This lesson, I got to ride Nibbs again.  Honestly, he's only been here a few weeks but like, I can already tell I'm going to miss him when he has to leave.  

I had my lesson with James and Vivie in the indoor arena.  James rode Cordell again, and Vivie was on Riggs.  I haven't seen Vivie in awhile and it was good to see her.  I think she took a break for a little bit. 

I was the last one to mount.  Nibbs almost made it standing still when I went to mount, but he moved just a couple of steps forward.  My trainer was like "He almost made it."  Then she told me what exercise to start with.

She had me go on a circle in the middle of the arena, although not on the circle of poles, because the circle of poles has not been set up for several weeks now.  In fact, my trainer used the poles to mark off the muddiest corner of the arena so we'd know where it was and not try to go through it.  (It'd rained this last week.)  

She wanted me to start asking for Nibbs to reach for the contact and also give to the bit. She said that, while we haven't been doing that at the beginning of the ride, Nibbs is ready for it now.  

We did pretty good with this.  Some tips my trainer gave me was to use my inside leg and not let him slow down on the circle, as well as lengthening my reins a bit so that when Nibbs gave to the bit I had more room to reward him for it.  Nibbs knows how to do this, he just has to be reminded.   We actually did this pretty well going clockwise and counter clockwise, despite having to work on my 'bad' side.

Once Nibbsy was giving to the bit, and doing pretty good, my trainer told me to pick up a rising trot going along the outside of the arena.  I knew my trainer wanted us to have a good working trot going, no slowing down, and while she didn't say it, I think she also wanted to continue work on getting Nibbs to reach to the bit.

So, we trotted around the arena, in both directions, for several laps.  Once or twice, my trainer commented that she liked the trot we had going.  

Then my trainer told me to pick a place to circle and start doing the same thing we'd been doing at the walk to ask him to give the bit.  I didn't pick the best place to circle, about cut poor James off, and the circle was smaller than the one we'd made at the walk... But we made it through.

My trainer made it clear that the way to ask Nibbs to give to the bit was to use my inside rein and inside leg.  She focused on my inside leg especially, apparently I wasn't using it enough, and she kept telling me, "More inside rein, lift it up."  I was using the inside rein indirectly, and she wanted me to keep a steady contact on it as I did. 

I also figured out that just because Nibbs might be bend really well to the inside did not mean that he had given to the bit.  It just meant he was, well, bent to the inside. 

Finally, Nibbs did give, and I let the inside rein go as a reward.  But it only lasted for a bit, and then I had to keep on asking him until he gave again.  When he gave and started holding it, instead of just popping right back up, my trainer was well pleased and had me bring him to walk as a reward.  

One of the problems I have with this type of work is I'm not sure just how much rein and leg I have to use to get a response.  Shorty, beings that we did this sort of work all the time, knew what I wanted and would give easily to me, almost too easily.  But Nibbs is different, and I don't want to overdo the amount of aids that I need, but how far do I go to get a response? 

My trainer reassured me that the possibility of me using too much rein and leg was low, and that if I did, the damage wouldn't be bad.  

After that we took a halted break.  Vivie had been working on rising trot with Riggs.  And James was beginning to learn lateral work, and how to move the hind feet and front feet.

My trainer said that, if you worked a horse in a lot of lateral work, they'd get a bit too responsive and supple.  Then, you had problems getting them straight if you weren't sitting in the exact center of them at all times.  I have done this with Shorty, and it is frustrating.  That's why you want to make sure you let a horse go straight often inbetween the lateral work.  On the other hand, it is neat that they can get that way. 

After that break, my trainer had me put Nibbs back on the circle in trot, this time going clockwise, and start asking for him to give again.  This time she didn't supervise me as much.

Having a better idea of what I needed to do, I was more persistent with Nibbs.  And he gave to me well and held it.  In fact, I started letting the rein out a bit while trotting and he took it and stretched down to meet the contact.  I was pretty sure this was exactly what my trainer wanted,  so I let him come down to walk and off the circle.  That was amazing for Nibbs to give to me like that, it shows his improvement since he's come here. 

I don't remember if we took another break or exactly what we did...  But my trainer told me to canter Nibbs around for a bit to warm him up, and then she was going to set up a bounce grid for us.  

I just adore Nibbs's canter, I don't know what it is but man, it is nice to ride.  I can just sit up there, and rock my pelvis back and forth, and that's all I need to do to keep up with it.  

We cantered two laps going clockwise, came down to trot, made a change of direction, and cantered another two laps counter clockwise.

After that, Nibbs and I sat there watching as my trainer set up the bounce jump.  Using the arena panels along the back wall of the inside portion of the arena, and two cinder blocks, she set up two one foot high verticals spaced just shy of the length of one of Nibbs's strides.  

A bounce jump is where the horse lands in the middle of two jumps with his forefeet, then lands with his hindfeet where his forefeet were as he jumps the next one.  There is no steps taken inbetween the two jumps, that's why it's called a 'bounce' jump.  The horse has to jump twice in a row.

My trainer told me to just stick next to the arena wall, and Nibbs would take me through it.  Also, to just stay sitting up in two point, not to throw myself forward, especially in the middle part of the jumps because then I just might fall off.  And also that Nibbs would most likely canter out from the second jump.

The mud puddle was there, just a bit in front of the bounce jump set up.  Coming from the left, I wasn't sure how to steer completely straight to the line of jumps, and I didn't have a good trot going.  Thus, Nibbs said no, and stopped at the first one.  I got him over that in walk, only for him to duck out on the second one, so we had to back up and come over it.  

Coming around the second time, I was like, "Nibbs, let's go."  And Nibbs went.  

I was careful to stay up in my two point, and guys, it was so fun to feel him jump!  If you'll just stay in two point, and keep your hands on his neck while staying tall in your upper body, you can feel him jump underneath you.  It's just...  I don't know, it's just fun! 

I came around three times after the first refused jumps, and each time was good, except for the last one.  Nibbs's nicked the first jump, and it came down.  My trainer said that was because he wasn't as careful as he should have been coming into it.  Then my trainer had us take a walk break, in which I let Nibbs stretch out.  

I didn't think we were going to do anything else after that, but then my trainer told me do it again, this time coming from the right.  

Coming this direction was easier than going the other one because I had more time to line Nibbs up to the jump.  In fact, my trainer didn't really say anything to me, she kinda left me to my own devices as she explained to Vivie about Riggs's wanting to go around with her head down. 

I jumped five times this direction.  I could feel myself wanting to fall forward in my two point, as well as let my lower leg swing back.  I tried not to let that happen, knowing it wouldn't end well if I did.  And overall, it just felt amazing! 

After the fifth jump, I called it good and let Nibbs have another walk break.  By this time in the ride, he was really stretching out good, especially for him. 

And that was basically it for that lesson.  I finally got to jump a grid, which is something I think my trainer has been wanting to show me for the last couple of rides, but something always came up.  It was good fun to ride, and I definitely would like to do it again.  

Actual lesson 8/2/2022