Milha - march 9, 2009

Glad to resume riding after a three-week break. I often felt that I am addicted to riding and that my body needs it! Large arena, empty. Fair temperature 10°C. Milha is having her first seasons of the year, but rather mild. Her diet has been substantially reduced (pellets reduced by 50% replaced by hay). She was clearly overfed...Soft, rubber rod snaffle. No reining, no spurs, no whip. Good walk, with impulsion but head high. I asked for lightness on circles, with hands at varied levels and lateral flexions. Very little leg aid. Got a beginning of yielding at the poll with head high. Trot session started rather slowly. I felt no restiveness, but as I did not want to use strong legs, I put her forward very progressively at posting trot. High sensitivity to hands. After 5' she gave me a nice, forward and energetic trot. I could increase strides seamlessly, without resistance, equally on the two hands. Then at sitting trot, she remained on the bit, and I was pleased to see that she gave some descente d'encolure without changing the tension of the reins, nor trying to pull my arms. We carried on at sitting trot during 15', with changes of directions, but no two-tracks work, as advised by S. At the end she was really relaxed and mellow, with a good cadence and horizontal placer. I was quite pleased to see that the improvement diagnosed and triggered by S. had not been lost. F. has been good at maintaining it!
We went back to stables, dry and happy.