9th May

It was very windy and he was very alert in the field, cantering round with Sid.

We had an excellent session, which surprised me as the wind normally distracts him.

Lots and lots and lots of transitions.  All halt/walk/trot good apart from a slight leaping into trot on the left rein.  On the left rein I then counter flexed and did a few small circles to the right off my big circle to the left, asking for the transition to the trot on the cicle to the right.  This worked and eventually the transitions on the left rein were relaxed too.

Halt so much improved.  Though, weirdly, he went to raise his head a few seconds after the transition, which I don't think was actually related to the transition.  So I held the contact a bit longer, tighter, after the halt and this worked.  Though his head carriage was a bit high there was no bulge under his neck.

Was just starting a little shoulder in work to finish, in walk, when he was massively spooked by a van coming down the drive.  But I was really pleased that it only took half a circuit in walk, with flexions and halt transitions to get him to relax.  So back to SI.  I think I need to ask someone about the correct aids.  It's incredibly easy to get him go sideways but I'm not at all sure we are doing it correctly.  I found that bu asking for slight right bend then thinking sideways and pushing with my inside leg on the girth worked.  I stopped him from moving towards the outside (was working on an inner track) with my outside leg and stopped him rushing with my outside rein.  It was very easy to get too much angle, especially on the right rein.  On the right rein it was easy to maintain the same walk we have normally, on the let I struggled to keep him relaxed.

35 minutes.

Annoyingly he was standing on a slope, but I thought I'd take advantage of a square halt to take a condition photo.