I would be honored to ride the pony

One thing I love about my instructor is her ability to challenge students with different abilities in a group lesson. My friend who is a beginner to riding at 32, joined myself and a high-school aged student who has been riding for 3-4 years. The two of them were on Tony and Calvin, who are considered school masters.

I was on a 13hh 5-year-old pony with loads of natural talent and a former propensity to do the dirty-stop-and-spin. He has been under extensive training after other students have refused to get on him. I can't say he scares me. I wrap my legs around him and I'm not going anywhere.

He did teach me to stop bad behavior faster, though. The minute I could feel him starting to back up instead of go forward, I had to turn him out of it before he backed right into one of his friends. I wasn't able to get him to stay straight heading towards the first jump. He was so wiggly! But once we popped over a cross rail I could tell he would be fun to jump higher. And heading to the second jump I noticed the impulsion straightened him out. I'm not sure if that's cheating - I should be able to keep his body straight at any point, but it certainly made the jump nicer. Though he's got a narrow barrel, he's pretty solidly built, so I don't feel too big for him.

I'm excited to get on him again and work on my steering challenges. It's fun to be contributing to the saddle time to get him ready for the younger riders. Naturally, before I had even gotten on him my instructor had cantered him around the ring a solid amount of time to make him tired to make him ready for me. But I still feel like I'm moving up the chain!

Turn on the haunches

"Did you feel his legs cross over under you?!"

Um yes...kind of?

In a private on Saturday I worked on turn on the haunches. We trotted on the rail and then changed reins by turning towards the wall. If I didn't pulse properly with my leg and half halts, we lost momentum or got stuck. I got it some what, but we need to keep trying to smooth it out. And maybe more importantly, I need to recognize what the right movement feels like: The horse's hind legs crossing under him.

We also worked on spiraling in at the trot. The focus here was on not leaning. I don't intentionally lean in, the horse does, so I have to overcompensate by leaning out to keep our balance. It feels like I'm overdoing it but I'm assured it looks correct. And I'm beginning to feel it's correct.

Angelina's first dressage eureka - feel is everything.

After that half of the lesson, we worked on collection in front of jumps. We always work on this. Perhaps we always will. Linda, my instructor likes to point out what I've probably said here many times, in different ways:

When I am on a straight path to the jump...

...and the horse is straight...

...and I half-halt to collect him and have a good rhythm...

...and I hold him off until I squeeze at the base of the jump...

...and I don't fall on top of him, or get ahead or behind...

...and sit up after...

...he does a beautiful jump that he could do over a cross-rail or over 3'3" AND he lands on the correct lead.