Increasing the depth is using outside hand and inside leg

 Because I was all frazzled about an upcoming appellate oral argument, I knew I was going to have trouble focusing, and so John only gave me a few things to remember. So I hopefully can remember them all.

First, when I pick up the reins, or make any other movement, I don't have to do it huge and abruptly. I like GRAB the reins and move jerkily. I can be more subtle.

Second, John suspects part of Duke's anxiety isn't so much from "noisy" hands (like I was thinking, after he had a few days with John and then had to "listen" to me), but from me giving too many aids too quickly. He said Duke isn't terribly responsive, so I give an aid, he doesn't immediately respond, so I give a different one. He said give Duke a second or two between aids, to make the communication about each aid more clear and distinct.

Third, we worked on making Duke more round (more deep). The aids are simple, but have been elusive for me. It is getting the correct amount of inside bend, holding inside hand steady, and then doing squeeze/release with outside hand to make him round. And inside leg to that hand to keep him moving forward, and then sometimes outside leg to keep him from bulging out on the circle instead of going round.

So. Simple.

Yet has been completely out of my grasp until yesterday.

We also talked about Duke's incident at Caber 1.0 and why it wasn't the same at Caber 2.0, and what to try different. We both agreed that last year's approach (lesson Wed, John rides Thurs, I ride Fri, lesson Sat) helped me learn much more quickly than just lessons twice a week. There was something about riding him after John rides him that really helps. John thinks I'm just more confident in my feel, but I think that Duke "talks" to me better after he's been ridden by John. We'll see if that helps.

A few days with John, and it's like riding a different horse

 Duke felt completely different today. He was balanced, he didn't chew on the bit, he didn't yank on my hands, I didn't have to nag him with my leg, it felt like his back was lifted. When I gave an aid he responded. I don't quite know how to describe everything that was different, but he was so easy and comfortable to ride. He didn't plunge towards the fences, it felt like we were going slow but we covered the ground.

John says for the show, to ride him in his jump bridle, that he likes it more, to leave him at Caber, he thinks it helps with Duke needing to pee, to wear the ear nets, and if he stops, to drop my legs out of the stirrups to try to surprise him into thinking I'm getting off. He said Duke can't learn that it's ok to stop and then he doesn't have to work anymore. (Although I also should have gotten back on him at Caber and just ridden the holy shit out of him in warm up.)

John said he wore ear nets (no real difference, because ...) Duke didn't really act up for John. He got tense once, but that was it. John says he thinks Duke is clever enough to know the difference on who is riding him, and he does what he thinks that rider prefers. Like John likes to add a stride and I like to lengthen. 

We did a little warm up, where I had to get him more round, then jumped a little cross rail, a vertical, and then a baby oxer, then an oxer 4 strides to a vertical (the first time we did it in five) on a bending line to the right, then oxer 5 strides to a vertical, and then oxer, 5 strides to vertical, right hand turn to a hard right turn to an oxer, 2 strides to a vertical, left turn, angle the oxer hard for a straight line to a vertical.

Duke was smooth and easy.

So I don't know if I'm mad or happy. Maybe a professional (or a better rider) could ride him. And if he's smart enough to not do it with John (granted, not at a show), then if we can just figure out what I'm doing that I need to change (too busy with my hands? inconsistent aids?) it will make Duke happy and me a better rider. But riding him feeling this good was also good/bad because I realized how stiff and unpleasant he is to ride most of the time.

John said the big thing on the flat was that Duke doesn't want to do the final bend. He gets stuck and gets mad and John just had to push him through it - make him bend and keep asking, don't give up.

For jumping, he said Duke wanted to grab the bit and rush at it (not quite those words) and he had to be patient. He said he was like "look asshole, you know how to put in a stride".