excellent weekend

saturday was riding - lunchtime, as i was going out in the evening.  he was good, no issues, and we were doing walk/trot/walk transitions and i was concentrating on ensuring he was off my leg... think i've sorted the leg position (i used to have it a shade far back to be truly effective)

was reminded of this point in the evening. Stephanie came down from Scotland and we went to an evening lecture given by Sylvia Loch.  The point that reminded me of my issue with leg position, was in relation to the horse's nerves directly under where the leg should be

interesting ... some of the photos she used to illustrate her lecture were ones i had seen before in a book I have had for many years... but i remember the writer of that book specifically criticising the positions shown (as indeed was SL) but SL said that one of them the writer said was correct......unless it has been used in more than one book? entirely possible, i suppose.....

shame about the food - buffet - soup, gorgeous, with excellent tasty proper bread.  sandwiches? made with bog standard Mother's Pride type bread, horrid. we ended up in Macdonalds on the way home  .....

yesterday, went to Cragside - was on S's way home, she hadn't been, so a good day was had, and we ate there as well.

today, longlined round the 20 acre. That was a first; last few times i tried to do that - about 18 months ago? he point blank wouldn't go beyond the entrance to the mare's field, so i'd given up trying to longline out.  today, no hesitation.  he wasn't even phased by the small group of sheep we met at the entrance to the 20 acre, who shouldn't have been there... he carried on walking and they got out of the way!  That's confidence building for both of us. very pleased.

and the weather has been excellent all weekend, which is most unusual for a UK Bank holiday weekend.

back to the normal tomorrow!