
Pole work:

So, trotting him over those three poles a couple weeks ago was really a pole too far... ;) Two is totally enough for him at the moment. And the slightly raised (5-10cm) pole gives just that bit of extra difficulty to the singular pole in the end.


Riding work:
Yes, by golly, power is increasing. I don't think I have lunged to warm him up these past week and a bit! We have noticed that he can now be warmed up fine from the saddle. That is, he strides on beautifully in walk straight from the get go. Such a difference in that as well! My short notes on our calendar say almost in every riding day that he has more power... And I mean that he has this lovely powerful walk and then increasingly good trot. It is getting more regular with head position being stable and him staying relaxed. I still need to work at it though, but it is getting easier. Especially on the right hand. Left hand is as I described earlier; very good as well, but tends to fall in and stiffen up in corners and I'm in trouble with my legs and seat.

This week Monday I had the most fabulous hacking experience! :D I was planning to just have a relaxing walkabout around the field once or twice for an easy day, but he felt energetic and ready to trot. So I thought, ok, lets trot. And what a trot! Oh my. You know such a trot that just powers on by itself while the horse is on the bit, head low, very slight contact... Yabbadabbadoo... He has never given me such a fine trot outside the school. We didn't even slip or stumble, since he was so balanced. Furthermore, he was so happy and calm, no bother when a car went past beside the track, or the ponios started careering about in canter in the nearby field or when the sheep gave him the look (sheep and cars have been a bit of an issue before this year). We still walked most of our hacking rounds, but there were several happy trotting sessions mixed in. The only backless wired time we had was when the hubby went and called for him from the end of a lane... Ye gods, we wanted to get there asap alright! Head high and back dipped alright... After some of this wired trotting, I decided to call it quits and returned to a proper walk. At least that was fine and he calmed down. Just to test, I then still trotted him away from home and hubby for some couple tens of meters, and by golly, he was perfection again.
And then as I have already written, I had an epiphany yesterday about my legs... And today I started my exercise regime again. If I could just keep it up between work, dogs and so on...
Otherwise we have had a nice and long walk out to the forest in between things. So, it's been harder work and then easier and more relaxing work.
Lunging:
Well, have been actually lunging him about half the weeks. So, a lot more riding going on. I keep the lunging work one day your basic lunge with walk about 5min, then trot about 10min. Concentrating on the forward motion, so that he will over track at least by one hoof length in walk and at least tracking up in trot. Left side I still will do more spiraling to get him yielding with his hind quarters. A couple canters mixed in. Lunge time is generally that 30min in total. And it is pure work, I don't let him slack very much I have to say...

Very happy in general with the way he is going and how things are progressing. Long may it last! Really fingers crossed that there will not be any setbacks in form of injuries in the paddock or such... It is now such a joy to work with him, since he is so happy and settled and calm.
This is really the huge advantage of working him this way... no fighting at all, and a calm horse. I ask him to do things that he can do and do them well and proper. And then to make the progress, also introducing harder things gradually. It is a long way, but it so is now starting to truly pay off.
I leave you with an apparent quote from the master itself, Nuno Oliveira:"...you must learn the difference between 12 years of learning and one year repeated 12 times..."
(from a comment from someone else in a forum in 2008..)