So... we had a jump lesson today. And.. to be fair.. I did put Dan back on his full dose of Super Sport amino acid supplement... and he shouldn't be sore as we only rode the light ride Thursday thanks to this awful weather and yesterday being Mike's Saturday. Which means, he wasn't so super at JBF because of the previcox.
We got to Silverthorn today and there was no one there. So I hopped on and took a 10 minute hack in the trails to help warm us up. I got back to the arena just as Kelly arrived and...there was chaos! The farrier was there and one of the horses in the front field was freaking out because his friend was getting shod. So Dan and I went in the arena and Dan got HOT! Like, flung his tail over his butt and floated like an Arab hot! It took about 7 minutes for him to settle enough that we could get to work. He was BOINGY! Like.. I had a hard time posting even. ;) So once I could concentrate on talking and not.. posting without getting trampoline bounced off his back... I told Kelly what was going on. She said she was pretty sure the issue was that he was not in front of my leg. So we jumped a crossrail to start. And while he was good.... she did note that a few strides out, I closed my leg and nothing happened. Yes.. we didn't necessarily NEED anything else, but... what if I did? And if nothing happened when I really needed him to respond. *Ohhhhhhhhhhh*!! That makes so much sense. So... we went back to shock and awe. Because... when I softly close my leg, I mean go. And it was fun because at first..... you know, he was just running around the arena like a cracked out ... I don't know... salmon?!?! But he was good. And he even cheated... like I would close my leg and he would scoot, but only for a stride or two, then he'd suck back. Oh no sir!!! That's CHEATING! So then we got it and kept it. And I had to remember to not ask harder when I wanted more response... I had to keep my aids super soft and light. So we got that restored and then things were better. Much better. In fact, they weren't really broken anymore. Although, Dan was a little bit hesitant in the beginning and I could feel him taking 3 short upright bouncy strides rather than 2 moving up strides a few times. But Kelly told me to focus on the good.. stop worrying and immediately going down the rabbit hole. Here's the good. When he's in front of my leg, he goes. And... part of why he goes.. was because stuff was sinking in!!! When it got a little hinky.. instead of just going fetal or being passive, Kelly said my leg moved! I didn't pivot onto my knees.. I sank my weight down in the saddle and into my heels and closed my legs and that gave my horse the confidence to do it. YAY! Go me! I AM learning and retaining something! 
So we built our way up to a course and Kelly kept increasing the fences and we were fine. It wasn't perfect, but it was WAYYYYY better than last weekend. We got a little crooked a few times, but it was scores better in the straightness department too.
So here's my takeaways...When shit goes sideways... Stop.. breathe... don't fall down the rabbit hole.. Just ask myself... Is he in front of my leg? Is he responding to my leg when i close it? If the answer is no... well, there I go. THING ONE: IS HE IN FRONT OF MY LEG!?? 99% of the time.. that will fix my problem. At least at the current ladder rung we're on. (that's another good point... she said that it's a ladder... and many times we go up a few rungs.. but somtimes we come down a rung or two, but we can always climb back up!).
So then... IF, and only if, he is in front of my leg... THING 2 to worry about .... straightness. Most likely he is going to drift right, so Dab/Dub left... bring my right hand to the base of his withers (keep it LOW!! do not lift my hands) and open my left rein out to the side dramatically. Dig my right spur and calf into him. And he should stay straight. Think of it this way.. If he's not in front of my leg, there's no steering or power. Like a jet ski. If I'm in idle.. how easy is it to drive that thing? It's not. But if I add a little bit of power... I can steer so much better.
So yep... Get him responding to my leg aids... my super soft leg aids... and then go forward in my transitions so he knows I mean it. Then settle... keep his neck short (not too long), keep my shoulder blades loose, count, and then as we hit the "trajectory" of the jump... close my leg and go one mph faster each stride. As long as my leg is closed and I'm waiting... he can figure it out. I'm the cheerleader.. and it's his job to get the ball in the basket. 
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