Solene - july 9, 2015

I have not ridden Solene for two weeks. We were alone in the large covered arena, fairly warm but not as hot as during the latest heat wave we suffered here during the last week. The lady who rides Solene mentioned to me that she had found him rather lazy and not forward during the two last weeks. Also, he has got a little cut inside the lower lip which she assumed to have been caused by her double bridle curb. So I had to ride him with a Pelham instead of my double bridle on that assumption.
I was concerned by this issue of lack of forwardness, and I remembered a quote from JC. Racinet who said that: 'you should retain a horse which retains himself'. As I mentioned before, I had observed that Solene sometimes would 'retain himself' at the beginning of the session, i.e. refusing to respond to the leg asking for more impulsion instead of projecting himself forward instantaneously. I understand Racinet's phrase as something like:it is of no use to increase leg's action (including spurs' one) with a horse that goes behind the bit or even rejects demands for speed/energy increase. Rather, you should bring him back into slower action, at lower gaits (walk if at trot, trot if at canter), and ask him for just restarting into the next upper gait for just a few strides, and downward transition again. All this being even more effective on the circle. Indeed, it worked effectively today with Solene, after a patient, lengthy sequence of this exercise interspersed with rest at walk on loose reins, low and long, and lots of compliments at each upward transition. We ended the last 15' with a strong, energetic working canter which delighted me, because I had recovered 'my brilliant Solene' at last. Good posting and sitting trot followed, long and low. We stopped there and went back to the stables with some comforting reassurance as far as i was concerned.
I could not determine which was the root cause of this problem. There must be something latent in Solene about it, since I had noticed issues of that nature several times ago, but lighter and shorter. Stiffness in the right shoulder? But were there additional aggravations?: Very hot weather lately? Did the minor wound in the mouth played a role? And what about the fact that the lady who rides him tends to ride him (too?) softly and contents herself with a forwardness which she never brings to the 'vibrant' stage, letting it instead perhaps close to sluggish in my view?
Well, here are a lot of food for thought and future investigation.
Horsemanship is made of this sort of ups and downs, the latter being challenges, not deceptions or frustrations to the honest, persevering horseman...