Back On Chance, the Wiggliest Ponay

I rode Chance at my lesson yesterday, he is the wiggly half-inch-short-of-being-a-horse-quarter-pony 6 year old that needs clear communication but is a really honest try-hard guy. We worked on leg-yielding, which is, apparently, a very elementary thing I was not aware of. But my instructor explained how to apply pressure to go forward and to the side, forward and to the side - while keeping the horse straight. I got it pretty quickly although I had to anticipate Chance turning. I was applying pressure with my left leg to yield right and D (my instructor) explained that energy should be transferred into my right hand, which keeps Chance from turning. I sort of got that, but it was hard to keep the contact with the right hand without causing Chance to turn right. I did find, though, when we were cantering, understanding the leg yield at the trot helped me to keep Chance on the rail, which was very difficult for me in the past. Soon I was cantering around the ring (short sides used to be a problem), without difficulty.

While I loved going over my first jump, it was nice to go back to working on the flat to improve things at the trot and canter. I can see how getting ahead of oneself in jumping could lead to problems. The leg yield will definitely help me with adjusting lining up so that I go over the middle of the jump!