Rinse, Repeat....

Poor Dan. It's hard work being him when it's a quarantine! We went for another lesson today.... (Apparently they are allowing outside activities as long as you don't congregate and keep your distance). Jess's farm is super private and Kelly and I kept our distance and wore gloves and decontaminated stuff. :) 

So.. she got on again and worked with Dan. She also cantered today and it made me feel a lot better that she had troubles with him picking up the left lead too. She said she thought it was harder for him because of that weak right hind, but that it was no excuse and he needed to pick up the canter and now. BUT... that we would give him an out by allowing his head to come up and his canter to be icky for a stride or two. But that he was being naughty when we asked for it and he threw his body around trying to avoid it. 

So then it was my turn. And FINALLY!!!! I know it's because she worked him first, but FINALLY I had an outside rein connection tracking right... which also meant that I didn't have to HOLD his head to the inside. We got proper bend with it in without me holding. And I could use my outside leg to keep him straight. It was great! We did a couple circles both ways and a couple of changes of direction. So... the key points are... First... forward! Second... straightness. Third... when he gets in that place, soften a hair and he should go forward to the connection. If he starts backing off the connection, or curling, or chomping.... push him forward! I can't make him come to the connection by shortening.. he has to go to my connection. 

It was a good ending and he was pretty tired, so we didn't do a ton and quit with that. Good pony!

Then on the way home I talked to Kelli and we had a good discussion about how this is really hard to go back and fill in holes but it'll be so important and make life so much easier when we go back to do the tricks. The tricks will happen so much easier and more correctly if we can fix these big holes. But we commiserated on how it was indeed frustrating and hard, but we can do it! Then she shared a great pearl that she got from her lesson that day. And it makes so much sense!

She said that when you are doing shoulder in... you want your shoulders to mimic what you want the horses to do and your hips to do what you want your horses hips to do. Yep... got that! So... tracking right... shoulder in means your shoulders turn to the right and your hips stay straight. So then, to turn that into a half pass right... You would THINK that your shoulders would stay to the right and then you'd add your hips into the right, almost bringing your hips to your shoulders. NOPE! This in effect, locks your right hip, shutting down the hind end of the horse. And trainers always add that they want you to use your right leg as a pole for them to bend around... again, always seems to shut down my right hip. So.. instead.... To initiate half pass... bring my outside leg back, keep my inside leg at the girth, but turn my shoulders out... to the left. That ends up lifting my inside seat bone, which allows the horse to step to the right... It allows me to keep the bend without blocking the horse, and it somehow allows their shoulders the freedom to cross over correctly. Makes a lot of sense! I can't wait to try it. :) 

Anyways... we ended up not meeting Liz for a trail ride after our lesson because... Dan deserves a breather!