Back to basics...

Will amalgamate two lessons into one as in the chaos of last week, totally forgot to write session up, which means I will get in a muddle and forget important bits and bobs  

So getting ready for the *cough* medium outing  we have been working on the lateral work a lot, mainly as the rider needs to get the right aids in the right order at the right time to get the very clever poy to do the fancy stuff....harder than it might sound. Trainer has the patience of an absolute saint!!  

We recapped on the straightness aids (to be fair he is bloody good at being straight) which has improved medium trots and direct transitions, especially trot to halt no end. In the main we now have a square, balanced halt and the move off is coming from the back end and lifting up the shoulders, which is definitely all going in the right direction  

We did lots of transitions through the long stretchy outline, walk, trot, canter, halt, maintaining the softness through the neck before picking him up to a working frame. Weather has not been terribly kind last 2 weeks, but it has done him the world of good to work through the wind and the rain  

We went straight to canter as he is better when a bit fresher and I can get more out of him, trot he finds easy and can motor along for an entire 45 minutes if needs be. We have had to really focus on the roundness in the left canter particularly as I am very strong through my right side and always seem to block the 'forwards' with my lovely grip of death  What we have now is a much more grown up canter, with a good length of stride. We checked the self carriage periodically and as long as rider sits up, looks up and is strong through her core the rest looks really so much better.  We worked on control of the medium canter to collected canter, using the 10m circles if necesssary, but actually riding further than a long side or a long diagonal in the medium pace, to take away the anticipation of using a corner to come back to a working or collected pace.
Then we worked on lateral work in trot. Nice little exercise, if I can remember it right. Trot on left rein, down centre line, shoulder in left, change the bend, set, leg and rein then traver right...lovely for maoeverability, really got us both thinking and actually pretty good at it once I got my brain in gear  Repeated on other rein, always useful to test if one rein better than the other, but generally we are getting a good response on both  
Ran through bit and pieces of 61....shoulder in to half circles, half passes...which I am to remember that he is not a GRand Prix horse (yet) and not to ask for/expect/look to achieve a steep angle and bend. Once I got my head round what a good, acceptab;e half pass felt like for both of us, we were motoring. Remember, control the shoulders first, guide and lead with the shoulders, the quarters should never, ever lead  Marker between his ears and forwards, sideways, forwards, sideways....we shall see if it sticks  

Today we really went back to basics  
A well needed session on relaxation and softness in the neck...through the whole session  
So, are we forward, straight, responsive, equal weight in legs, seat bones, can I feel his hind legs coming through into the hoof prints of his front legs, are shoulders back and down, do I have a smile through my collar bone, are my elbows weighted, by my hips, hands forward, allowing, whip lying across my thigh????
Took time to get energy and relaxation in the walk, bigger strides not faster. How low could I get his neck in the relaxed stretch while still having activity, roundness and not diving on his shoulders? Can I keep that exact feeling in the transitions and changes of rein....my bad habit is to pull back as he looses balance sometimes through a change of rein...I must learn to keep those hands forward and drive him into the contact, not quicker, just actively. Transfered this to the canter work also....wow! So much better, balanced and taking the contact forward and down . Here my seat aids were vital....strong upper body, still hands, active leg aids:clap: 
In the trot we worked on a bigger more powerful stride, not a faster one....a quick reminder with a tap of the whip when he began to find it hard/die a little in the energy and trainer declared some of the best work she has seen from him in a long while  
He is feeling great at the moment...just really happy and powerful, so couldn't ask for more. Quick run through of test tomorrow, dy off Thursday and then final preps for a weekend of pony dancing.... Looking forward to it for the first time in a while...exam fever has been VERY stressful this year for some reason....7 day weeks are not fun over 3 month period  
Onwards little man