I’m always amused when people write about how badly their horse performed or they rode in a lesson. After all, isn’t the point of a lesson to get tips on how to improve your bad riding or learn ways to make your horse go better?

Today I had my first lesson since last fall. I explained that my horse can get hot and anxious over jumps. So what did he do? He made a liar out of me. He was so calm, so relaxed that he would barely even canter. He — the energizer bunny of horses — cantered up to fences and nailed every distance without my barely touching the reins.

Sure, I could see the instructor nodding. Your horse is just a bear to ride. All I can say is, she should have seen him three weeks ago.