I don't even know at this point.

Or I could have a delightful next ride...

He is not THAT downhill, his shoulder is just THAT big.

He wasn't perfect and there was still a bit of pissiness.  He doesn't always listen to my half halts, but it is so hard for him to turn when he is on his forehand.  So when he blows through my hands and tries to motorbike the turns, he gets stuck behind and kicks out.  

I promise his tongue is not stuck.

When he responds to the half halt and outside leg the circles are beautiful!  Last night he got better and worked harder the longer we went.  We even had some brilliant trot work after the canter.

This time last year we could not canter 20-meter circles or pick up the correct lead.  And all the work after we cantered was a tense rushy mess. He may be a much hotter and harder horse to ride, but he is learning and getting stronger.

Today was not as good as yesterday as far as balance and relaxation, but we had no bucking, and the trot work at the end was very correct and soft.

See - totally fine

There is another blogger who was writing about not loosing better in your quest for good, and that was so eye-opening.  I am going to make a point to change the way I talk about our rides and see if I can change the way I think about them too.

Because this little dude deserves all the time it takes.