8/25/07 Lesson - first lesson in almost three months!

We finally made it through my job being crazy, Bob training, Mercury's injury, and Bob training again - all leading up to the spectacular culmination of my first lesson in three months. And in contrast to my hopeful dreams - that all I needed was someone else to train my horse - it still hinges on me.
First - the amazing changes! I could feel how round Mercury was. It was like sitting on top of a rainbow instead of on a swing. He also moved in these big sweeping steps, and amazingly, it made him easier to ride. In the trot, he pushed me up and out of the saddle, and it was so much less work than posting up, trying to pull his back up with me. He was so balanced in the corners and on circles. No more 8' 2x4 going around a corner, this was a well-oiled machine. I didn't have to lean, or lift my shoulder up, or look down - we just coasted around the corners. And at the beginning, he was "coiled" - I could feel how the impulsion was coming more from behind, and how he was on the bit and not fighting me with his head. He's also riding with his flash two holes looser because it turns out my hard hands pull all the time.
Mind you - all of this is a mere two weeks of work with Bob - the first few days of which he only lunged! I am awed.
Ok, so our theme is "a new beginning." I'm pretending like I don't know anything, in an attempt to not start back up with my bad habits again. This pretension utterly failed.
My right leg flopped around like a wet noodle. I had almost no control over it. I even lost my stirrup once.
I leaned forward, I stuck my arms straight out in front of me like they were the arms of a wheelbarrow. We zoomed around the ring, and within seconds my legs were screaming, and they were useless little sticks to kick him forward.
I am not going to detail every single thing that felt wrong with me. It was a lot. It was depressing and discouraging and frustrating. I thought I would get on Mercury and we would just sail around and I would give up on ever doing the work myself and just cave in to always having a trainer clean up my horse. Instead, once again, it's the hard way for me.
This week I am working on walk, trot, peppy transitions, and a crisp halt.
I need to:
Hold my shoulders back - don't round them or slouch
Keep my upper body still - move with my hips, not my shoulders
Keep my elbows next to my hips - not like I'm waterskiing
Keep him bent to the inside
Half halts, half halts, half halts. Half halts coming into corners. Half halts when he starts to feel stretched out. Half halts to keep him on the bit. Half halts before we circle. Half halts for the hell of half halting.
Keep him MOVING. When I ask for a trot, he needs to leap out into a trot. Our new count for the beams in the barn is 16. 15 is just flying. 16 is our maximum.
Don't let him stretch out. This is going to be the hardest.
Don't hang on my hands. Half halt, let go.
In the transition from walk-trot, put my hands forward for a step so that I don't pull on his mouth and make him jerk his head in the air.
Let him rest a few minutes every 10-15 minutes of work.
Pet him while I'm working him so I don't knot up my hands.
Talk to him (nicely) and yell at him when he's bad.

Bob says he's definitely going to be able to do novice, but he's not sure it's worth the time to ride him up to training. He's worth at least what I paid for him. He said he's a good horse to keep the next couple years because I can keep learning a lot from him.
I don't think I'm going to show him again this year. I was thinking the final Happ's derby, but I'm too scared to ride Beginner Novice again, and I don't want to go back down to Hopeful.
Bob also said that his left hind leg does not move as far forward as his right. He said that we need some natural anti-inflammatories. However, Alice pointed out that he had almost three months off, then got ridden intensely for two weeks.

Alice suggested maybe the next lesson should start with a lunge. I need to learn how to lunge him better, and it might help me to ride on the lunge to concentrate on maintaining the feeling instead of going back to our lazy ways.

Mercury goes back to work today!

After what feels like agonizing months (oh wait, it was) of not riding, Mercury is heading back to work today. He's got two weeks of his month in training left with Bob, because he only made it two weeks before he pulled a shoe and then hurt himself. Alice said Bob will probably lunge him the first few days to get him listening and also why fight when you don't need to (a very good point that wouldn't have occurred to me).
He had no bandage last week, but turn out, and the wound closed up completely. You can hardly tell it was there now.
Yesterday, when I turned him out, he decided to act like my great dane (Stampy, who is just over one, and who goes crazy when we get into the wide open pasture and tears around with his lips flapping).
He reared straight up about 5 times and kicked his front legs out in the air in front of him. He did a 90 degree turn in the air with all four legs off the ground. He lept over things unnecessarily. He tore around and skidded to a halt. He jumped up and down in the air. He bucked about a million times. He'd be running and a leg would shoot out behind him.
Alice said he's showing off for Zenith (one of Kim's horses), who isn't interested in him. He only does it for about 5 minutes, then he eats grass until you put him back inside. He's a bit of a doofus.
I am still hoping we can make it to the final Happ's Derby (end of September), even if we have to go down a level and ride Hopeful again. But what might be more useful is if Bob will ride him that entire show. I've got to see how the next couple weeks go, then ask Bob about it. I've been taking a summer class, so my schedule actually stays pretty booked the next couple weeks until it ends. I think if I can get back into regular riding (and who knows how far I will have backslid with over two months off and only intermittent riding before that - I am definitely very, very out of shape), then we just need next season to get him used to the showing. That's what's got me nervous though - he gets excited, and the only way to practice is to take him places that get him excited.
Stay tuned! Hopefully fascinating progress coming soon. I have "cabin fever" from not riding so long ....