Can't or won't do it?

Finally got back on board today after around a week off. Just 20 minutes in a still partly frozen arena but better than nothing. Did roughly the same warm up as the last time I rode Magic but included more rein back as he was argumentative about it. Tried a few walk pirouettes as he could do them in the summer but then forgot how when he learn't to turn on the forehand both ways. Pretty typical of Magic to unlearn one thing when he learns something new. He's always been like that, doesn't usually take him long to remember he can do something.

Today he forgot to work in an outline in trot, or he was refusing to. I'm still not sure which but no matter how much I asked or in what way I asked he said no 90% of the time. I did get a few strides of trot in an outline but nothing compared to what he was giving me a couple of months ago. It could be down to a few things, he's either tweaked something in his back again, he's fighting against his drop noseband (even though it's not tight) or it's because the last two nights he's been fed from a haynet as someone else has been looking after him over the weekend which would involve him using the huge muscles under his neck that I've been working to get rid of for months. He can still work in an outline when working in his Pessoa so I'm not convinced that he's tweaked something. I thought it may be that his back isn't strong enough to lift with me on board but he's worked well with me riding before so I don't think that's the reason. Next time I ride I'll put his crank noseband on without the flash to see if he'll relax more.

I'm praying it's not a saddle issue too, my current saddle was/is my birthday/early Christmas present and it's the saddle I've wanted for Magic for the last 3 years. His newly improved canter work and almost consistent walk outline makes me think it isn't saddle related though.

Today Magic's canter was even better than the last time we schooled. It seemed to be even more relaxed, balanced and much slower. I've watched some old videos and it feels like it would look a thousand times better if I videoed it now.

Touch wood his bending to the left has improved slightly too.