Cone-jumping lesson #2

This morning we tackled the cones yet again. (This makes day #5, with the score Martha - 1, Willig - 3.)
Yesterday I didn't ride because I spent the last two days trying to hammer out a brief, and I wasn't looking forward to coming out and having cone fight #6. In fact, I was dreading it, and I was really, really glad I already had a lesson scheduled with Shannon so I could ride with her help.
I planned a bit of time for lunging, which Willig took full advantage of. He spent 40 minutes alternating between Mr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Let me give an example:
"Look at me, all handsome with impulsion and a nice working trot."
(30 seconds later)
"Eek! A cone! OMG! A leaf! EEEEEKKKKK!"
(30 seconds later)
"Would you like me to pick up the canter? Yes, ma'am."
(30 seconds later)
"Watch how much I can twist my back in the air while I'm bucking! It's like a horse somersault!"
Etc.
Etc.
We started the lesson a few minutes late because of that exuberance.
Shannon started us on the flat, where Willig strived mightily to spook at the cones while we worked on a 20 meter circle. This was the same old stuff I continue to work on - heels down, legs forward, sitting back, keeping my hands even (that pesky right hand!), prompt response to transition aids, keeping him bent to the inside.
Then Shannon set up cavelleti, which we walked over and then trotted over while going past ... the cones.
Then she set up just a single pole and we'd go over the 3-pole cavelleti, then make a different circle and canter over the single pole.
Then she spread the cavelleti into two, and we cantered through (past the cones), and then she turned them back into the 6" jump with the cone underneath.
All of this was fairly simple. He wanted to look at the cones, so I worked hard on moving him off my inside leg toward the cone, and making sure that I came in straight and kept him moving (not wiggling).
Then Shannon put her jacket on the fence. Oh, lord.
He tried to bolt, and she had told me what to do (STOP him, immediately), so I stuck him into the wall. Then we faced it and stood there, with his neck rigid like a giraffe. Then we took one step. And looked at it - him rigid and quivering. Took a step. He tried to weasel out to one side or the other - nope. Rigid and quivering. Took another step. Still rigid. Another step. Mr. Tense. Another step.
Oddly, as we got to it, he bent down to look at it and then just stepped right over it.
So we did that a few more times at the walk, then at the trot.
This led to today's big breakthrough:
When I get scared or nervous - like Willig has been being a total moron and we're coming around the corner towards a jacket that he thinks is going to rise up and disembowel him - I clench my hands. I am asking him to stop (and more, to run out to the right with that iron right hand), rather than encouraging him to go forward no matter what.
So Shannon had me hold onto the breastplate if I was nervous, and to come in with my legs in front of me, heels down (and oh man, that felt so nice and solid), leaning back, and then ... KICKING him to the jump when he hesitated.
It worked! When I encouraged him, even with my feeble, wimpy, scared kicking, he went over it. When I clamped my hands, he stops. Duh, Martha.
Then Shannon got the pitchfork, and at that moment, J and her mom arrived. Willig was busy looking at them coming in, not paying attention to what Shannon had done, so as we got to the fence, he was all "Holy crap! There's something new down there!" but by then we were on top of it, and so he leapt straight up into the air (what felt like 3') over it. It popped me way up out of the saddle and I kind of landed half on his neck, but stayed on, and provided a good laugh for everyone in the arena. And Shannon said that was a great response - instead of running or stopping or bucking or any of his bad habits, he went OVER it.
Which is lesson #2. PRAISE him when he gets over it, even if it's ugly. I'm slow and stingy with the praise.
Then she added the lunge line draped on it, and then a plastic bin, and then we changed directions, and then she made it a little vertical (from our 6" to 18"), and he handled all of that with his "ho-hum" attitude.
Lesson #3 is that the height is not a problem for Willig. It's the confidence and the scaredy-cat, so I went to Value Village and the Dollar Store and now every single time I ride for the rest of the winter, I am going to put something out and move it around and make him go past it and over it, and work on all this stuff on the flat (or over 18") until the lightbulb stays on that his job is to go over what I point him at.
I am so pleased that he made progress today. Lots of other horses were being silly later, and I was really, really feeling disheartened over how the last week went and what my goals were for him. Him catching on was something I really needed, as well as the tips on how to improve my riding. These are simple, easy fixes that I can see immediate results from, and I only hope that my tiny brain can retain them so we can continue to progress.