The importance of the outside hand

Today we had a lesson with Shannon. Willig's time back from John's has been spent ... not working the snot out of him, but basically he's been on vacation. Out of desperation last week, I asked Shannon if she could start riding him once a week for me. I am slammed at work, and I just don't see how I can make more time in the week to ride him.
We worked on three things during the lesson: moving forward (but not strung out), bending to the left, and walk/canter transitions.
Thanks to the cool weather (in the 30's this morning, already!), some sunshine, and the pony club kids, Willig started out thinking he was going to find something to spook at.
Overall, the lesson was a roaring success because he didn't! He worked! But it also gave me an opportunity to work with Shannon on him paying attention to me, which sometimes involves a big crank on his head.
So first, moving forward. I give an aid. He ignores it. I give the aid and he gets smacked with the whip. He leaps forward. I reward. It's that simple. Yet I have been screwing it up by: a) giving the aid, he ignores, I give the aid, he ignores, I give the aid, give the aid, give the aid, he ignores. I give up. or b) I give the aid. He ignores. I smack with the whip. He leaps forward. I give the aid. (No reward!)
Honestly.
Second, staying together. This one is a bit more complicated. I give the aid, but I give sort of a half halt at the same time. I do this one better by feeling - he moves up and forward into my seat and my hand, and I kind of restrain him. When he rounds up, it feels divine.
Third, bending to the left. Well, this one was also my fault. I don't hold constant, steady contact with the outside rein (and I'm worse with my left hand, and so, coincidence? he is worse to the left). We worked on the spiral circles, and by worked, I tried to keep that hand steady and not give away the contact. Everything else is the same - using my legs, keeping impulsion - but when I think of planting my elbow on my hip (another good visual is thinkig of my arm as the side rein), I feel the connection and I feel him move into it.
Fourth, canter/walk transitions. To help him not be so strung out, Shannon started this last week when she rode him. Since we're just starting, they're ugly, but they're also a good example of how Willig actually does try to learn and do it properly. What's nice about these is it pulls a lot of things together for me. I have to keep that outside rein connected, then I push him into the outside rein with my inside leg, then I ask for the canter. He is trotting a couple steps (up and down), but he actually trots a couple steps when he's being naughty in the trot/canter transition, so I think it's progress. And after a couple times each direction, I can feel how much more collected he is.
Finally, with the things to look at, we did some big corrections, which really tamed the behavior. He was actually working with relaxed ears (as relaxed as his ears ever get) even with all the stuff going on out the scary door. It was me being prompt, sincere (a BIG yank), and then rewarding. I'll ride him in circles (or leg yield) past something scary, but I don't ever give the big correction and then the reward, and he really responded well to that.
This was a great lesson. At the end I was really happy, and again, I feel like this sort of progress suggests he can one day become an ok horse.
Along those lines, Shannon echoed John. He's not that much fun to ride and it's a total workout. For Willig's pride, I won't belabor the point, but it is reaffirming for me to hear that I'm not crazy because I find riding him to be a total chore instead of fun. We have maybe a few good minutes, if I'm really lucky, each day and that's it. Although he has been sweeter on the ground. Shannon also pointed out, something I was really glad to hear, that he's a pretty safe jumper. He isn't doing anything dangerous with his legs, he's just kind of lazy and distracted, and lazy isn't the worst thing in a guy as big as him. The distracted we really need to master before he goes to another event.