AHA!!!! Thank goodness for lessons

 Man oh man am I so glad for my lesson today. Lyric is probably even more glad. Ha! We were set to have a lesson at Ashland but it rained all night and the arenas were closed. They ended up opening the jump arena in time for my lesson but by then Jean had cancelled and then I guess Courtney cancelled and so I offered (okay, maybe begged) to have Jacel come teach me at the house and so she did! Which worked out just fine. 

I lunged Lyric for a little bit before Jacel got there and she was good. She started off a bit up tracking to the right but settled into a nice soft neck and back. Then going to the left she was almost always in a nice soft low neck and back. Not quite tracking up but very close. So then I hopped on and Jacel and I discussed where we were at. I told her that things were falling apart again. She was leaning/pushing into my left leg when we were tracking left and not listening to my leg aids. She was then bracing and hollowing and getting quick. And it was so frustrating because going the other way, it seemed to make sense to her. She was much more responsive to my leg aids. Jacel watched us for a bit and sure enough... it just got worse and worse. I got tight and started crossing the neck with my inside hand. She got bracey and quick. So Jacel made some suggestions but then asked if she could hop on. She got on and... I felt better because she had it happen to her too at first. I was like "SEE!!!! It's so hard and frustrating". And then.. it got better... and better still. Argh. Ha! But this is why I pay her. But she was able to help me fix it. She said that when Lyric went to the left, she fell in to the inside, which dropped her right side out from underneath her. And she immediately clamped her right leg down. Which was instinctual but was telling Lyric to go left... When she opened her right thigh, Lyric could then go to the right/outside. Ahhhh... 

So then I got back on. And it freakin' worked! Like a dream! Lyric was like "Thank you God for letting Jacel fix this because that was so annoying". Poor girl. She was falling into my left leg so I was jabbing her with my left leg to get her to go to the right/outside, but then my right leg was blocking her so she couldn't. No wonder she was getting quick and anxious and unhappy. I was shutting all the doors, and then not only that, I was also getting mad at her for not doing what I was asking. Sigh. Embrace the suck. (more on this later). 

So anyways... it worked. Magically! Once I took my outside leg off. Like literally thought about pulling my thigh off my horse, she could go to the outside. And she did. She listened to my inside leg. I had to also turn my tata's in towards centerline, which took my shoulders with it. And we talked about the rein aids too. She said she had even contact with both reins. It was just that the outside rein was slightly lower and wider and the inside hand was slightly higher. But even contact. So, like magic, when I did all those things... Lyric stayed upright, she went into the outside rein and into the contact and she didn't fall in. She drifted out on the circle. And her mouth got soft and happy and she dropped her head, and could start to lift her back. And she wasn't upset, so her cadence slowed down and she got more impulsion. It was lovely!!! Like seriously lovely!!! 

So we talked about embracing the suck. Basically it was a life lesson also. :) Jacel said that when things get awful in our rides... and they will. She's green. I'm an amateur. It's gonna happen. Rather than keep fighting... stop... close my eyes and feel. And either do one of two things. Try to make it worse and see if I'm doing something that is actually making it worse. Like today... okay, she's totally falling in to the left. My left leg is on... so... try to make it worse.. push her in with my right leg. OHHHHH... it gets worse or stays the same, because that's actually what I'm doing. Okay, so now try the opposite.. take my right leg off. Aha! Also... hold onto the truths. We know that I like to cross my inside rein over the neck. Make sure I'm not doing that. Now I also now that my right leg is freaky strong and likes to be on at all times. So when things get rough... check my right leg. Oh darn.. it's doing it again. Take it off! She explained that we embrace the suck in an effort to find what is sucking and then be able to fix it. It's not that *I* suck.... it's that today, my right leg is sucking. And probably tomorrow my left hand will be sucking. But once I figure out what it is, I can fix it. And usually, it's us. And it can be humbling, but if we're willing to be humbled, we can fix it. 

So then we cantered. I cheated and went right first. Hee hee. It was good. Like really good. Like she actually picked up the canter pretty quickly without running into it too bad and then immediately settled. I have to remember all the things... tatas pointing in, outside leg off, even rein connection, and inside leg on. And also, sit up! Quit perching and tipping. And we had a lovely canter and then I just breathed and softened the reins, and she came down into a nice trot. And if she got quick... I went through my checklist... Take my outside leg off, let go of the inside rein (shake her off with my fingers), lower my outside rein, turn my shoulders in, sit, and hold my core, and... she softened! Awesome! So then we went left. It wasn't as bad as I thought. She went right into the left lead canter and she had a nice canter too. We were a bit more quick after in the trot. Which is usual. I told Jacel I think she worries about it, but... given what my leg was doing, it makes sense. It took a lot more effort on both of our parts to get a soft trot after the left lead canter, but we did it! And it wasn't anything crazy.. just again, going through the checklist. And when she got quick, I could do a firm halfhalt with my core and my reins, but she settled into it instead of fighting me or getting quick. Because I wasn't closing the front door and both side doors at the same time. I gave her an out. Forward and down with your neck, up with your back, and out to the outside to balance. Ahhhhhhhh... 

We quit with that because... she was good and that was exactly what we needed. It's sooooo cool that all the pieces are coming together. Like... the things I've been trying to do while riding regarding classical dressage... what Gerd said... what Rana taught me... what Kelly taught me... what I've read and am trying to do.... it all fits! And Jacel said the same things... keep the communication in the reins... And she softened in the give. It's just.. magical! Such a cool lesson and feeling. And I think Lyric agreed! Poor girl. Hopefully she'll forgive me and I won't forget this for the next ride. Or any ride. I probably need to keep this in mind with Dan too. I don't think he's quite as sensitive as she is as far as that goes, but I'm sure it's there to a degree. And it's so nice to have another tool in my tool box. Especially because, me being somewhat competitive, I was starting to get a little angsty about how awful we were looking. I didn't want to revert back to riding her front to back...or having too much contact to get the "look", but... I was starting to doubt myself because she was going the opposite of how I wanted. So I'm so glad that I was able to feel a true connection today with a soft contact that was all about the seat/legs and her barrel and body instead of her mouth. Now I can stay strong and not let myself get sucked back into backwards riding. Embrace the suck. Give it time. It's gonna look rough at times. We're training baby horses... and it just.. sometimes sucks. But don't give up and go back to riding the way I don't want to. We can do it! 

Now I'm feeling much more optimistic about our first 3 phase at Ashland this weekend! Even that stupid canter on a circle for only 3/4 of the circle part of the test. Seriously... how unfair is that to baby horses? 

Anyways... no photos because we were having too much fun talking to Jacel, but... some from the other day :) Cause... Rainbows and sunrises!