A difficult but ultimately satisfying day.

Xaile was asleep with Sidney when I went to get him in this morning.  He wasn't quite his usual enthusiastic self when I brought him in either.  In fact he stopped dead half way and I had to coax him to move at all.  He dragged his toes all the way to the school.  So I don't know why I was surprised by our bad session.

I think that he was totally stuffed with hay and as a result gas... He really didn't want to work.  He farted enormously and frequently.  I should have called it s day sooner than I did.  He was not happy to bend and was so tight in his jaw.

However I did do 35 mins with him and it did have good moments.  We did lots of forwards work and he did soften nicely when forwards, but I lost it on transitions.  He certainly finds it hard to balance when forwards, so I think possibly I need to alternate it with collected work where he feels safe and balanced.

I decided that he probably needs to spend time in to deflate before working... I also thought as we'd ended on a bad note another little session this afternoon after time to deflate in a stable would be a good plan.

When I got back to him he was furious. Sid had been calling for him and he was enraged at being kept in.  I probably should have thought better and turned him straight out. But I was determined to see if he'd be better for time off the grass.  He was much livelier to lead to the school and started spinning round me as soon as we got there. All wild eyed, with his ears pricked which is a bad sign when it comes to schooling.

He was then very difficult to get on, I can't remember the last time he didn't stand perfectly for me to get on.  When I eventually got a foot in the stirrup he spun and galloped off down the school.  Luckily I got my balance quickly and held onto his mane till he'd got to the end of the school where he seems happiest and calmest.  I got my stirrup and chattered to him while keeping him walking on a long rein till he returned to this planet.

It then took a very long time to get him to relax enough to work at all.  I also had to remember my position. I was concentrating so hard on getting him calm and relaxed that I forgot how important how I sit is. When I remembered to sit up and he remembered that he's a grown up we eventually got some lovely work with fabulous transitions.

I tried very hard to be as long as possible in the downwards transitions and the result was fantastic. The upwards transitions took a lot more work.  I eventually got them calm and consistent by flexing him a stride before the transition. But being a clever horse he very quickly learnt that I would ask for the transition after the flexion and did it all by himself.  Something to work on tomorrow...