Lesson Mania

Lately, the only way I've been able to ride is if I take a lesson. Because then I won't fill it up with clients. Sigh..... so much for studying acupuncture either. (And yet.. I"m typing this blog instead of studying..... but you know!).

So we had our lesson with Cindy Tuesday. It wasn't great. It wasn't horrible. There were a lot of good moments. We had some AMAZING trot work!! Like really floaty and pretty trot work. But Dan was just so distracted that day. It was like he couldn't be bothered with what I was saying. Like a kid on his phone. He wasn't being bad or naughty and had good energy. He was just way more interested in what was going on at the rail, what Joyce was doing, what Sunny was doing, what Marcus was doing, what was going on in the washrack, and just couldn't really pay attention to me. I was a pesky fly bothering him. :) 

But it was good. We worked through it and like I said, there was a LOT of good. We couldn't do the 3 loop counter canter but we did some good serpentines to X with no swapping. And I still do love my saddle. 

 Today we had a jump lesson with Beth. It was great!!! I told her that I was having troubles with my position and that Danny and I were having troubles getting to verticals. We could see the "spot" to the oxers, but I couldn't quite manage to get him packaged and keep him in front of my leg enough to the verticals to have a nice jump. So... we set one jump up in the middle of the ring and went to work. 

And somehow it was glorious!!! It had started to sprinkle and Danny was all fired up. There was no major antics but a few porpoises thrown in here and there and some subtle spook and bolts. But it was great because he was in front of my leg. :) 
We talked about two point, three point, and the half seat. Then Beth had me do it standing still and then again at the canter. Three point was sitting. Then in two point she wanted me to really push my butt back and that pushed my legs forward. Then for half seat, she had me just roll my pelvis up and bring my shoulders up and back a hair. Ohhhhhhhh!!!!! I think that's what I figured I needed to be doing, but wasn't quite thinking of it that way. I was rocking my belly button or something with Kelly. And getting it, but this kind of really helped it sink in. (Apparently I'm REALLY SLOW when it comes to putting all the pieces together. And I'm sure I'll forget it all and have to relearn it next time). We started over the vertical but Danny was wild and so it was hard to focus on me and not the rocket launched underneath me. After a few trips through he settled enough and it got easier. 

So then we upped it and Beth had me do some figure 8's. And it got easy! My leg and seat position was actually pretty good. So then I focused on my hands a bit too. I was doing okay but sometimes I was holding to and over the fence instead of half halting and releasing. Which meant that Dan hung back on me and we took the rail. But we managed to get it. 

Beth upped it a few times and towards the end it was at training level height!!!! Danny was jumping great and we were getting it!! Though the last few times through he jumped me out of the tack! He got so nicely to the perfect spot and was so nicely rocked back on his haunches he just sproinged!!! I couldn't help it! It flung me out of the tack and over so my leg position went out the window. Beth was laughing, I was laughing, and I think even Dan was laughing! He was a ROCK STAR!!! :) hee hee. His words! ;) 

But yep...it was a lot of fun. I think I'm going to have to burn that into my brain because it was fun and easy. Now to just keep the position even when he rocket launches :) 

No jumping pictures... just after shots. :)