being sociable

Well it's a wee bit of a busy period in our social calendar right now (lol, usually we try hard to be unsociable and enjoy our peace) and I've ticked off traditional French lunch (well a couple of Brit twists to keep the Frenchies on their toes) for ten when we entertained our friends from our old place, tomorrow it's a Far Eastern delight for six and we round off with a barbie for some mates on Saturday. Hence blogging is taking a back seat to working the boys and cooking. I'm rather bereft of 'photos at the moment, having lost most of them on the hard drive (thank goodness for blogger and youtube) but here are a couple of shots from yesterday's lunge.....and yes he does turn himself inside out like that, even with no contact, no side reins and no bit.

Today I rode and he was a joy. In line with my thoughts on working with what I have, see previous post, I walked around on washing lines to start. Lucky for me he just keeps walking, no need for leg to keep him going, so I let him take himself along. He chose the track and even took the corners (interestingly he actually went a fair way into them which gives me a really good idea how far further I can ask him) and then we worked on some halts using a slightly opposing seat. It was a great opportunity to suss me out too, was I stiff, where? etc.

We eventually went forward to trot and just worked on a slowing down by voice and the same opposing seat as in the halt transition. Worked on slowing the trot with slowing the rising and then back to some walk lateral work. Shoulder-in/travers alternating on a large circle and incredibly he didn't chuck one of his toys out of the pram, phew. So forwards to the same exercise in trot and he was very 'up' for it, a little curled back but his back was strong and up so I'll forgive that for now. Finished with some shoulder-in up the 3/4 line into a half pass back to the track and he was just the best he's been, probably ever, again that slight curl back but good bend and energy. Just what I needed to punctuate the cooking.

slowly , slowly

Weather was a bonus today as rain was forecast but didn't arrive until tonight.

A *thank you* to Claire for reminding me of the reverse pirouette last night, basically the same as the giravolta but with outside bend as I'd been meaning to try this with the giravolta, opposites always seeming to work. Thanks due to Vicky too (or maybe Mike) as their work at the weekend inspired me to move on to more lateral work in the walk whilst I patiently wait for the trot to come right.

Anything new always *freaks* Moo but at least I now have some *mantras* in place to relax him again (turning with no reins, halting and rein back from the voice and clicker). We have worked on travers /half pass before but it always got him so tight that all the benefits were outweighed by the tensions in his head/ neck. Today after a couple of leg yields along the fence I asked for a couple of steps with the bend changed to travers and after a couple of attempts he was really getting it. I remember an exercise that I used to ride with an old trainer, Inger, where to start the half pass work we rode along the diagonal with the bend for half pass but not in the travers position. Then after a couple of diagonals ridden this way start to put in some steps of travers to add to the bend...this gives a half pass that always thinks and looks forwards instead of a leg yield with the bend changed (oh yes I've seen it trained that way too, eek)

Trot work we used the lifted hand again if he started to lean on my hand and if I keep the trot tempo slow then he can cope with about two large circles before getting too fizzy....slowly, slowly I MUST not be impatient with this, it will come (I hope).

Went back to finish in walk and tried the reverse pirouette, oooh hard work for him and I will work on this in-hand as well but at least he didn't chuck his toys out.

So good and bad as always...some snatching at the bit which hurts my back so I have to find a way round that but he is so flexible that lateral work with him is a joy. Must do some work with the Midget tomorrow.

Final thanks to Mandeigh for joining us on here and in honour a 'pic of Fidge in a montage that Patrick did for an exam about 6 years ago.