Improvement

In the school the last two days with Remy and his relaxation has improved with each session.  He's giving me the release and then maintaining it for longer periods, soft in the mouth and soft through the neck. I let him extend the neck a little, but ask him to keep his head up for  a short time and then give him a break to really stretch down. He still tests me to see that he can stretch down if he wants to, but this was much less today and he seems to be settling to it.
His reinback today felt very calm and well balanced and because he was more relaxed, he really seemed to come together and he gave me bigger steps. We tried some reinback to trot transitions into a pretty manageable trot, which is a big deal for us and then shoulder-in on each rein! I'm so excited by this, I really think we're starting to get it. I rode him home down the lane and he felt as light as a feather, his whole body underneath me.

I've got him some hoof boots - Boa's,  not my first choice it has to be said, but the only ones that would give a good fit. I tried them today and they seem ok, didn't seem to bother him, in fact he seemed to be picking his feet up much better. I've got them for his hind feet as he's lazy and my sand school is very abrasive. He doesn't need them when we're hacking out so I'll only use them in the school. I was worried about the sand getting inside them, but they come complete with neoprene gaiters which seemed to work a treat. Anyway, we'll see how they go.