Pessoa far, so good!

To activate Soap’s hocks and strengthen his back muscles so that he can produce a more active canter my SJ instructor Rosie Moss suggested that I work him on a Pessoa training aid. I thought ok I’ll give it a go, until I saw the price! eBay to the rescue once again, as I found this fantastic seller who makes an exact replica of the genuine Pessoa for a credit crunch friendly price. Click here to see their version of the gadget
The instruction diagrams are very easy to read, and they have even colour coded the clips! I set it fairly loose in the ‘competition position’ to begin with so that he could work out what to do without rushing or getting stressed. After a short while walking and trotting on both reins I tightened the aid so that it came into effect. He was a bit befuddled about the whole thing to begin with, and I think it worked his brain muscles more than any other! After a few circles he got the idea and quickly dropped into a fab even, soft, regular trot, with a much bigger action from behind than normal.
I swapped reins and did a further 10mins on the right rein, and then finished. I was really pleased with him, and how quickly it changed his way of going for the better, so now I can’t wait to get on and feel the results for myself. I plan to use it for between 15/20mins 1 to 2 times a week on Soap to encourage more hock action, and on Jack to get him to work from behind rather than pull himself along with his forehand.

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