New and improved rider pilates book is available for pre-order

Dr. Beth Glosten's rider pilates book is out!
The Riding Doctor
I can't wait to read it.  I found her prior book enormously helpful in identifying my body's tendencies and then providing the tools on and off the saddle to improve them.

Today 5 seconds ... tomorrow, well, probably also 5 seconds

But one day that 5 seconds will be a few minutes!
Charlie and I had our first lesson with Mike in a while.  It wasn't as bad as I feared, but it wasn't like we miraculously became rock stars either.
Lesson 1:  Left heel down, left toe up.  It takes a specific feeling in the back of my hip to get that heel down, but it is very different than my right leg.  And today's lesson showed it's not just the heel but my leg aids on that side too.
Lesson 2:  Get Charlie rounder.  Think "behind the vertical". 
Lesson 3:  Every time I am changing direction at the walk, work on turn on the haunches to get Charlie thinking about stepping underneath himself with his hind leg.  If he is reluctant to do it, do a head to the wall down the long side, turn it into a 20 meter circle with haunches in, and then a 10 meter circle.
Lesson 4:  Charlie needs to stop blowing me off.  He knows the aid, thinks about responding, and then decides against it.  He gets a sharp smack for that.  He also decided about half way through the lesson that he'd really rather NOT work, the way we've been doing things for the last year, than to work hard.
Lesson 5:  On the other hand, my leg aids need to be crisp.  One squeeze, he should spring forward, and then my legs stay off of him.  No more nagging and squeezing and contorting myself to try to get him to respond.  One squeeze, and then he gets a smack. 
Lesson 6:  Work on short steps, then longer, then short, then longer.  This works at both trot and canter.  At canter, we can also do a 10 meter circle next to the wall with a canter-walk-canter transition.  At trot, work on sitting trot for this.  Work on Charlie getting into shape so he can hold these for longer and longer.
Lesson 7:  Shorter reins.  I can't compress him if he's got his nose stuck out.  Similarly, don't let him fling his head up in the canter or plunge down in the trot.  He has to stay in his frame once he's in it until I let him out.
All of this combined made a miracle happen, and I could feel Charlie lift up in his shoulders.  Not consistently, but way more than we used to be able to do.  And it is so, so nice to ride him with that extra lift.  I can sit the down transitions (and he steps under into it, so it is smooth).  I could also tell a difference with being able to use my core muscles for the aids a lot better.  What I still can't do is control that left leg.  It has a total mind of its own. 
There were a lot of other little details - like on the right lead canter put my left shoulder back - even to the point where I look to the outside.  But on the left lead canter, make him bend left.  He had almost no left bend at all.  When he got round and forward, his neck also transformed into the swan neck instead of a plank neck. 
It was a great lesson, and gave me lots to work on with the good feeling that it's within reach if we keep working hard.  It was also really useful to recalibrate - what I think is forward and on the bit is totally not.  Charlie is good at tricking me and I am good at not asking him for more.

Charlie's soggy Novice round at Aspen derby

He was a solid, reliable champ, like always.  Gracious even when wet and after standing around a bit.