12/11/12 Lesson

Had a pretty good lesson today! Was so-so on my part but still good progress!

This will be short and sweet. I just want to critique myself a bit. One of mah besties came out and took video today, so awesome! It's been a while since I've watched myself. My other friend's grandpa took video a few weeks ago and I got to watch that today as well. So I have a better idea of what I look like and of what I want to fix.

My instructor is fabulous but it helps to see myself as well.

For some reason, when she tells me "hands down" I keep them at her withers. The jumps are small enough that don't require a bigger release and what I'm doing isn't popping her in the mouth, but it is something I don't like. Though, it has helped me stop throwing my reins at her. It's been a long time since I've done smaller jumps, figures they give me a harder time than bigger jumps, hahaha! It's a good thing I am going back to basics. Not only is it giving my young mare a better and more solid foundation, it's helping me get out of bad habits and solidify my own form.

Now that she is really working more on her own (she pulls sometimes and hangs on my hands but not nearly as often as she used to), I really need to work on:

1. Maintaining our canter tempo and keeping her forward and between my legs and hands.
2. LETTING GO--trusting her more (I'm getting better about this but still more work) and not holding/pulling her to the jump
3. Softening after half-halting. -- Sometimes when I half-halt her, she will pull and try to fight back. I need to remember not to give into the attention and fight she wants, but give her a firm half-halt or stop her and back her up. It worked today when she kept grabbing and pulling at the reins. She got the message after that.
4. What I couldn't stand the most watching the video, was while I was sitting up and tall, I wasn't sitting up and tall through my core. I slouched my head and let my shoulders come forward a LOT. Disgusting. It really disturbed me, lmao!
5. Snuggling up to her with my inner thigh through the jump instead of just my inner leg and "standing" with it. It's not too bad and easy enough to fix. I think that started when I was working on keeping out of her way and letting her figure out her feet to, over, and after each jump. Gotta work on that half seat some more!

I will admit that I have totally been slacking with really using my core like I had been. I think it's stronger now and maybe it just doesn't feel like I'm using it like I used to, but I am. If that makes sense?

So my homework for the week (I have one lesson a week) is to work mostly on 1 and 3. I am going to set up a line of canter poles, through the green jump in the video, to a single ground pole (that would serve as a mock jump--no actual jumping during homework) through those little standards with the flower box next to it. And one day of working on my half seat at the trot and canter.

You'd think with all the work in the past three months of one lesson a week, I'd have my form a bit better. Goes to show how much harder it can be to get your form back as you get older -_- LOL Jk, could just be my "skill" :p too!

Oh, and I think I am going to shorten my stirrups a hole. I like where they're at, it's comfy, but they need to come up, lol.

Anyway, video :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k17z164Z9WU