Eole - july 16, 2009

Large indoor arena, very busy with five riders exercising dressage. I had in my mind the beautiful images of a marvellous video showing Nuno Oliveira working with Listao in a corner of a small arena, and I was determined to try applying some of it at the end of the session. Eole was fine in the warming-up exercises at walk and trot. I asked him a few jaw relaxations with the snaffle on elevated neck, to continue working against his tendency to be behind the vertical. He responded well with good mobility of the mouth. Then, canter work went well, but again he was a little too 'curled' in the neck. The coach pointed also at one of my defects which showed more than usual this morning, namely not releasing the inside rein enough in voltes or in Shoulder-In. I worked on these issues in two ways:
-by asking transition at canter on the large side from slow to strong working canter, which pushed him forward and stretched his neck,
- and taking great attention on circles and spirals to keep the inside reins almost slack. The outcome was quite positive and his placer became correct, with neck nicely elevated, well in front and arched, and nose slightly before the vertical. Lightness was there with bright white lipstick. Then, I tried one of the Mestre's exercise, i.e. slow canter on a very small circle ( 2m diameter) in one corner. Eole produced a beautiful collected canter at both leads, very slow. I asked him a few transition from and to walk which were fluid; it provides a lovely feeling to be able to get a seamless canter strike-off on such a small circle, that induces a significant bend. Then leaving the corner for the main track, I was pleased to feel that Eole kept his high degree of collection in a lovely canter. I ended the session there, with the appreciation of the coach who liked the 'free style' exercise that I had introduced in this way aside his lesson. Of course, it is a minuscule part of what Oliveira and Listao display in the video, but I felt proud of Eole once more. He had not shown any resistance all throughout.
I gave him a good shower and we spent some time outside in the paddock resting in the sunshine and enjoying a feeling of (modest, but delightful) achievement.