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Ugh

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Some rides just suck, and I hate that. It's especially bad when it feels like an old problem creeping back into the routine. Tonight felt like the canter of 2011 was back -- not round, not rhythmic, not forward, not good. As a result, I rode longer than I intended (a full hour, with a good portion at the canter).

I could blame it on the indoor arena, which has inherent difficulties. Gadget is less forward inside and he is a bit tentative on the footing because its not completely stable.  However, I think this was more than our location. Gadget was stuck and it was just harder to work through in the indoor.

Tomorrow is a new day, and I'll try again outside. I just re-watched clips from past clinics -- the good and the bad, to try to remember how to fix this canter. Plan for tomorrow is to stretch and supple him until he feels like a rubber band. Then, we'll yeehaw the canter back into shape. I think nearly all of our issues stem from a lack of forward.

I need to remember that I am aiming for progress, not perfection.

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