Did similar work with both of them, getting Giant back into some basic schooling after his leg and Harry did some nice work.

Giant was a little... not naughty at all, but undisiplined, just coming against the aids and trying to lean a bit, so did some work to get him softer again. Starting with just a good trot around getting him to go forward, not just trying to cheat and escape into canter. Once he was going I wanted him to make his stride that bit longer to go forwards, instead of just running.

We practised lots of transitions, trot walk, walk trot, trot halt etc. On the downwards getting him softer in the rein again and in the upwards really jumping forward away from my leg. A couple of times I halted him and just did some standing flexions to get him to release a bit more when he wanted to set against me.

Inbetween harder bits of work I made sure to give him a good break, walking on a long rein, or encouraging him to stretch in trot.

If hes going to fall through a shoulder its the right one, so firstly getting him listening better to a neck rein and then using a flexion to the right to straighten so that he couldn't get that shoulder out.

Ended with a bit of shoulder in which he really enjoys, his lateral work is becoming a lot more established and we can start working on it more in trot as well now.

Harry I try to warm up on a long rein, so that he doesn't rely on me holding the ryhthm with they rein, but will stay there himself. He can be a bit stiff and slow to warm up, so with him I let him be a bit this way, there is no point in winding him up by making him go forwards, he will go anyway once he has loosened up a bit.

So lots of trotting big shaped in a nice slow rhythm until hes happy and then I start to take up the rein more, encouraging him still to be quite long in his neck and to start taking longer strides. Like Giant (like any horse really) he wants to just take quicker strides, but with harry he can go llama and start a bit of a panicked amble, so the key is stretching and just slowly pushing him for a longer stride.

His transitions are coming nicely and it can be the opposite to riding Giant (where I want him to be a lot more electric), Harry needs time to think a bit and just keep himself quiet. Especially in canter trans to the left, he will get it, but if you put pressure on him he just goes llama.

Back to a walk we did some shoulder in on straight lines and circles to help him loosen up and get him straighter, then worked on more canter, going forward and then coming back to a really nice slow canter, and back to a trot without leaning and throwing his shoulder down...

Harry - still a bit sore on his leg, pretty good in walk but short in trot. Theres some heat and swelling in it so I took him for a quiet walk to the beach and a walk in the water. His leg looked better after the walk so hopefully he'll be ok to go to the farrier tomorrow.

Giant - warmed up again with asking him to stretch out, worked on a big figure eight as the change of rein helps him soften and he was a bit better at giving on the left rein today. Then went into a slow sitting trot shoulder in on the circle, easy on the right rein, hard on the left. I had the trot really slow and then just ask for that bit softer flexion, at that point he just wants to stop lol, but when pushed through it he improved.

He does really nice walk to canter trans now, and today we started to work on canter to walk (much harder). Only did a couple on each rein, concentrating more on preparing the canter, collecting him in shoulder in on a small circle and then dropping into walk. This was a good exercise for him, cantering in shoulder in helped him because he could still take a bigger step behind and it was a little easier to keep him light infront. He had some trot strides in the trans but that was a good start.

Harry and Giant - next week I will take both of them up to the fordge to have their feet done so today we had a practice riding Harry and leading Giant. Harry was really good, he didn't worry at all, infact he was probably better that usual. Giant didn't understand at first, he kept dragging and getting stuck behind Harry, but once he understood where he should be he wass good.

We went to the beach, on the grass just before the beach there was a guy cutting grass, who was apparently very frightening (to Giant). We went for a trot down the beach which took a bit of sorting out but we got there. On the way back Giant was much better passing the grass guy.

Giant - fed and put Harry out when we got back and then took Giant on his own hack, we went back to the beach to go and see his grass man but he was gone, we went through the creek and up the path between the houses and beach, trotting all the way once we got off the stones. Then came back down Sims Rd. Appart from a bit of a look at the bridge (hes been a bit funny about it since there was someone camping under it one time) he was really good after his lead out with Harry.