Lesson Takeaways

Imagery that helped me last night:

Thinking heavy elbows as a way to loosen them up.

I need to do that exercise where you bounce on an exercise ball while holding whips and try to keep them from moving.

For pretty much all of my next rides I need to just be at a walk, using a half halt to keep it slow and controlled (but in the way that Emma talked about half halts where you use it as a pause and then continue) but also always asking for that bend to the inside so I can see her nostril. Each step should be purposeful. Make the walk need her to use her whole body.

 And thinking always about not just bending the neck, but haunches to shoulder as well. And I can't forget about using my indirect rein of opposition to check that shoulder when it gets sticky. It doesn't have to be constant, just a shift and then moving the inside rein back to a leading rein position.

Leading rein (L) and Indirect Rein of Opposition (R)

Additionally, Gwyn is too smart, and has figured out the name of the stretch game and is now trying to snatch reins from me in her stretch. We want a gentle catch so I'm not to give all the way, just enough with my elbow movement, no upper body.

Jim got on too. You can see her belly muscles working REALLY hard in this picture.

We also worked a bit on canter departs. Gwyn is getting stronger. It's incremental progress, but it's there and I love it. I don't mind that it's not huge leaps and bounds. For that, to keep her from rushing into the canter I should aim at the wall and cue near the wall so she has to be slower.