23rd June I'm BACK!!

Hello everyone!!!

I had a lovely holiday in France and Spain and Xaile had a lovely holiday in his field!  

I've been really really busy since then so no time for updates.

When I got back on Xaile after my holiday, last Monday, I was a bit upset.  He seemed to have gone back to going exactly how he did when I first got him.  But then I stopped and thought and realised that I wasn't helping, I wasn't sitting very square and I think I had been rushing.  We then did about 10 mins of much better work.

Tuesday was much better- really relaxed and long and low in walk and trot.  Great transitions between halt walk and trot.  The canter wasn't great.  I think he's finding balancing in his new way of going a bit difficult so we did a lot of trot canter trot transitions and I did't ask him to keep cantering for too long.

He had Wednesday off as I started my LGV cat C training and I was truly exhausted.  But I did go over for a cuddle and to give him an apple.

Thursday was simillar to Tuesday but better in the canter.  

Friday off again, due to the LGV training- truly the most difficult thing I have ever done.  When I went to give him his cuddle and apple I took these two photos as he was looking so well and handsome.  

Saturday- I had a friend staying to help make my costume for the fancy dress dressage to music at the Luso show.  She also videoed me and Xaile.  I hope you'll see an improvement since the last video.

Sunday- I was bucked off Clover and landed rather heavily so didn't ride Xaile.

Monday and today- my back is really rather sore after Sunday so I've been having Xaile lunged, lots and lots of canter transitions I hope.

I had my LGV test today and failed.  I'd like to use my back as an excuse but it doesn't hurt too much when driving, though getting into the lorry is properly sore!! It was my own stupid fault.  The drive went brilliantly except for one minute!!! I was doing a hill start and it rolled back.  I assumed that I must have forgotten to knock it over into the low range when I stopped so I checked, it was in the low range so I had another go and it rolled back again. So I checked again and it went forwards, thank goodness, what I hadn't noticed was that in that time a car had started to over take me.  So two serious faults.  He later told me that I had simply forgotten to put it into gear the first two times, I have absolutely no idea how I could have done something so stupid.  But I did.  The consolation is that when telling me what I had done wrong he kept on saying how well I had driven the rest and how he'd love to let me pass because the rest was so good, but having done it twice was just too bad!!!  The worst bit is that it means I have no transport for the Luso show as I have just sold my little lorry :-(.