Even the best learners can only fix 2-3 things at one time

The really great part about the two trainers I'm now riding with regularly is they tell me the same things, in slightly different ways... 

Dressage trainer: Are you trying to hide your aids from a dressage judge? Make it happen! 

Jump trainer: Being soft and light but kinda nagging and not getting it done is much worse than REALLY making it happen with an aid that is very visible. THEN you soften. It doesn't have to be pretty, it has to be effective! 

Dressage trainer: Don't accept that trot until it is through and bending. 

Jump trainer: MOVE his shoulders, really make him move and bend and follow you, don't settle for pleasant. 

Dressage trainer: Sit on your pockets 

Jump trainer: Lift your shoulders up, be tall 

And so on. It really is fantastic though, their teaching styles seem incidentally very complimentary of each other. During my lesson with the jump trainer today she was very pleased with the progress in the quality of the trot and canter. Whereas last time she was commenting that she really liked Yoshi's attitude, this time she was saying that he was going to be a really nice horse. 

We worked on looking at the jumps, moving him and developing the quality of the gait between jumps, and moving my hands forward towards the jumps. 

1) Looking at the jumps - as soon as you start planning your turn towards it, look at the fence. Maybe a quick glance to make sure you're not going to crash into anything else, but that should also be done through your peripheral vision. Then keep your eye on the top rail as it disappears between his ears. Done with a lift of the chin, this definitely wasn't the bad staring at a jump that I can be guilty of. This was planning so that in the future I'll be able to adjust the striding to the jump. She said it was all a lie that if you had the quality canter the rest would come together. I think this is where my years with Zing spoiled me. If I got the quality canter and straightness, he knew enough to get the striding for us. Green horse? Different story. She also said staring at the trees way past the jump was not helpful to anyone. Fair point. 

2) Moving him around - last time it was just land and go forward from the jump. This time she wanted me to start actually riding him between the fences. Asking him to bend to the inside, lift his inside shoulder, move it out into the outside hand, and then bring him uphill with a half halt on the outside hand. When we got this right it was SO much better to jump from. 

3) Moving my hands towards the jumps - the boogey liverpool was the second jump we did this time. He'd been eyeing it as we flatted around it, so I rode pretty aggressively forward. He did it, but she wanted me to be able to soften more as I rode confidently appropriately forward (ie not rushing him off his feet). So shoulders back and up and hands forward. It felt a bit like a leap of faith moving my hands forward like that, but he went every time and went straighter and softer than when I was holding. She definitely knows green horses! That shorter reins but hands up and forward (less of a bend in my elbow) feeling should happen with every jump. 

We did 2-3 loopy courses again. This time we added in a bounce line with 3 jumps as a bounce. He did well through that, but on the same line we did last time of crossrail bounces 3 strides to cavaletti bounces, he about fell on his face through the cavaletti bounce. She had me fix the canter in between and actually ride the 3 strides instead of passively sitting there hoping he'd figure it out. And sure enough he managed it much better the second time. We also cantered a baby oxer a few times until she was happy with the quality of the canter and therefore the quality of the jump. Looking at the jump, I could tell our striding was going to be wrong the first time. I didn't want to rush him for the long spot though, so we both waited. It was definitely short and awkward, but I knew it was going to happen that way, which I think is an improvement. The next time the long spot was less long so we went for it there. She said he was almost toasted and done at that point, but really wanted us to get it, so we put together a good canter again and then finally got it right. It was a great feeling. 

I asked about fixing jumping ahead, which felt even more obvious when I did with the looking at the jumps method. I said it felt like I jumped ahead about 50% of the time. She said it wasn't that bad and there were other problems to fix first - the three listed above were what she wanted me focusing on for now. It was neat to know that she has a definite system to getting things done properly, something that I've felt is lacking in other trainers I have worked with. There was a plan that we are executing, step by step, rather than just yelling something different about my position or his canter or striding after each fence.

She wanted us to come out and have one more jump lesson there before she wanted us to take him out cross country schooling. I'm hoping to set one up next week and do a two lesson week again (dressage Wednesday, jump either Monday or Friday) and then take the next week off from dressage but go school cross country with her and my friend and her green horse. 

My friend didn't make it out this time, so no media at all :-/ I'm not sure if the pivo would work in her big field, but I may try it next time. Worst that happens is it films the trees for 45 minutes.