Jump lesson

Yesterday I had a jump lesson with Shannon. It was a good mix of work on the flat and some small fences, but working on those very important details. The take-aways: First, use my leg FIRST then my back for the down transitions. I have been doing better about remembering to use my back, but they still kind of tip forward onto the forehand and it's because I'm not using my leg also. Second, work on using inside leg to outside hand, plus outside leg, for the turns. I am still having trouble pulling my right hand and I need to pay a lot more attention to get this right because now I can feel what a difference it makes in how Charlie is going. Third, in my efforts to get a big canter out of Charlie, don't let him get all strung out. We had a few really good obvious examples where I'd let him get a bit flat instead of in his dressage canter (the hard part is balancing the big canter without the strung out), and we'd launch at the fences every time we were flat and strung out. But if I rode him in frame and balanced, we didn't have those launchers and had much better fences. Fourth, when and if Charlie spooks, I have to break the habit of turning him in a circle and instead make him keep doing his job. Then, miracle of miracles, today I finally felt draped going to the right in the canter, for the first time since I had vertigo at Christmas. The right side is still messed up, but I could feel the progress. This was a great lesson - I felt like some of the things Shannon has patiently repeated for the last two-three years are finally sinking in so I'm able to do them - and I can feel them (sometimes) before she says anything!