Post Lesson Re-Cap

It turns out I was pinching with my knee all the time, it just became more noticeable once I started sitting.  So we focused on keeping my knee pointed out while I'm posting.  I had to over-exaggerate a bit at first.  I was fine on a straight line, but as soon as I had to multi-task my knee pinched in with a death grip.

Licorice was a very good boy for my whole lesson (when is he not, I mean really....) and tried his best.  We had some really nice sitting trot and even a few decent half halts in the trot.

I also added in stretching up tall and pulling my shoulders back during the sitting trot.  It's so easy to want to just slump there and absorb the energy, rather than sitting tall and adding to the energy.

Then we went to canter and though our falling apart is less...spectacular, we still fall apart.  Licorice gets all revved up and doesn't listen to my half halts and my hands come up, my legs and arms freeze and we circle around at Mach 10 until I can get us back under control.

Once in the canter, we actually did some lovely work.  We're still finding the balance between half halting within the gait and moving to trot, so when I half halt we usually end up trotting because I'm just not as organized as I should be to keep him cantering after a good half halt.

Saturday is our outing.  I'm trying not to think about it too much and when I do think about it, I'm just trying to think about it in positive terms.  It WILL be fun.  It WILL BE FUN!!!