22nd February 2008

Rode for the first time this week today. With one thing and another I haven't had chance and yesterday he had his vaccinations and so I let him rest.

Anyway we went out for a nice long hack. We did lots and lots of transitions up and down and we did a bit of cantering too. I have stopped tying my stirrup to the girth and can't believe it today that my leg is in a definately better position and it is staying there. In walk now I don't have to think about it at all as it just lies in a natural position and in trot I just have to keep checking that I don't let is slide back. My right leg seems to stay in the right place but my left still keeps sliding backwards. Today I was doing just a couple of strides in trot and then back to walk and then a couple of strides and then trot again. Endy is much happier now and we hardly get any ears back at all because I try and keep my reins at a sensible length so that he has very light contact with the bit but I do have brakes. He is becoming more and more responsive to my voice and my aids. I try to hardly use my legs unless we are changing direction i.e. leg yielding or changing pace. Once he is going forward I leave him alone. It is definately working as he seems much more free and forward than he was.

My big problem now is that because he is much more free and forward he is also more fizzy. At one point he spooked at something going by us and we ended up bucking down the road which isnt good fun! Also when he is like this I HAVE to take a better contact on the reins because he shies or spooks or shoots forward and I have no control. I talk to him to calm him but I have to take a firmer contact to stop him jogging and then up comes his head. I try to do the three levels of the stopping aid as Trudi showed me but sometimes he just ignores it and brings his head higher and higher getting more spooky.

It's early days and I know it will take weeks to get him used to me not hanging onto his mouth but sometimes I don't feel safe and in control.

We did some leg yielding on the track and he is really good though I noticed that he is better going from right to left than the other way. I reckon this is something to do with my weight stopping him being able to step across so easily and so I am trying now to make a mental note of my position and how it changes when I give the aid for the leg yield.

I am feeling more positive and I can feel that my whole seat and body position has changed with my leg position changing. My body is taller and straighter and I am more centred and I feel that the weight is going down through my leg into my little toe. I am also looking up more as before I know I kept looking down and this took my weight forward and down.

Small changes make such a big difference and I can really feel the difference and I like it.