Semantics

A quiet morning at the yard. Dad took me into the school at about ten. Other Dad took Dibby on an hour's hack around the pig farm. After a few rainless days, the surface was still dry and deep and we confined ourselves to walk and trot without canter.

We continued with basic work on softening and getting and staying on the bit. We began with stretches walking around the arena adding some shoulder in and fore and leg yield with walk-halt-walk transitions and then some trot. We varied tempo in rising and sitting trot and tried the odd rein back and transition forwards into a round trot.

Dad worked on uprightness, sitting deeper into the saddle, heels down and breathing. He tried to maintain a constant dialogue with my mouth without setting or pulling and to use inside leg into outside hand. He also tried to remember to take the leg off and put it on again rather than just keep it against my side.

By the end of the session I had softened and was responsive to aids. We stretched down to finish on both reins and came in for an apple before going out to graze. In for grooming and tea at five after a pleasantly uneventful afternoon. To a cob "uneventful" is a double negative - we would say "eventless."