Beth - moving forward with the motion

I had a dual session/lesson with Beth yesterday, which was very useful.  Indoors, we worked on re-engaging the lower core (I have been compensating by rounding my upper back), and then separating the core from my legs, by doing egg beaters and leg circles (egg beaters are tracing the letter "D" with your knees).  Then we worked on the ball, on forward and back with the hips, but watching in a mirror to see where my back engages.  I need to keep focusing on little movements until my core gets strong again because I have been "cheating" at the movements, particularly, the plank roll up.  It is more rounded back, then weight over your elbows as you walk out.  I had to do these on my knees, unlike last time, because I wasn't strong enough to do them on my toes anymore.
On Charlie, we worked on moving from the hip joint - not the waist.  To prevent the forward/back in the belly, I can put one hand on my lower back or my "caliper" fingers on my rib/hip length to make sure it isn't changing.  It also helps to think of the "isotoner" - that I have a corset around my waist that is tightening.
Then we worked on controlling Charlie's speed from only my hips - making HIM follow ME instead of the other way around.  I could slow his walk down a lot, and Beth said that is a really good exercise for his core, because it takes a lot of balance for him to go slow.  I have less control over the trot, because I tend to get floppy after not much time, but I think that is practice.  This is to try to get the bouncing basketball feeling in the trot (energy cycling from his hind legs forward) instead of the driving onto the forehand (reverse energy cycle). 
Last but not least, I also need to be careful about rounding my shoulders and being behind the vertical.  I get a little behind and then don't move forward when I ask for the forward aid.  If I think of keeping my upper body on a track with his shoulders, it improves things considerably.
Beth noted that both Charlie and I need to work on the same muscles, which helped me appreciate why this has been so difficult.  Unlike the prior things we've worked on, now we're both working on it together.  It helps that Charlie is so incredibly responsive, so that I can feel when I do it right instead of guessing blindly. 

2nd dressage lesson with John - outside rein

Today was another eureka moment - my second with John (the first was when I looked down and realized that yes, indeed, before each fence I *was* pulling back on the reins).  Today's was the significance of outside rein and outside shoulder on a circle.
I haven't seen John in a few weeks, and I had two derbies at Aspen where I could feel the problem, but couldn't tell how to fix it, and I know it has to do with a bigger canter, so I brought my dressage saddle instead of my jump saddle to follow up on the last lesson.
We worked mostly on the circle, and it was still a bit out of my grasp, but I got it much better this time than last time.
First, my questions:
- Do not condition in the sloppy footing.  Work harder and for longer periods inside instead.  So do 6 minutes of canter work without a break, and do harder canter work than I would normally do, like 15 meter circles to a lengthening.  It won't help with the gallop work, but it is better than risking injury.
- To strengthen Charlie's back, more forward/back work is better, and then do short, elevated trot poles, like 3' maximum each, not just the trot/canter elevated poles.
- If I have the wrong lead in show jumping, and I only get half the change, then trot the first few steps of the turn, so I can come out of the turn on the correct lead.  Work at home on the simple changes (simple = canter, trot, canter) so Charlie knows he has to do it within three steps.
- John wants Charlie to be a bit more up and forward for show jumping canter than dressage canter.  So Charlie's dressage canter will have a bit more flexion (head down), but his show jumping canter will give him a bit more lift in his head to look at the fence. 
Ok, so we worked on the sitting trot on a circle, and what John had me do was moving Charlie's shoulders, so that he knows he can do it.  I would lift the inside hand to get him to stop twisting his head left; I would do a half halt ONLY with the outside hand, and I would ride the down transition from canter to trot with my reins a bit higher, instead of dropping them onto his withers.  I would also use my outside leg a little forward (up closer to the girth) and going to the right (clockwise) I would do some haunches in and then bend him to the right.  Bending him to the right was much harder than the left (surprisingly).
If Charlie started to hang on my hands, then I would ask for the half halt with my outside hand, and if he ignored it, then I would counterflex him to the outside.  This would make his inside shoulder pop up, so then I would go back to normal flexion.
When I half halted, it is very important when he gives, to then release the half halt. 
If he gets tight in his jaw, I can also give for a second and then take back.
I could, about half way through, suddenly feel his right rein, which I didn't realize I couldn't feel until I felt it.
I could also - eureka - feel that he would move out through his outside shoulder (if we were going right, he would move out through his left shoulder) instead of bending around me.
The hoppity at the canter is an attempt not to use his inside hind leg (usually going to the left, I think), and I think I give with the inside hand.
I can also, with the canter, open my inside hand, so that he can move his shoulder to the inside.
I still need a lot of work, but with John coaching each movement (i.e. sit deeper, use your inside hip, lift your inside hand, put your outside leg on), I could get Charlie centered and balanced.
What is amazing is how much John knows and how he knows how to tell you what to do when to get a specific result.  And not just that, but how to make it adjust - i.e. the difference between a show jump canter and a dressage canter and why.  And that he could walk me through the steps so that I could make it happen and feel it.  I definitely couldn't do it by myself yet, but now I know that I can do it, and with enough time with John, I'll be able to do it by myself, and even better, know when to use the tool and why.
It was great.  I am really looking forward to working on it.  I feel like just one lesson with John jumps me like a year ahead.  Looking back at the last three years, first - no wonder Charlie is reluctant to change - he's had three years of blowing out through his shoulder and not having to use his hind end.  Why would he think we're suddenly doing it differently?  But second, how much progress I've made as a rider.  Charlie is my golden ticket to figure out how to get a horse round and forward because he's making me learn it and work for it, but while being generous, willing, and responsive. I have to ask, but once I ask, he gives.
I am so, so lucky to have Charlie and be able to work with John.

Aspen Farm Ride & Review - Training Dressage and Jump

Our first outing this year was a brilliant, warm, sunny March day.  Charlie got sweaty!
Both my dressage test (Training B) and the jump round had the same suggestion as John - canter is too flat, and needs to have more jump (be bigger).
The dressage ride and review (which, by the way, we got a 9 on the first movement and our first 8 on the collective marks!!) suggested that I try 4 strides lengthen, 4 strides collect, 4 strides lengthen, 4 strides collect, to get Charlie better balanced and more attentive.  It actually seemed to work pretty well.
The 15 meter - 20 meter lengthen circles felt flat and angled (like a motorcycle taking a turn), and his stretchy trot circle wasn't stretchy enough, but other than that, it actually felt like a decent test.  Especially because I haven't ridden it since last August!
I didn't warm him up much for jumping because I didn't want to wear him out, so we ended up doing the cross rail, two verticals, one oxer, waiting a few minutes, then doing the two rounds back to back.  The good news is that the jumps weren't overwhelming intimidating.  The bad news is we got a rail down in the combination in the first round, then a rail down and the skinny down in the second round.  The good news in the bad news is I could feel them coming!!!
Jonathan said his canter isn't big enough, that I need to rev it up in the opening circle and down the long sides and in the big spaces - and the same sort of back and forth.  He also said I'm slipping my reins, so I need to try to keep the same length or get them back for the second half.  Charlie just crashed through the skinny in the second round - he didn't even try - but I had him at the wrong spot, shooting at it, and at an angle.  He did do a nice recovery though for the up and down bank.  I was pretty happy with it.
Charlie is such a good guy.
Dogs did well too.
I had a wicked head cold and wasn't sure if I was even going to go - my head was so stuffed I was dizzy when I got up.