Maybe it was the partial solar eclipse.  Maybe it was having a few days away from the arena.  Maybe it was just time.   Whatever it was, today was a banner day.  Balthazar shone.  We did 10 or 15 minutes online first. It was rather ho-hum and distracted to begin with.  Thought why is this so bad.  Why isn't he focussed?  Because I wasn't.  I allowed, even expected, that his work would be half-hearted.  I know he can do it so why do it quickly and cleanly?  If I'm bored with the work, what do I think I'm conveying to him?  Exactly.

So I focussed, became insistent and away we went.  Instantly.  It translated to under saddle too.  We were walking around the arena without purpose or so it appeared.  We had purpose but it was more a spray than a beam.  Once I pulled myself together Balthazar naturally followed.  We got some decent circles with almost no help from the reins.  We stayed on the wall and our cantering!  Our cantering was amazing.  He didn't break stride, he stayed on the rail, he turned nicely and to finish he cantered from the walk!  Yes, from the walk.  Okay, there may have been half a trot stride in there someplace but really it was like riding a hack. 

Balthazar has NEVER been able to to do that under saddle.  We have never just....cantered.  It was so quiet, smooth, instantaneous and sweet that I got off him.  What more could he give me?  What more could I ask?  It was only 20 minutes but the nicker he gave as I praised him was the icing on the cake.