Patience, young jedi, patience

I started out whining this lesson - not an enjoyable quality in anyone, but particularly a waste of my valuable time with Mike. Willig was a great horse yesterday, a good horse two days before that, but kind of an idiot the day before those days, when I ventured out on the trail for the first time this year. And by idiot, I mean about 200x better than when I got him, but still not what I want him to be. And I just felt worn down by how far he has come, and how far he still has to go.
So the take away messages were:
- Continue to be patient. Working him slowly, building his confidence, not pushing him too hard - working hard on myself - all of those things are making improvements in him by leaps and bounds, so being frustrated because he's still not a rock solid eventer (and never will be, although Mike things he will progress outside and with fences just as well as he has with dressage) isn't really fair to him.
- Continue to work without stirrups. (Does that even need to be said?)
- Continue to work on the hip-opening feeling. This is actually uncomfortably stretchy, and I have to think about lifting my leg off the saddle, pushing it back off the back of the flap, and then holding it there. Whenever my knee touches the knee roll, my leg has gone too far forward. This one is going to take some effort to make those muscles open up.
- My left shoulder likes to tilt forward. I have to think about pulling it back (which makes me feel, when I'm going right, like I'm looking behind me).
- I need to work on some details, but we have most of the movements for training level tests 1 and 2 down. And I am going to ride them at Mike's show at Forest Park coming up at the end of June:
http://www.mikeosinski.com/images/olympia2010prizelist.pdf
http://www.mikeosinski.com/images/2010DRESSAGEINTHEPARKENTRYFORM.pdf
http://www.mikeosinski.com/

The more detailed version.
After my whining, where Mike asked specifically how Willig was an idiot (and in having to explain, really, guess who the idiot most of the time is? I suspect I have improper expectations, but in reality, I've just lost my nerve, and it actually shakes me up more that I lost my nerve than the actual losing of my nerve), we did both tests.
Willig dropped the canter a couple times, and I have a terrible time seeing the 20 meter circle (I am going to start measuring it out and putting the cones out until I feel it properly), and
- I need to give him 3 strides ahead the heads up that something is about to change - NOT ONE! - When I tell him something is about to happen, we can hit the timing perfectly. When I don't give him enough notice, surprise!, he is a couple steps late.
- It is also ok to sit before the transitions. So just before the corner, start sitting for the transition that will be at A or C. (And start telling him just about then too.)
I have not been understanding what a free walk is. I throw the reins away and doodle along. It is a neck stretching down, like he's grazing, and I keep the contact to remind him "hey!" with my fingers if he pops his head or looks at something, all while encouraging him to move forward with the left-thump right-thump left-thump right-thump. It is not a wide hand pulling his head down to his knees, like I have been doing when I want his head down but "loose" reins. Once he knows what I'm asking, he's nice about it, so I think we can cure this - I've just been doing it wrong.
I need to get my heels OUT OF HIS SIDE and think about my thighs going back off the back of the saddle, but my toes lifting and heels being down. ARGH!
The leg yield out is improving nicely, now that I am feeling where his feet are (inside hip forward, like at the top of a nordic track, is outside hind leg lifting at the walk; at the trot, it is the thump of my butt into the saddle).
We also worked a bit on the proper feeling of the trot - not his dragging around lazy, but a thump thump go! feeling, and then the short side and then a thump thump go! feeling.
The salute is also a 5 step thing, that I never knew how to do (Mike taught me last time, but refreshed this time).
So after all that work, the two dressage tests, and a pep talk, then we went outside and I just rode a couple laps, just as nice as inside, in the outside arena.
Mike said to keep doing that. Next time go a couple feet further. Then a couple feet further. And then, before I know it, we'll be able to work the whole arena.
He said it's ok to keep taking him on trail rides - that any horse looks at the movement in the woods, and that Willig has been quite nice while Mike is watching. (Tom was there for part of the ride, and also observed when I got home that Willig seems to respect Mike and not act up while Mike is watching; I'm going to guess it's that I relax because Mike is watching and can focus on riding instead of worrying about what Willig is going to do).
All in all - another lesson chock full of things to work on, massive improvements, and more goals. And a VERY well behaved Willig, even though I got out there too early, made him wait for dinner until after the ride, and I was a bit scattered today.
I was looking at the dressage tests, since I've kind of given up on the idea of eventing this summer, and we have a lot to learn. Mike thought we could do up through Training Level 4, but I don't know what some of the movements are in First Level, so that is my new goal, is to get solid in Training Level this summer, and start working for First Level for next year. And continue to patiently expose Willig to new things so that maybe next year I can ride him BN.
Also - in filling out the entry form, I had to dig out his records. I forgot that I got him when he was 6. No wonder I scared him with the fences. I set us back probably way more by assuming he was ready and able to do things he wasn't. It helps me look at how far he's come and try to learn some good lessons from it. I hate the thought of having wasted three years of his life.