Inside Flexion Is My Friend

I think I've figured out how to get Cisco to stop gawking into the scary end. Inside flexion makes a big difference.

I know that this is not mind-blowing information to anyone who has ridden a while. If they're spooking in the corner, bend them away from what they want to look at and think shoulder-in past the scary object. A very established method of dealing with spooking.

The mosquitos have come out and they are horrendous. The little black specks above their necks - mosquitos.

The last few rides have had just two focuses. One - I set the pace and rhythm. Not Cisco. And two - I expect inside flexion through turns and any other time that I ask.

Just to be clear - by inside flexion, I just want his head facing the direction that we are going. No more going around corners with his head pulled to the outside. No more gawking into the corners looking for the birds of death.

These two things have made a positive difference. We are able to get further into the scary end, even though when we pass B or E on the side of the arena he is already staring at the end looking for the pigeon. So now I'm working on asking for a bit of inside flexion on the straight lines before we actually get to the end.

Those red circles? All mosquitos.

It hasn't solved our problems with that end - at one point we were almost all the way around the scary end, and he was being really good so I softened my reins. He immediately cranked his head to the outside and stalled out while he gawked - squirrel!

So I think that will be our focus for the next few rides. Slow down and bend in. Simple, right?