excellent lesson

i half thought i might end up cancelling lesson - Sooty kitten got stuck in a very tall unclimbable conifer Sunday night and by yesterday evening was right at the very top being blown about and hanging on in there, and there was a good possibility that the fire brigade might have had to come get him. happily he came down this morning, phew.  and now knows how to get down again and will have learnt a lot.  none the worse for his adventure, i don't think, but he smelt nicely of conifer!

so lesson went ahead as planned, albeit RI was unconvinced by my telling her it wasn't raining at mine - it was teeming down at hers, 30 miles south!  but we timed it well, rain didn't start until after we'd finished and i got vaguely damp turning M out again...

so, the lesson.

RI was very pleased at both his and my improvement. I was pleased she thought so as we haven't done a huge amount since last lesson, given the time of year/dark nights/weather/ name the winter excuse!  but as she said, a little can go a long way.

i didn't want to bother with trot, due to the high winds, and the mares occasionally hoolying about in next field, didn't want to risk winding teh boy up. so we worked on transitions within the walk, flexing right and left, trying to feel for LY and SI (i'm not good at either, but no doubt we'll get there!).

The only real mistake i made was putting too thin a pair of gloves on, so we stopped the ridden work after about 35/40 minutes and i went and got the lunge line etc and my warmer gloves.  Have had a massive issue with M not lunging for me.

It transpires that i'm actually protecting bits of my own body (shoulders and wrists). to get to be high energy enough to get him to lunge for me, i have to strain them more than is good for them.

So we'll do as before, leave the lunging to Gaynor.  Such a shame, as lunging is so useful and i can lunge any other horse.... just not my own.

hey ho.

but you should have seen him - letting off steam big time, full pelt and bucking all the way!  then back to me, barely moving!

so all round happy with it, and then when i turned him out again he went fly bucking up the field to his mates...