Trotting is fun!

            Yesterday Talana and I had a really wonderful ride. It was terribly hot - almost 80 degrees! Oh my, almost Virginia weather! - and neither of us really wanted to work too hard. So we did some nice walking over poles and some figure eights and serpentines. And I thought we would trot around just a little bit, because I want to keep practicing that. I have definitely been getting better at balancing while we trot, and I've been doing better at holding the reins usefully instead of forgetting to keep contact with them while I'm focused on staying attached to her back. Well, I made a big breakthrough yesterday.
            Our first little bit of trotting went fine. She moved out when I asked, I kept aware of the reins throughout, she didn't pull her head down, and I didn't bounce around much. She slowed and halted when I asked. And I noticed something.
            As I sat back for the halt and gently squeezed the reins, we slowed. And in between the original trotting speed and the actual halt there were a couple of steps of a much different trot. I have observed this a few times now. I have been thinking, "How can I get that movement, only on purpose?" Because it is much smoother and "floatier" than the trot she has been giving me. This time, as I felt it happen, I realized just what is going on here. She's giving that nice movement in response to my seat - as I sit back a bit more, I am balanced differently. I am more settled. Somehow, that must make it easier for her to move nicely, and since she'd surely rather move nicely, she does. So I get two steps of lovely trot just as she's slowing for the halt that I've asked for.
            Well! I thought, That's an easy thing to fix then! So we turned around and trotted back the other direction, only this time I sat back just a tad from what I'd been doing. It felt so nice and comfortable, and made all the world of difference for both of us. Talana seemed to really like it better, and stayed focused on me the whole time. It was an easy fix after all! I am so happy. After that excellent trot, I decided we were done trotting for the day. No point punishing a good deed in that hot sun by doing it again. Instead of trotting some more, we stood for a minute to take a break.
           The other thing we did was go walk around the yard, outside the fence. Talana was very curious about all the stuff out there - cars going by, trees, lilacs, apples on the ground - yet she listened to me very well. After maybe three or five minutes of walking around the yard, we went back to the fence and quit for the day. I gave Talana the biggest apple I could find from our trees, and she spent the afternoon relaxing under her tent.
            Now we have a new toy to play with. Today my bareback pad arrived in the mail, and we are going to try it out soon! No more sore seat bones for me, no more grumpy Talana when I accidentally bounce around on her back too much (or ride around for a long time, which we haven't actually done yet).