Back over fences!

In my lesson with JT this week, Yoshi and I got to jump again! My ride at home Monday was much better than the one two days prior. Probably part that I gave him a break, and part a determination to hear JT in my head as I rode. I have a tendency to go "Oh, lovely, you bent a little bit" and soften and throw it all away. Right now to actually get him to RELEASE his neck and lift his wither, he needs to be a bit overbent. Not ridden that way for more than 1/4 circle or so, but giving enough to actually blow his nose and soften. On Saturday I wasn't getting him that far and never really got the softness that can follow that. Monday I actually kept asking gently until we got there and got a bit more loose through the neck when he was correctly bent after the overbend. 

As I got on to start my lesson, JT said "Unless you guys have seriously regressed, I think we should jump today." How's that for a threat to make me ride well! We actually got the best canter we have, our departs to the left were much improved. 

Jumping we kept it very tiny and with lots of related distances to make him sit back and think on his own. He felt mostly like jumping a different horse, less flailing and diving DOWN over jumps, more sitting up and back. She kept emphasizing push the hands/reins at the jump, and a few times it was just lovely as I was able to do that and he held himself up and then sat down to lift. 

He's also in a regular cavesson now. His micklem had rubbed him in a few spots, so I switched it out for a Bobby's Bridles dressage bridle that is decidedly the wrong size for him - the noseband and cheekpieces are on the highest holes. But he seemed much happier in his mouth with this on instead even with the same bit. I'm not committed enough to the regular cavesson to shop for something that is cob sized because this will work in the mean time, but that may be in his future.