Its been a week now

Spider has had over a weeks solid, continous schooling.

Its going great. He is coming along nicely. We have gone from a cantakerous prick that would kick out, wouldn't maintain his own pace, that you have to WORK to get moving anywhere

to

A horse that is learning to move into the contact, has active paces, maintains the pace he is at (unless he is backing off the contact) but of course you can get up him to move forwards again into the hand and he listens.

Its really exciting. I also clipped him yesterday because he is a sweater, when he gets stressed he sweats. So that made it a little interesting to start with - because obviously the sound of clippers weren't the nicest thing in the world - and he sweated and got damp. Anyone who knows clipping know what a pain this is.... so lo and behold - I canned the big clippers, got out the small one (which were once the husbands shavers) and proceded to do a rough trace clip with them, I rode straight after and promptly decided I didn't take enough off - DOH. Because now it is back to rain and I'm not sure when I'll get another chance to.

So for the next week I'm just working on that - off the leg into the contact, encouraging bend with a open inside rein. And more canter on the circle to get it balanced - potentially more lunging at canter to help with that as well.

On a side note - man I was not impressed today - FIL has put the cows in the next paddock that was for spider - so now its only may and I'm OUT of GRASS. Ekk, so now I have to go and buy hay. Not happy.