Both of us are a bit out of shape and not sure that we want to go back to work.

 

The arena has a bit of slope, so we get a bit more work going uphill.

Downhill can mean a bit on the forehand, but I just try to stay balanced to make it easiest for him.

His trot is usually easiest to ride when he's not being very forward. I have to remember that and ask for more and just suffer with the bigger movement...

This is that better trot, but it's not the most comfortable thing for me to ride. Out hunting this is a great trot. I just go up into two point and feel the muscles work.

Just a bit of canter. Mainly I'm doing a lot of trot work to try and build him back up. I want him to be ready for fox hunting if I decide to take him out again this year.

A bit of leg yielding.

I think this is us doing a little shoulder in/fore. Just to remind him that it's something he can do.

A worn out Bob and me. I think just trotting up and down the hills for a few weeks will help him build back up just about as much as the dressage work. He won't have to think so much, and we can go back to the dressage stuff once he's in a little better shape. At least he showed me that he hasn't forgotten the canter we'd learned this past spring, and I'm sure he'll find it more fun when it doesn't wear us out so quickly (100 degree temperatures during the day doesn't help...).