Yes, I must say that we now are in a good period. The weather are getting better and better, almost sunshine every day with increased temperature. Dinio just loves it! Since the previous session for Gunilla (June 5th) I have varied the work a lot. Still focusing on relaxation, bending, straightness and tracking. Dinio is doing very well. I am giving Dinio a good massage every day and I am also stretching him after every session. Those efforts has immediately resulted in a more relaxed Dinio during our work and the mouth has also calmed down. As I suspected he have had some muscle ake.

The last session for Gunilla (June 13) was the best ever. Dinio was just wonderful. We trained on shoulder inn, half passes, volts with tracking and correct bending and passing corners. We are now in a preparing phase for competitions and the work must, from now on, focus on lines and movements and to ride from point to point. Hopefully we will be well prepared for our first competition in the beginning of August.

After every session Dinio gets his shower and stretching and then his reward, 15 minutes of grazing grass. Yummie!!

Adding a photo from last year - when Dinio, together with my darling mother - feasted on GRASS!!

Since last week the summer went on hold. We have had about 6-10 degrees C, a lot of rain, nearly every day and a strong wind. Brrrrr. Dinio got his thick rug on again and hasn't been too happy. But it is slowly turning to summer temperatures again. Yesterday we had about 15-17 degrees C, a little sunshine but unfortunately a bit rain in the evening.

Nevertheless, the work must continue. I have given Dinio some easy work for a couple of days and also a stroll around Täljö, which is always very appreciated by Dinio. He just loves it!

Yesterday it was time for our third session for Gunilla. This session was spent on tracking, streightness and bending. We worked with "entering the centerline with halt at X", 10 meter volts in canter, up and down transitions. Dinio felt Ok in the beginning, not really with me, but not to bad. At the end he was super and today was really the first time I felt that he worked equally from behind straight forward and in to my hand. Fantastic feeling!!!

Adding a picture from the stable - Dinio - you are the best!!

Yesterday Dinio got a resting day, though I was ill. Today Dinio was first attended by his ferrier. We are still having problems with the right forward hoof but it is developing slowly. During the evening Gunilla Ruus came and we had our second session. Dinio has just felt lovely, relaxed and calm in his mouth during our last sessions, but today he was on edge. Nevertheless he did a good job this evening and at the end he felt super. We trained on bending, straightness, volts with correct tracking, shoulder in, both in trot and canter, some counter canter where the left counter canter is the weekest so here we have some work to do. I also took the opportunity to train a bit on medium extended trot and canter, which worked perfectly. At the end we also did some work with half passes in counter canter on the long side of the arena, which really made Dinio so soft with super canter. It was a real good exercise and I will do this one now and then when needed.

Very pleased indeed I gave Dinio a shower and some extra hay to feed on until the evening hay is served. He was also very pleased with himself.

Adding a photo from last week, Dinio in his beloved outdoor paddock.

On Monday evening Dinio and I took a calm stroll around Täljö. He enjoyed every minute of it. After our ride I gave him a good massage and stretched him. He really enjoyed that.

Tuesday evening it was time for our first dressage session for trainer Gunilla Ruus. Dinio felt just lovely, soft and obedient and calm in his mouth. This session everything worked and he was with me all of the time. I told Gunilla what we have trained on during our weekend clinic and what Tiago recommended me to work on - and Gunilla agreed. So we did a follow up and worked on bending and strightness. And Dinio was just super. Soooo happy! I am now going to train for Gunilla once every week. So looking forward to that!

My sister also took a lesson with here horse Chilikungen. He did very well as well and she will also train for Gunilla from now on. My sister was very pleased with her lesson and the instructions Gunilla gave here.

I will soon post a video from the weekend clinic with Tiago!!

This weekend Dinio and I attended a two-day clinic in Enköping. The trainer was Tiago Albergaria from Portugal. For more information about him - see http:\\www.rotbrunna.se

With me was also my darling mother. Dinio got a box in the guest stable and settled in very well. Me and my mother had rented a room for one night. Nice room. The evening was sceduled for an Portugise evening with food and wine.

So to the riding: Dinio was very tensed during the saturday session, the indoor arena was light and spacy but the seeting area was very high and this was new to Dinio. He glansed a lot towards this area. But it is also a good experience for him, to learn to relax in various surroundings. And I was of course a bit nervous as well. But I think we did well anyway. Trained on shoulder in, half passes in trot and canter, counter canter and circles. Since Dinio is a very ambitious horse he is often ahead of me, so if he have done one half pass he is alreayd prepared to do another one in the next corner. And there I have to correct him and it is here he gets tensed and starting to guess. In other words we have problems with going from bended lines to straight lines and from straight lines to bended lines. Here I have a lot of work to do, to make him relax and wait for my signals.

Unfortunately I got a big riding sore during the session which gave me a lot of pain during the Sunday-session. At the beginning it felt rather OK but I soon realized that I was not able to do any canter work with this sore - so I asked Tiago if he could ride Dinio for me. And he accepted. He rode a follow up from the yesterday session and focused on bending and strightness. It was very worthful for me to see Dinio under a very experienced and well riding rider and of course - to get his oppinion of what to work with for the nextcoming months. Tiago rode Dinio extremely well, it was so nice to watch them together.

Tiagos reccomendation now is to focus on straigthness on straight lines and riding circles with bending and correct tracking and to maintain the same rhythm - all the time. I didn't need to train on the movements too much- "he now it all".

I can't finish without telling how extremely well Dinio behaved during his stay at the guest stable. Beside him he had a 3-year old stallion who was very nervous during the afternoon and the night. He climbed on the wall, moved around a lot and neighed a lot. Dinio tried to great him now and then but backed off and didn't seek for a fight. I am getting more and more impressed with my darling Dinio - he is just wonderful.

When arriving at home Dinio stepped out of the trailer, took a deep breath, greated the other horses and was happy to be home again. Since it was only 1 o'clock in the afternoon I led him to his outdoor paddock and he was very happy to spend some hours there - so happy that he didn't want to follow the other horses in to the stable at 4 o'clock. But after a while he came, got his afternoon feeding and then he told me - go home - I need my well earned nap now!!

Well, hello again! I havn't been writing for a while, so here comes a summary of the resent weeks.

I am still treating Dinio for his stomach problems and he is getting better and better. Feels very fine in the work and we are making progress. The autumn is upon us with dark evenings and chilly nights, but no snow so far. Dinio is wearing thick rugs and spends about 7 hours per day in his padock. During the week I work him on our outdoor arena and during the weekends we ride in the nature. Dinio enjoys every minute there.

Last thursday (October 13) we went to Ågesta for our fifth session. Dinio did very well indeed. I am so proud of him. My darling mother joined me and she also took the opportunity to take a video of our session. He is now more straight and the bendings are now starting to work very well. See video on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hmbj3pAwgE&noredirect=1

Yesterday my mother joined me. Dinio was - as always - very happy to see us. Very alert and joyful. We prepared him for the transport and everything was just fine. Off we went. When we arrived and offloaded him he was a very different Dinio. Seamed very tired and "somewhere else". A little bit worried I started the warm up. And he was really "not there". Explanation comes later on. Kristian also saw that he was off today but we managed to ride the hole lesson anyway. We worked on straighteness and transitions. My darling mother filmed a bit and afterwords when I looked at the video it was quit good anyway. Hmmm. It isn't alsways that what you feel during a ride that can be seened. It was also the first lesson in my new saddle and it gave me some large sores. It takes time for me to get used to new saddles. During our travel towards home I wondered about his apperance today. This was totally something new.

Sunday morning - sleept vary badly during the night. My sores didn't look good at all but have to ride today anyway. Today my darling sister joined me and today Dinio was quit himself again. But walking on the trailer two days in a row was not his "cup of tea". He looked so disappointed. But finally he went on and off we went. When we arrived we off loaded him and today he really was himself again. Wonderful!

Started the warm up and soon our lession started which today concentrated on transistions, straitgheness, shoulder in, half passes and walk pirouettes. No canter work due to my sores. Dinio did really well. I now got some good exercises with me to train on until next time. Today we also met Wiwi and I got a short glimps of her very nice P.R.E We decided to get in touch via Facebook.

Here comes the explanation - as I understand it!! We have a mare in season at the stable. And Dinio is so in love! Thursday and Friday was her prime season days and I am sure of that this has effected him. Pooooor Dinio!

25 degrees today - hot - hot - hot! So instead of riding outdoor we rode in the indoor arena instead. Today everything worked and I am so happy that all the work I have done with him, since our first clinic for Kristian, really has payed off. It was so pleasing to show Kristian that we are progressing. Transitions - no problems anymore. Catching the correct canter from the walk, no problems anymore. Kristian was pleased with what he saw. So now we progressed to the next step. More power in the trot so the back comes up more, but still in balance. More power in the canter so he can finish every stride, but still in balance. Yes - we had a super session today and Dinio gave it all. And we are understanding each other much much better now and Dinio are getting more and more secure in his work. The transport home went very well, only 1 hour and 10 minutes and Dinio was of course very happy to be home again. He got a god shower and his afternoon hay and fibergi. Yummie, yummie! Next session will be after Midsummer and this time - two days in a row. Looking forward to that.