The Nitty Gritty

I ended up with a private XC lesson with JT two days after our fun bop around trip to Majestic. There are no pictures (but there is video from my glasses... I need to spend an afternoon with my computer and sort out video editing and audio filtering - lots of wind sound - and then it will be a really cool thing to share here, it's already a super educational thing for me). 

Munching some hay (I was stopped I swear) and being a generally good traveler

She asked what I wanted to focus on, and I mentioned his bucking during the trip to Majestic as well as some feelings about how we'd done ditches at both shows. What we actually ended up doing was changing my galloping position so he didn't offer a buck the whole lesson. Not that it may not still be in his repertoire, and I have the appropriate response (a very unemotional half halt and tap with the crop before going back to status quo), but he really enjoyed the position change. Ben was so prone to traveling *not* in a straight line, that I ended up with a somewhat defensive, rocked back position. She wanted me not tapping the butt with my saddle every stride, with my butt further up out of the saddle and knees a bit straighter, the look the professionals have as they gallop by that just looks perfectly balanced. If anything, lean on the hands on the neck, almost with elbows extended fully, think CPR elbows, so that shoulders aren't particularly low. It should not be a grab mane to prevent butt falling back into the seat because then I'm relying on his mouth for balance. Feel the weight in the stirrups themselves, NOT jamming the heels down, but putting the weight into the stirrup and ball of my foot. "Slide your ass back another inch" was the general direction that I got and feeling that I needed. Hips lined up over heels. I got directions to practice that position while doing my canter sets. 

How is he so cute? 

Then we practiced that position while galloping. And the pony was much more willing to hold himself up and gallop forwards. He is VERY sensitive to seat aids, I found that out while riding bareback, so if I let my seat smack the saddle it encourages the stickiness and the bucking. This position also gave me a great spot to land in so that I was less prone to snapping back too quickly and catching him over the arc of the jump.

We warmed up over a few fences and then the smaller ditch, which went fine, then we put it as part of a combination. The same half halt, a slight jiggle of the reins while adding leg, that helped keep him straight when he got a little spooky to some barrels, helped keep his balance up during the line. It's not quite the push the reins towards the fence feeling that I had with Ben, it's a bit more half halt where my hands are. Certainly no backwards motion though. But that made the ditch feel much better. 

Next we played with some jumps on mounds. There were several options coming up out of the depression, first a small log, then a smaller uphill to a cabin, and then a larger uphill to a similar sized  cabin. We had one stop on the bigger uphill to the cabin, basically I didn't have enough energy, got to a funky spot, and he was struggling to sort out the terrain change. We walked around the back side of the jump and down the hill and then reapproached with feeling, and he popped right over it. JT said that on these fences, lifting the eye a bit higher than the fence itself helps to get the correct distance. 

We took a brief walk through the water and then headed over to the down banks. He very casually popped down the smaller one. When he went down the bigger one I lifted up with my hands a bit, which JT has repeatedly told me creates horses that launch off banks. Pushing my hands down and thinking crotch into saddle not seat bones into saddle helped immensely. Then I worked on half halting after the bank with slightly longer reins when we added a jump about 5-6 strides away The first time I just funneled with a wide hand and he went, but was down on his face. The second time I got the down bank position better and then managed to do a little jiggling half halt even with wide hands. He lifted up much better through his shoulders. At that point, pony and I were completely pooped, so we ended. 

It was such a good, productive school, it was nice to come out on a reliable pony and without an agenda of a looming show. We were able to pick the most important long term things and pull them apart. I feel like the position changes are going to be super productive for me and BB.