1st lesson with Mike - Spectacular!

My first lesson with Mike was tonight. Not only did it exceed my wildest expectations, but it was a roaring success given the state of my shoulder and hip after the fall last weekend. I wasn't sure I'd even be able to get on (let alone trot or canter) but I figured we had plenty to learn at the walk (I was correct) if we couldn't. I don't think I can even repeat everything we learned in 45 minutes just a few hours later, but I'll do my best. I am so excited about my next lesson - I think I am going to work really well with him.

- I have been riding with the noseband too low, which also makes the flash useless. The noseband should be 2-3 fingers below the "cheekbone" - up above the dip where the bone turns soft. My noseband was at least 4 holes too low. This also makes the flash not do its job, which is to hold the bit properly up against his cheeks. (I thought the flash was to hold his mouth shut.) I adjusted this as soon as the lesson ended, so we'll see how it works now.
- My bit is a baby bit, and I need to work him in a smaller diameter (I'm not sure that's the right word) bit. Mine is a big fat eggbutt snaffle, and he showed me skinnier loose ring snaffles. I tried to find one online, but most of them didn't have the "diameter" measurements. Willig appears to have the regular 5 1/2" width mouth. He said at 7-8 he should be ready for double reins, not working in a 3 year old's bit.
- My saddle doesn't fit right. He showed me how the gullet doesn't have a big enough gap (3 fingers tall), and how it pinches when I shift on his shoulder blades and on his back. The back of the saddle, with my big butt, was squished onto his poor backbone, not on the muscles that run on the side. (Contrary to what I've been believing for years, wider is not always better.) He loaned me a pad for the lesson to fold up under it (which made it feel tall), which I also haven't been able to find online. My riser pad (a Miller's pro-tek) doesn't look nearly fat enough but I'm going to try it next ride (when I also look at my jumping saddle to see if that one doesn't fit either). I didn't notice Willig changing his movement, but we were really focused on my position the rest of the lesson.
- I'm also riding with the saddle too far forward, sitting on his withers and on his shoulder blades. The front flap of the saddle should go behind his shoulder blade (so they can lift and move forward) and that was an easy 2-3" further back (maybe more) than where I've been putting it.
- I didn't have Willig's splint boots on (because it hurt too much to bend over) and he said to always wear them just because a splint is so easy to hurt and can so easily be avoided and takes so long to heal.

So after that humiliation - but extremely educational! - we moved on to riding - and only got as far as my position:
- The reason I think my saddle doesn't fit me is because I ride with my legs all hunched up like I'm jumping, even in the dressage saddle. We did a bunch of balance exercises to feel the right place (which of course, feels wrong right now), too far forward (butt sticks out behind) and too far back (fall down on your butt). If you stand up in the saddle, so there is a vertical line (shoulder, hip, heel), you should land on your feet if the horse disappears from under you. I ride like a rocking chair - with my legs too far in front of me. The front of your toe and stirrup should just be touching the girth - my ankle has been right alongside the girth - so that's actually a few inches difference, I think.
I can look down and see the long leg, but this is going to take some work to undo and refeel it, because I could stretch my leg back and feel it at the walk, but as soon as I trotted, my legs curled up again. Interestingly, the long leg didn't need a longer stirrup - it was just in a different place on the saddle (that looked more "right", looking down). Also, at the trot, think "lift my toe" not just "drop my heel". This felt crazy and wild and like I was going to fly out of the stirrup, but did make for a bouncy, shock-absorbing ankle that did NOT fall out of the stirrup.
- The other vertical line is bit to elbow, and you are usually in the right place if you can touch your thumbs above his withers. I need to work on that one too - I let my reins go too loose. (He said I also throw him away in all my transitions, so that's a future work on too, because I don't know how not to.)
- Then we took my stirrups away and felt the balance, then worked a bit on the sitting trot. At first, I sat it better with stirrups, but as we worked on it, I had a step here and a step there, where he said "yes!" and I felt it. It was pretty incredible.
The main thing I do is not pull my belly back to my spine - I flop forward like a beer belly. When I pull my belly to my spine, it makes my back go straighter too. But I have to keep telling myself and sucking it back. Putting the belly to the spine also puts my butt in a better place on the saddle. (After I correct all these things, we'll work on my shoulders and posture - eck.)
- Then we put the stirrups back and did a little bit of canter each direction. By now my hip was aching, my back hurt, and my shoulder was killing me, so I was starting to fall apart. When I have been riding, to keep my butt from lifting out of the saddle, I have been pushing it back and down - that makes me slide around in the saddle with each stride (because I'm clamping my thigh and losing mobility in my hip). Instead, if I (at the halt) drop my stirrups, lift my legs away from the saddle for a second, then drop them back down, it "plugs in" my sit bones (the ischia, I think). But then I have to also pull my belly back to my spine (so I don't flop forward with it). For just a second, I could feel Willig's back lift under me when I was thinking long loose thighs, plugged in, belly back.

So this doesn't do even 1/100th of capturing how well Mike explained everything and how many light bulbs went off for me. He explained WHY a change in my position causes these other changes, and I love that he gives homework and assignments. I also really appreciate him taking the time to start from the "ground up" and look over Willig and explain what was wrong and how to fix it and what effects it has. I feel terrible that I have been riding Willig in improper tack - it is a constant source of amazement to me that horses are so forgiving and keep working for us.

I got the impression that while we've given Mike plenty to work with, that he has some really good ideas once we start correcting the basics, of how to deal with my Willig problems (he said a horse gets neurotic if you keep it bottled up), and he showed me some natural horsemanship when Willig stepped away from me at the mounting block (something he rarely does, but decided to today when I was essentially one-armed). For that, Mike led him from the right side, told him to stop, and tapped him lightly with the whip when he didn't listen immediately. He says horses need to respect you as the herd leader. I also asked at the end if (huge gulp) Willig was too much horse for me and if I was going to ruin him, and he said that everyone ruins at least 3 grand prix horses before they can make 1, so the best thing to do is to get riding.

Future things to work on, in addition to my list of issues (doesn't pay attention, hard to bend to inside), is how to properly lunge with a surcingle and side reins. I really have no idea how, and have been reluctant to try and then make things worse with him. Also, sadly a ways off, is to work on the "metronome".

It's about a month before my next lesson, so if I work really hard, maybe I will be able to get my leg position a bit improved by then and do better with looser thighs and plugged in seat. Mike has had an incredible range of experience - he's ridden show jumpers, eventers, and now dressage, and I really like his teaching style.

Saturday I'm going to try to fix the ditch problem. Shannon has some black mats, so I'm going to "make" a ditch by putting out the mats, using my cavelleti holders, and putting out cavelleti, so I make a fake ditch. Then I'll lunge Willig over it until he's solid, and then ride him over it. Then the next time Tom is out as a spotter, I'll ride him over the real ditch out in the field. Once the footing firms up, I want to take him out and ride him at canter and trot up and down the hills so we get control and footing out in the open.

I'm really excited now! This is going to be really great for me and Willig. There is so much to learn!