Lesson!

Finally got in a lesson on Neil today- everything has been so nuts with my jobs and my teeth and rehearsals that it had been quite a while. Kept it simple and flatted him, really worked to get him not to hang so on the right rein (and me the same). He's naturally very crooked to the left so we did lots of counter-bending and straightening exercises to move him into the outside contact, especially left but also right. His leg yields are coming, I just need to slow everything down more so he can cross better behind. But the canter transitions are so much better than six months ago, when he almost fell out of the dressage ring at Rohirrim! Amy is great at seeing the nasty habits I don't notice myself developing when I ride alone- yikes. So, onward and upward to a better contact and a straighter horse. And jumping with Debbie tomorrow!

I've been riding him in a D lately, which in some ways is better (steering, not coming behind the bit) and in other ways worse (bracing). He likes the double-jointed mouthpiece in the other bit better, I think, so when I have extra money (ha) I'll get him a double-jointed D and see how he goes. I need the right balanced of not-too-fixed so he doesn't hang, but fixed enough. He def jumps better in the D than the other, but I was thinking a full-cheek or a fulmer might be in order for his course work. We shall see tomorrow. I'm taking all my options with me, which means I need to clean them all, of course...yuck. But should be a fun trip! Lots to work on.