Last week when I did this, he was a bit balky about leaving the barn area. This is not like him but he seems to really enjoy being around so many other horses. So, I grabbed a crop to help with persuading him that trail riding was good, hanging around the barn was bad. At the first sign of hesitation, I only had to give him one light tap on the rump to let him know I had a crop and that was the end of his silliness and he was his good old trail riding self again.

So today, I tested Luke's patience by trying to get my English bridle to fit him. I punched more holes in it and took off the brow band and replaced it with a larger one off a mule bridle but it was still just a little bit too snug on him. About the 5th time I put it on him he was starting to give me some major mulie stink eye but Luke being Luke, he sucked it up and put up with it all.

When Mary, the instructor arrived and met Luke, she was very impressed with him. We had a wonderful lesson. Luke is so willing to do what you ask of him and he truly is a lovely mover. Mary was impressed with this also. She was not convinced his mother was a Percheron, she thinks he looks and moves like a Thoroughbred. I agree with her about his looks and movement. But, he really has a classic wonderful draft horse disposition.

I'm very much looking forward to my 2nd lesson next week.