Great lesson tonight!

Kieran was about a hundred times better tonight than last week. Even without another horse in the ring it was much easier to keep him moving and I didn't have so much trouble keeping him to the rail (as I did when Rocky was in there). We walked, we trotted, we did big circles and figure eights and cutting across the ring (so we weren't just going around and around and around) and he did really well, especially on the circles. Which was actually something I remember really having to work at with Rurik, keeping him going for those. Kieran was a bit of work too but it felt more like he was just getting tired by that point and he's not really fit yet and it was more work to trot through them than to slow down and walk so I can't completely blame him. ;)

Either way, it really felt like we got some good work in tonight and Christina said not only did he look better but I looked better too, so yay! :)

Of course, maybe a different saddle helped, as well. I rode her in her Duett because we wanted to see how it fit him since that's ultimately the sort of saddle I want to get (she has the companiona trail, I want the companion foxhunter, ideally). So it really seemed to fit him well (better than the first saddle I tried on him and nearly bought so...I guess I'm glad that didn't work out?) and I felt really good in it too. So yay there as well!

Hope everybody else had a good horsey day. :D