Lovely Monday morning, alone with F. and Milha in the large indoor arena. I enjoy those sessions that we have with F. ,Milha and Pacha. Tranquil work, a few comments/advices from me to F. who makes excellent progress, as well as Milha. They now trot on horizontal placer, on the bit, in cadence. No resistances from Milha. Her temper has also been improved regarding her seasons, with a homeopathic medicine - which I must admit to my surprise seems to work very well.
During these sessions, I work Pacha at the three gaits, aiming at complete relaxation, head down on extended neck and regular, slow cadence. When he reaches that point, I ask him shoulder-ins at walk and trot. He improves by the week on it. A few halts in between to try and get them square which is not quite the case yet. He has a tendency to 'sway' on his quarters at halt, which puts one hind leg aside. Transitions from trot to halt seems to help improving this, by beginning to require more engagement from him.
Well, nothing spectacular, yet a lot of pleasure. Simple work with a young horse is quite rewarding, certainly more than the performance of some riders whom I can see sometimes, struggling to get a Passage or Piaffer from an expensive horse, well schooled but too sharp for them...Possessing a Stradivarius is fine, provided you are a violon virtuoso!. As General L'Hotte said in 'Questions Equestres' about the horse Ourphaly and his Passage:
'Better than this automatic passage, that false strides so often still spoil, and where the rider, jolted about loses all grace, the natural trot, 'écouté' and free, will delight the genuine horseman...'
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