"I wanted to share a big win today from my ride with Gunner. I did some extra no-stirrups canter transitions with him and I was so proud of us! For him, his canter transitions are getting much more fluid and responsive.
For me, I was amazed how much my balance and confidence have improved! I did several laps of a large indoor arena on both canter leads with him, no stirrups.
The whole time I felt glued to the saddle. I could feel my entire legs working, from my ankles to my inner thighs, but boy was it worth it!
I felt so safe and secure.
I actually got a couple strides of gallop initially on my right lead canter departure, and I think the biggest win of all was that this didn't deter me at all!
I brought him back to a controlled canter and instead of being afraid, I was pleasantly surprised to find my default thought during that was, "Huh, this must be what it feels like to ride a racehorse! Cool!"