Danni at Easter

Myth and illusion

I deliberately included this photo because it expresses for me the that intangible gaol with dressage, that always seems just within reach.............if only.

Probably not quite the right moment in the stride but our digital camera likes to think about things too sometimes.

Well this weeks "if only" saw us do two sessions in the school as I wimped out of the torrential rain on Monday and Charles and Danni went for a "boys" outing together and I took Sootty for a discreet hack, quietly around the shelter of the village. Sootty and I were both agreed that this was the best option and Danni and Charles certainly looked very wet when they returned two hours later.

Our next booked day for the menage was Wednesday so Charles schooled Danni around the lanes on Tuesdays hack swapping from shoulder in to Traver and back, concentrating on keeping Dani's left shoulder up and on over all straightness. Sootty assisted my quest to re deepen my seat by uncomplainingly allowing me to sit to the trot for mile after mile, for an old horse he's got quite soft and swingy these days.

So Danni and I worked together on Wednesday and Friday, still staying with transitions, transitions, transitions that have strengthened his quarters no end.

Today he worked nicely but after a brief contretemp about his left shoulder - he worked much better though, after expressing his displeasure at my ideas with a couple of bucks........"I like going to the right with my shoulder to the left........why can't i.....! "

We could then canter an easy almost six metre circle and so I finished with his favourite power trot - actually after twenty five minutes work at canter I was running out of breath and going rapidly puce........and Danni - well he hardly bothered to sweat.



Danni at the end of his session