David the builder

It was a lovely dry and sunny morning and we went in the school at about 11.30. Holly was having a lesson with Mary Rose in the arena area and so we started by schooling around the fences laid out in the other half of the school. We worked on roundness and straightness and Dad's position, breathing, lower leg, straight back, relaxation...the list is endless. We practised shoulder in and leg yield and lots of walk halt transitions and then loosened up further in trot. We worked on poles and turning around fences togain flexibility.

When the lesson moved to the fences, we went into the arena area and worked in trot and canter and then did exercises with Dibby. By this time I was quite soft and round and mouthing the bit and Kate had begun her lesson on Tod. We finished off on a long rein and went in to be massaged and given an apple and minties.

We enjoyed the afternoon out grazing in the bright sunshine and came in quite reluctantly after 5.00 to be groomed, rugged-up and given tea. Dad was pleased that I was building on what we had worked on in our last lesson and I was glad he was pleased. Cobs like to be constructive.