Dressage lesson - 9/12/07

Bob is busy the next few weekends, so I switched my lessons to Wednesday evenings. The chiropractor was out first, and he worked on my dog, Odin, and then Mercury. They both had some of the same areas tight, which was interesting. It always makes a big difference after he works on them - I can feel it in Mercury and see it in Odin. Poor Odin was really out of whack, which probably explains why he's been so slow and down in the dumps.
On Monday, Mercury pulled a shoe while I was riding him (he stumbled, lost his balance, and felt like he twisted his legs up), but the farrier was out this morning and got it back on.
My lesson was good. I had another "duh" moment. I told Bob about two simple things that are turning into big problems - reins slipping through my fingers and use of the whip. The rein thing is so simple I feel like an idiot for even typing it. Your thumb is your stopper. I always use my fingers, but I naturally hold them kind of loose, so I'm always having to tighten the reins back up. Thumbs tight. The whip is a little different - it is too long and heavy, so it doesn't balance properly in my hand. When I used Bob's whip last week, it was so easy to use. So quality matters.
We did the regular old walk/trot/canter, focusing on transitions and not letting Mercury lift his head (into canter) or plummet down (into trot), and trying to keep the impulsion coming from behind instead of hauling himself forward with his front legs.
For me, it is roll my shoulders to pull them back, lean back, and think about moving only my hips, not my upper body. I'm also pulling up my heels and my hands still move too much.
We did Beginner Novice Test A a couple of times, and I tried to correct things as fast as Bob saw them.
I can feel the difference from three lessons ago to now with the half halts, but I still don't do them enough. It's improving though, and I can feel better when Mercury is doing it properly.