Just perfect timing :-)

The timing of our first trip away from home could not have been more perfect. It has radically increased both Ace's confidence and my own. He even appears to be saying to Radar - nerr, I don't need you to lean on ALL the time you know!

For me, it has confirmed that his really explosive reaction to uncertainty has massively reduced, and that we are more likely to get a shrug than a buck. And that's alowing me to ride him much more positively too.

So this morning he was just perfect. A quick warm under the lights while he ate breakfast and a minutes lunging before I got on. He stood like a rock, and warmed up long and loose in walk, trot and canter all in the first five  minutes. His walk was long and free immediately from the off, which is new and really pleasing. So is the drastic reduction in time before he's happy to have the reins picked up and do some real work.

After warming up the trot and canter, he then did  a wonderful session of figures of eight in trot without changing the contact through the change of bend. Followed by figures of eight in trot with change through walk and a really forward up transition. Then trot shoulder in, (with a bounce that I have never felt before with such obvious forward three track work), with  lengthening again on alternate sides of the arena. Then trot with proper lengthening on each side of the arena, which ended with him begging to be allowed to do it again :-)  And finally  walk to canter and some  'Ace personal best'  canter to walk with the transition coming almost entirely from my seat. He was foot perfect, quiet, unspooky, responsive and every other great adjective under the sun you'd like to use.

And in case that sounds like too much work for a horse in rehab, the entire session including the warmup was less than 30 minutes, he just did everything well almost immediately.

I am now angry that I allowed myself to be made to doubt what I was doing, and by a person who had only ever seen Ace when he was  a sick horse as well. But doubt myself I did, which put together with the fact that I set my own rehab program made for a few tough days of feeling like 'the world' was reading my blog just waiting for me to fail.

I defy anyone to have seen the happy horse enjoying his work this morning and tell me that he needs a firmer hand or a more confident rider.  I intend to continue to listen to him, since there doesn't appear to be a dishonest or lazy bone in his body. In fact my biggest issue schooling is that once he has done something once, or twice at most, he knows what's required and offers it before it's wanted. It's a great 'problem' to have :-) !!

C