Liar, liar

.....pants are on fire, as my daughter would say. Well that's what horses do to you.
Spent last night fed up that he had almost taken a step backwards and then this morning. Different horse, balance back, concentrating, not one fizzy moment and could even shorten and lengthen the trot a little. Hope to be ride at the weekend if the back just loosens up a bit.

So, either he feels sorry for me and has decided to tow the line or it is finally sinking in. I was wondering too about what Claire said about physio but after seeing him this morning I'm not concerned.

I do think that he has formed a bond with the other two and doesn't like them out in the field while he works. This morning we worked early and they were all in and he seemed less stressed. I'll monitor it for a week or so.

Been to the timber yard yet again this morning and saw this on their notice board, I shan't translate as I know Claire likes to practice, lol but being by a well known American writer I guess the original will be out there anyway.

L'essentiel, en ce monde, n'est pas l'endroit où nous sommes, mais la direction dans laquelle nous marchons. Oliver Wendell Holmes

time

So how much time does it, should it take? He's not a baby but Moo is still finding the right canter tricky on the lunge. Bucks and farts and even manages all four feet off the ground (no mean feat for his podginess) and generally just finds it hard to go straight forwards. After lots of transitions and spirals he improves, bit of clicking for the good transitions always gets him more focussed too.
I'm glad I'm writing all this up because the day I say...yay the canter is THERE I can look back and see how hard it's been, lol.
The last WB I owned was a baby but he could ride a canter circle from almost day one, in relatively good uphill balance. On the other hand my Friesian found it incredibly hard for ages but got there in the end.
So, back to *time*....the book's open, any bets as to how long? You can have evens on it taking more than a year!!!
Lovely sunny day today, feel very lucky as so many folks in the UK have had it quite rough.

only one.....

...day without work since the beginning of the year. It's really showing too, Moo has really slimmed down and his balance has improved. Watching him on the lunge this morning he just makes me smile. Just wish I hadn't taken so long to get round to this.
Lydia had a lovely canter up the track, that pone is just so accomodating.
Sunshine maybe over tomorrow so they'll be out as long as possible to take full advantage.

Deuxième partie

Just had to add a second part to today.....Chapiro had his first outing in the school this evening and he was a little star. Walked calmly down, had a snort at the leveller and then walked around the track on both reins. Walked away from me onto a circle in both directions and let me tickle him all over with the lunge whip. Good end to the day.

chainsaw massacre

OK a little dramatic but next door neighbours are gardening by chainsaw and digger today. Well actually they are putting in a bit of extra parking which requires clearing a few trees.
So Moo was pretty good in the school considering. Good in hand preparation, bit spicy on the lunge but he is getting stronger and the right canter has definitely improved. Finished with twenty minutes on board, he wasn't particularly *calm* but under the circumstances I reckon he was an angel.
Note to self, ride between 12.00 and 2.00 the French being French always take two hours for lunch. Then again maybe the digging will be done by tomorrow....see, I'm ever the optimist.

Gorgeous day today, fab for picture taking, except mine being broken I can't. Think it's going to be the Canon powershot cheapy, easy to use for a camera dunce like me.

Music for muckers

I can't do housework without it and yard work's the same. This week Lydia and I are listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers....really gets you motivated, lol.

Ah well the weather broke, not in two but in to rain. Still mild but wet which has me wondering, not for the first time this winter, why I don't rug them. I suppose they went in the bin with the shoes, polo bandages and matching saddle pads.

Good work in-hand for Moo and I found that after the bit raising and flexions that if I progressed to the moving flexions that it helped him mouth and swallow better if I massaged into his neck with my fist, literally *finding* the tightness and helping release it. This massaging was much lower in his neck than the vids I showed before (just behind the poll). I think that somewhere on the pooter I have a copy of Thomas Ritter's article on flexions (thanks Claire) and I may need to read this again. Also did lots of front leg raises, which he now loves, to help loosen the shoulders.

Finished the day with Lydia doing her Flicker inspired bareback stuff :-)

the church of equitation

Awaking at 6.00am I fed and hayed with a little lightness in my step.....yay the back was much better and the stars twinkling in a dark sky. It's still really mild here and by 8.00am the sun was shining and just begging me to get out and play.
Took Moo into the school, very calm on the lunge and instant relaxing in the bit work. So I hopped on (well tbh it wasn't so much of a hop due to the back still being a little tight) and he was calm and relaxed. We worked on a very long rein to start, just riding voltes and turns, only allowing ourselves a few strides on a straight line before turning again. Couldn't use my back properly but he seemed to make allowances for me.
Encouraged by the long neck and stretching we went onto some reverse shoulder-in trying hard not to use any rein apart from keeping a light flexion. As the sun shone on the fence it obligingly threw a shadow onto the three quarter line which we used to good effect. As I've previously said, Moo gets very tight on the left shoulder-in and this results in him curling back, so using the lovely shadow on the 3/4 line I rode the shoulder-in away from the fence. Wow, what a difference and he actually stretched into some contact rather than screwing himself up into a ball.
Worked on the exercises that we did on Friday (reverse pirouette/turn about the haunches etc) and it is brilliant. I'll have to get some video sorted.
Finished with a little trot which was great until he over cooked!! Tried some reinback to trot which I think helped his balance in the transition. I'm thinking when my back is properly better that perhaps I should start with some trot work and then go back to the walk??? We'll see.

Anyway, thanks for the offer of help Di, very grateful to have a mate if needed. Also should say *hello* to English Rider who has become a follower, welcome and remember to comment some time!!