So. Much. Progress!
I am blown away. Having to rehab Camaro's knee, and everything that has gone along with that (like putting him on Legend) has made a huge difference in our riding.
Once we added in short canters up the long side of the arena, Camaro's trot got much more energetic. Not in an uncontrolled way, just in a "I have so much forward!" kind of way. So we've been working on rolling that energy from the hind end onto the bit and around again in an endless circle of impulsion. Sometimes it's good, sometimes he wants to drop his back, lift his head and just go go go. When he does stay in good contact, and lift his back, it's an amazing new level of trot for him.
In the process of trying to contain our canter to just on the long side and not into any corners, I had to shorten the number of trot steps between walking through the corner and asking for the canter. After a couple of rides with canter sets, Camaro surprised me with the ability to canter directly from a walk. A beautiful, balanced transition. Honestly, probably the best canter transition we'd ever done. So we now alternate canter from trot and canter from walk, so as he doesn't anticipate too much rather than paying attention to his rider (me).
And then, came a string of rides in which we had to deal with tension and distractibility. For some reason, Camaro gets really worked up when he hears other horses trotting on the cement in the aisle that is on the other side of the interior arena wall. Not that there's much trotting going on over there. But when there is, it's like the Apocalypse has arrived and Death is coming for him, or something. Of course, the young Arab gelding that hates being cooped up pulled a suspensory (yet to be diagnosed) and had several days of being trotted down the aisle while morning turnouts were going on to see if he was still normal at a walk but oddly off at the trot. And when that unofficial lameness test was going on, Camaro would lose his shit brain and I would have to drop what we were doing and concentrate on doing things that would get his head back in the arena with me rather than worrying about the bogeyman and/or four horses of the Apocalypse out in the aisle.
Not to mention the day a student of the barn owner trailered in for a lameness exam with the BO's vet. A day that included longeing in the arena (while Camaro and I were riding in there) plus LOTS of trotting on the cement aisle. Tons of trotting because the horse was being nerve blocked to pinpoint the source of it's lameness. That day I actually had to get off Camaro because he was getting himself worked up to the point where explosion was imminent, and proceed to hand walk him for ten minutes before he calmed down enough to get back on and finish our ride -- at a walk, focusing solely on getting him to relax and lower his head and swing through his back. *Sigh*
Frustrating, to be sure. But, in hindsight, that spell was also progress inducing. He has become, over the last few weeks, easier to get back into focus when there's distractions happening on the other side of the wall (or the scary door). When his brain starts to wander, changing direction, or asking for some steps of leg yield--or throwing in a random large circle, which we got vet approval to do--brings him back to what he and I are doing rather than worrying about potential doom lurking out of sight.
I also realized, during that time, that I'd let my posture slip and wasn't always stretching up through my ribcage and engaging my core muscles like I should. Like magic, when I engaged my core and stretched myself up, Camaro responded by likewise engaging his core and lifting his back and not being quite such an airhead Arab. Head smack moment, but one of those things that happens when you ride by yourself and don't take lessons regularly.
This month, I consulted with the vet (while she chiro'ed him) about the next steps in his rehab as, to me, he felt very good and strong and wanting to do more than just straight line trots and canters. We have been cleared to slowly resume all normal work!
Which means we've been adding in more walk circles, more leg yield at walk, some shoulder in at walk, trotting and cantering through corners, building up to an entire lap of the arena at trot or canter, and even short rides at walk in the deeper footing of the outdoor arena. We've even ridden three days in a row and four days a week with no sign of any pain, weakness, or instability in that left knee. Hooray! Dare I say he's healed?
His canter, which historically seemed to be his least balanced gait, has become quite soft and balanced. And so much more relaxed than it's ever been. I truly think he's found an enjoyment of the canter. I can't wait to see what this summer brings for us.
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