Saddle trial.

First Radar. And a Radar "first". I took him out for a nice hilly hack and had quite a bit of trouble keeping him straight. He was doing "the chicken walk" - you know the one where the back is locked so the head rocks back and forth as they walk, like a chicken does? But .... it was only tension from heading away from home and when we turned he relaxed and was absolutely gorgeous all the way back. That's a first for him, he has never kept up a swinging back, soft mouth and a totally flexible neck for that long before. He's cooking nicely :-)

Now Jazz, the saddle and our lesson. The knee rolls on the flaps are called "giant" and giant they are - about three inches high. They also happen to fit where I put my leg as if someone made them especially for me. My trot work is improved beyond all my expectations by the stability of my upper leg. I didn't feel that the seat was that much different in trot, in spite of the fact that it is at least an inch deeper and about two inches wider behind my bum. But when we cantered, I was able to sit much more down on it than usual, so it did the job even though I didn't feel it doing it. Plus it looks great, in a dark red/brown main colour with black bindings, knee rolls and panels. And it is fantastic quality leather and perfectly made, thank goodness.

Jazz - well he wasn't as relaxed as he has been the last two times, so I didn't warm him up in trot, but kept him in walk until he had understood that I was in charge. I have learnt over the years that if I don't do that, I'll get nowhere. It didn't take long and we were quickly into trot lengthening. He is beginning to really punch up off the floor in his trot and Sonia had me "bottle him up" and then ask for even more energy, but not speed, and more, and more. He didn't blow up once under all that pressure, which is a measure of how much stronger he is physically and mentally.

We did a bit of testing to see how we should teach him piaffe. First by trying to activate a walk upwards into it. Second by trying to slow an active trot downwards into it. Sonia says he is definitely a "teach piaffe from trot" horse. He almost got it today, and then it improved his working trot enormously too.

Onto flying changes, working on left to right. He is kicking up behind, but he knows what I want and is trying hard. The right to left is a piece of cake which he will do on the aid even if he isn't perfectly balanced. Sonia watched carefully and said the left to right is not me, but him and not to worry about it because it is perfectly normal for them to get one better than the other at first.

The last two times I have been there, and again this time, I have seen grooms and liveries watching our lesson. I guess there must be something good to watch! Sonia gives him the highest praise of all - "he looks like a real dressage horse!".

C