Lesson 2 with Susan and we actually managed a trot. We started with a walking warm up going back over lesson 1. Working on my position and also on flexing her from one side to the other and softening her. We worked on halting with my seat which she obviously understood already and was superb at. We then softened just before we stepped off and I learned to give my hands forwards and up to encourage her to lift herself and power herself from behind.
Something I am mortified to admit here where it will be read but have to admit if I want this to be a true record of our progress is that I actually have been riding with my hands set still in walk and I do not move them with the movement of the horses head as it takes it's natural rhythm. I knew about the fact that horses move their heads in walk but I never did it.
We worked on teaching Tequila to lift her abdomen as I asked her forwards by using my lower leg and seat. By doing this I am developing thighs of steel but Tequila is changing her shape. She is starting to tone and lift her belly muscles and it is making her look more sleek and streamlined.
Susan then explained how she wanted me to ride 'patterns' ie a 20m circle on the right rein then down the centre line to the short side where I track left and do another 20m circle on the left rein then down the centre line to the track and track right and so on. By doing this I can work on corners, my position, her head and neck, her hind end and by repeating it I can work on it incrementally. As Tequila learns the patterns she learns the aids that I will use in each part of the school which will then transfer at a later time.
This lesson was really good and because we were working hard and I was thinking about patterns and hands and feet and diagonals etc I was too busy to think about the pigs and suddenly we found ourselves in the top end of the school without any problems... How did that happen?
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