Under Saddle

I have decided to go ahead and start Olivia under saddle. She is back to full health and is thriving in her environment so I thought the time was perfect. We have been working on very small things: steering, moving forward, and understanding leg aids. She catches on quickly. Her steering has improved greatly and she moves off my leg nicely. Carrying a dressage whip has greatly improved our forward movement. I'm not sure what it is about it, but just having it in hand (or even tucked under my armpit) keeps her moving right along. We last about 15-20 minutes and then we call it quits. Nothing too strenuous and only keeping it at a walk/trot level. We've been doing this about 2-3 times a week when the weather permits. It's an amazing feeling to be on my own horse!!!