Giving up control... and learning to trust!

Dressage is such an interesting juxtaposition of giving and taking, control but releasing.  Sometimes in my riding that fine line can get blurred to the point of there is none.  The lengthenings are a perfect example of this.  J did not have good lengthenings because he did not push off his hind end well, he was crooked, did not properly take a half halt and would flop straight onto his forehand while running himself into the ground, face first.  Picture a bulldozer, bucket down into the ground, running full speed on the verge of tipping A$$ over front... and you've got my lengthening. 

So the past couple of weeks we have been working on his responsivity to the forward aid, asking him to move off quickly and with power.  We have also been working on his honesty of taking a half halt and truly lightening his front end while asking his hind end to power through it.  And lastly we threw in the straightness and keeping his neck long and supple.  So with all of this in mind, I have been schooling my lengthenings in preparation for the upcoming show season.  And I can honestly say that we are on the right path... as long as I remember to TRUST him!  This would be our typical attempt at a transition from a lengthened trot or canter to a working trot or canter; half halt with the seat and hhhhhoooooooolllllllllddddddd the rein (yes, for really THAT long) until the transition was felt, then give the rein.  Then I would wonder, why the hell was he falling on the forehand?  Why the hell was he breaking the gait?  Slowly but surely, the lightbulb started to glow and eventually clicked on.  When I hold the rein, waiting for a response, it gives J the perfect opportunity to lean on my rein, fall onto the forehand and leave his hind legs trailing a mile behind us, which won't allow him to come back to a working gait, so he's either running like an idiot on the forehand or breaks into the slower gait. 

So my big lesson:  QUICK HALF HALTS, GET OUT OF THE REIN AND TRUST  THAT HE WILL RESPOND.  And if he does not respond, just repeat until he does.  No more ssssllllllooooowwwww aids that allow him to slow his response time or honesty of carrying himself.  He needs to be held more accountable to respond and I need to give him the space to do it.  So we worked on a few lengthenings last night with that thought in mind and he responded beautifully.  It was like he was saying "FINALLY you get it you stupid girl!  Let me do my job! Stop confusing me!"  It was very hard for me to not push them and do a million of them because it felt so good, but I limited it and rewarded him with a break after he did really well and then went on to work on something else.  I really think that until this aid is ingrained into my brain, body, muscle memory, whatever... I will have to think about this each and every time I swing my leg over a horse's back.