Great lesson!

I had a lesson with Shelley on Monday and when I started getting a major migraine earlier in the day, I was very upset that I wouldn't be riding my best for the lesson.  Fortunately a friend gave me some Excedrin migraine and it took the edge off, so I was able to focus for the lesson. I have been dealing with constant headaches and/or migraines for the past few months and it has been really frustrating.  But I am now taking medications that will hopefully lesson the occurrence and intensity of them.

So usually Shelley rides him in the beginning of the lesson, which I really appreciate her doing for two reasons. 1) She gets him quicker to the aids and 2) I learn very visually and if I am able to see her doing it, it helps me in understanding what needs to be done.  But for this lesson, Shelley asked that I ride for the entire lesson as her back has been bothering her again.  So I was able to ride the entire lesson and really work on the exercises.  As stated previously, J has a false bend to the left and that is something that we are really trying to address as he will need to be honest in order to correctly do the 2nd level work.  We are also trying to get J's shoulders up to meet the reins while he is bending his back, which is also a strength issue.  When he bends his back correctly, he wants to get slow in his hind end, which then puts him on the forehand.  So to deal with all these issues, Shelley had me do and exercise that was very challenging for both J and myself.  I had to turn J to the inside with my inside rein (just a small bit, nothing dramatic), then use my inside leg behind the girth to push his inside hind up underneath him and then use my inside leg up near his shoulder to drive the inside shoulder up and forward to meet the bridle.  All the while keeping a very stable outside leg and outside rein, doing absolutely nothing with either one.  And then repeat about 1 million times, on both a circle and the straightaway.  We started to the right, which is easier for both J and myself and we got pretty good.  We did some nice work and J was getting more and more responsive to smaller aids.  Then we went to the left, which is our weak side.  It's a bit of the "chicken or the egg" case... I have a hard time keeping my right seat bone in the saddle while I'm using my inside (left) leg, so when I use that inside leg, he falls out to the right and doesn't turn correctly or move his shoulder.  Which came first?  I don't know, but I'm willing to take the blame on that one.  So we went to the left and J was resistant, kept wanting to fold his neck up like an accordion (to the left) and fall down on his left (inside) shoulder.  I would use my leg to ask him to stand up on his shoulder and go forward and he would get pissy and just stop.  So it took a little while of asking and waiting, but he did finally understand that I was not going to give up.  We did this in the walk and trot and then took a break and worked on some trot lengthenings across the diagonal.  Shelley had me counterflex/counter leg yield him through the short side, straighten him on the diagonal, stretch his neck and then ask for the lengthening, while re-stretching his neck every couple of strides.  I found that if he was crooked in any way, leaning on either rein or had his neck too short he would either fall onto the forehand or break into the canter.  But I think that we got some decent lengthenings that I won't be ashamed to show at the end of the month.

After getting some good lengthenings, we went back to the previous exercise and J was much quicker to get to task.  We went back to the left, as that is the more difficult way and worked in the canter.  We actually did pretty well!  J was actually turning and moving his hind end underneath himself and then I would rein-yield him out and ask again.  We were even doing very small volte's- probably on a 6 meter circle and he was keeping his balance and keeping tempo.  Shelley had me do a couple walk/canter/walk transitions from this exaggerated shoulder-in positioning.

All-in-all it was a great lesson!  I felt that I was moving well with him, not hindering him as much in my seat and reins and getting better at not giving him static aids where he would tune me out when I applied an aid that I actually meant.  We have come a long way in the past few months and I really look forward to this show season!