Pacha - january 16, 2009

Good overall session in the indoor arena. Pacha unrolled himself quite nicely at trot, with good, elastic extended trot in horizontal placer. It seems that the patient work at slow sitting trot with many circles and figures is paying off. It focuses his attention, and relaxes him away from hasty, jerked gaits, bringing instead calmness and regularity. At the end of the session, I tried to tackle the 'scary spots' issue according to Beudant's recommendations that I had just re-read: 'Let the horse believe that one requests nothing from him, and get him used in this fashion to be led, without him realizing it'. So I walked him towards the banners and the corners he disliked, with no reaction from me when he hesitated or tried to walk away. I just let him do it, but patiently coming back again and again after circles and figures leisurely drawn across the whole arena, with occasional haunches in and out, and shoulder-fore. I was probably lucky, but it worked beautifully and after a good 30' of this game, I could even keep him at halt right in the two corners he dislikes...Made me feel good!
Incidentally, I know few Masters who wrote in details about restiveness, fears and defences. Beudant , who had to deal mostly with sub-standard quality/'rehab' horses provides extensive developments on these issues - an additional reason for paying tribute to the 'écuyer mirobolant', whose books 'Main sans jambes' and 'Exterieur et Haute Ecole' should be in every horseman's library!