Hannah Esberger-Shepherd

Noblesse is Home!

Great News! Noblesse is home after his recuperation period! I fetched him back last Sunday. He looks very wolly and has a bit of a belly on him but he looks well, and even better when I rode him - he seems sound. Shoes will go on on Friday and then we will steadily crack on...cross fingers all works out! It is great to have him back at base!

Other news - Diva has qualified for the Summer Medium at her last competition - what a clever girl!

I have been training at Eric's last week and took Diva and Dolce Vita.  We go down late afternoon so I can work all the others, arrive and have a lesson and stay in the lorry overnight. The next morning we train again at 7.30am and then head for home to work the others again!  Quite a schedule!  I so enjoy training with Eric, this week we worked on "Oona's" (Dolce Vita) neck as she tends to get it a little high, so I need to get her moving away and round my inside leg to get her more supple. Concentrating on getting her more off the leg as she tends to drop behind when she goes high! We worked on half-passes as well which look like they might be a forte of hers.

As for Diva, we mainly worked on the flying changes. We struggle at the moment for them to be correct even through she is obedient and seems to try. These are the only things holding her back as all the other work is really established. So we worked on the canter - getting it straighter, a little "hotter" and more sitting on her hind-quarters.  She also did some piaffe and passage work - the passage is going to be awesome!!!

Hope you all had a good Easter (despite the weather...!)

Hannah