Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth???

Hah!  Don't be fooled...  The Big Horse was a toad this morning.  He started off well, but when we progressed to the canter he decided that was it and that he wasn't going to have a bar of it.  I probably perserved on the left rein slightly longer than I should have after finally cantered on the left leg, because I had the audacity to ask for it a second time..  At this point all the hair came off.  It wasn't pretty and it took a while but we finally got the canter left again.  I gave him a brief pat and then turned him onto the right rein thinking this will be easier for him..  Did he pop easily into the canter??  Oh no....  he spat the dummy.  Running through the transition.  Taking the wrong leg. Refusing to canter if he did finally do it.  He got one with the whip around his backside for his efforts.  He hopped up and down crossly.  Then decided he would take the right canter lead but then shouted to me "I've got no steering, look at me, look at me" while careering off in the opposite direction to the circle.  Like I said it wasn't pretty, but I had no choice other than to say "oh yes you do, now do as you're told...".

We were both tired in the end.  He finished off with some lovely trot work, although not to be outdone he put in the most fantastic shy when we were changing rein across the diagonal..  At nothing!!!  Toad..  Warty toad..  Fortunately he was actually working properly into the bridle by this stage so instead of spearing me off I was able to bring the horse back underneath me before it was too late.  He earned himself another 15 minutes for this.  Toad....

I'm getting pretty impressive on the ATV and the harrow to grade the arena afterwards.  As Lyn keeps telling me, I'm a farm girl now...  

The Big Horse..  aka Arche...  Or this morning The Warty Toad
From our lesson 2 weeks ago with my instructor Di Barnes on board the Big Horse.  She's stronger in the seat than I am, so he couldn't shift her in the canter.  I'll get to this point in the not too distant future I hope.
Hair on...  Not a sign of the warty toad..  It can shift in the blink of an eye though..  Silly boy..



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