I was a bit nervous at first because it was my first real ride back since the fall. It was also the first day Tillie did not get bute, so I was eager to see how she felt (her leg looks totally fine!). You can hear me when the lesson starts asking C how she looks to reassure she looked as good as it felt.
Some bullet points that stick out to me from the start of lesson:
- Bigger trot needs to happen more...I tend to want to ride her trot a bit too slow
- Leg yields need to be straight and off the outside rein half halt, not the inside rein
- Dont let the reins bounce, be sure to hold them, have more weight/shorten the reins. Use the right side to soften her but then be quiet.
- Dont nag her with any aids
- Dont let her fall in or push into the right side when tracking right
- The whip, put thumb on top and point it at her ears
- BEND my elbows...shorter reins, longer arms
Next we talked a bit about the walk and leg aids...mostly keeping the leg relaxed and if you squeeze too much it changes the way my seat moves (not for the better):
Sitting trot portion and leg yielding:
- Tighter stomach in sitting trot, chin up
- My arms look weird lol Ill have to play with this
- Be quicker in my aids in the lag yields to get away from the wall faster
- Ride straight after the leg yield
- Dont be afraid to make it ugly...have a conversation to be able to correct it
I am still figuring out how to use my upper leg and thigh more without contorting my body in these movements. Especially when we leg yield off the left leg to the right, she needs more right leg to keep her straighter...but boy is it hard for me.
Im sure it will come with time, and will make shoulder in and shoulder fore easier too.
We rode through 1st level test 3 but it was taken on a different phone, so Ill be sure to share it once I get it!
She looks so good!
ReplyDelete(And so do you!)