Coquin - january 13, 2009

After my session with Milha, I met Coquin's owner. She had seen the end of Milha's session and told me she thought Milha looked fine (very kind of her!) ; she also offered me to ride Coquin in the afternoon, which I happily accepted. I had not riddenCoquin for quite a while, and was very pleased of an opportunity to test B's method I had described in an earlier post. Very good start at walk. I found Coquin quite supple, with beautiful, light shoulder-ins, haunches in and out. The sequence on the middle-line of half-pass and leg-yield with same bend was great. Then posting trot session. I may have gone astray from B's method, because I indulged in probably too vigourous forwardness request. Coquin did give me quite good 'grand trot', but I lost him a bit when I asked him to slow down almost to walk. I did not succeed to get these lovely smooth speed variations that B gets. Small disorders also occurred in head carriage that do not happen with B. And I was not able to achieve haunches in and out at trot on circles in calm...Quite a disappointment. Canter session hopefully was OK, albeit with a lower head placer than I had wished.
Today was probably not my day altogether! Although I must reckon that B is a really outstanding rider, and that probably I am just unable to do what he does. Horsemanship is a school for modesty, I know...but I shall try again on the next occasion I ride Coquin!