Eole - february 19, 2009

Cold weather (0°C). Open outdoor arena. Lot of noise with a pump engine running a few meters away from the arena. We were two riders with the coach. Eole behaved very well in spite of these rather adverse conditions. Although a bit tense at the beginning, he concentrated and took less attention to the noise. Good walk session, with lateral flexions and descente d'encolure to get relaxation and calmness rather than over excitation. Trot was energetic and in lightness, with smooth shoulder-ins and then half-pass on the large diagonal with counter-change in the middle. Eole responded very well, without resistance and a nice froth lipstick. Slightly less easy on left hand, where regularity was not always there, but improved markedly as the exercise progressed.
As the noise persisted, our coach decided that it was safer to go back into the indoor arena for the canter session. We worked leg yield with bend at canter like this: cantering on left lead take the long diagonal in F with a slight outer bend (right eye visible) and leg yield to the outer (right) leg. In X straighten up the horse and do the symmetrical exercise towards M and continue cantering straight until meeting F again. Then do the exercise on the right lead on HXK.
Eole did very well. At the first attempt, the outer leg needed to be rather backwards, but then it could be closer towards girth. No resistance nor defence from him, which I was pleased since Eole is quite sensitive to isolated leg when exerted rather far back.
We went back to stables rather tired both of us, but in good spirits. This has been an interesting and fulfilling session.