So when no one is available to record your ride and you don’t have a camera stand, you have to get creative.  Since the arena shares fencing with some of the paddocks, you must also be smart in placing the camera or risk having some equine assistance with your recording efforts.  The camera was perched on a fence rail that no equine could reach, well, maybe the giraffe-necked one could, but he was working.  This was the first time I’d attempted capturing one of my rides, so I edited out much of the video that was just empty arena.  Even with what is at the link, you can play the game of “Where’s Ike?”  Now you see him, now you don’t, and now you still don’t. Oh wait, there he is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxanI39ILyg

He still looks like a gangly, young dressage prospect when he moves, but there are decent, rideable gaits in the boy.  If you were patient and watched the whole video, you did get to see Ike’s more reliable left lead canter.  If you gave up, replay it and fast forward to the last 30-40 seconds.  I will repeat – we are a work in progress.  I’m sure we could be picked apart 101 ways, but hopefully a year from now, we will see forward progress, more balance, and a steadier connection.

Today was a barn-free day.  We finally got some much-needed rain, so hopefully our ride tomorrow won’t be quite so dusty.  Any guesses on whether or not Ike will be muddy??