Tuesday

Asking a bit more today of Leporello and Fabian. Going to their respective limits, to see were we are. Its the kind of situation that after the fact I regret; which is possible only because of the horse's most generous nature.

For Leporello the limit of evenness and forward impulsion was reached after a tour of trot on the lunge to the right. He did not want to give his neck laterally and after that was unmotivated; after up until then doing very well. He still is a bit sleepy and his neck and jaw are kind of dead.

For Fabian the limit was the demand to canter from a few steps of collected walk after halts. He did it, but he did not like it. After that body fear reactions. He today started out being perfectly light. While riding along and enjoying him I was thinking of how to define the difference between yesterday and today: to me it is the difference in how much pressure a horse puts on the long ligament from behind. Fabian, when he is light, has beauitful hind legs, his croup is closed and some what lowered. Neck and head are up and the poll is slighly opened. He looks at where he is going.