So, for this lesson, I was on Mariah.  (I had another lesson, actually, before the year ended, but it won't be recorded in these journals.)  Only James came to have a lesson with me, and he was on Rugar.  We rode in the indoor arena.

When I mounted, I let Mariah have a long rein and walk out for a bit.  My trainer told me to do something that she never has before.  She told me to lift my foot in the stirrup so that I was still holding the stirrup in place, but not much more than that.  It's an interesting sensation.  But, she said this makes it really obvious to the horse whenever you want to turn, and it does.  If you put weight down into the inside stirrup, it's more obvious to them.  Plus, if you're jumping and you have weight more on your inner thigh instead of the stirrup, it can come in handy when it comes to make turns while on course.

After she told me that, I did some circles on Mariah, and she was really onto me.  It was lovely.

Then my trainer told me to go up into the trot, but as I was asking for the trot, I wasn't to shorten my reins from where they were (I could after I got the trot).  Mariah might get squiggly, but I was to keep asking.  She didn't get squiggly, and it was a pretty nice trot transition.

I did shorten my reins, but I didn't pick up a contact with her.  We went around in a nice, if slower, trot and did some circles.  Again, she was sensitive to my weight and leg aids, it was so nice.

We came down to walk and she began to stretch out, and my trainer had me give her a break to reward her.  She said I was doing well with using my 'triangle' of reins when they were long.  I hadn't been thinking about it, but I guess I was.  

After the break, it was back to trot going the other direction, but with a twist.  My trainer wanted me to try to get a longer trot step without breaking the rhythm.  When I was asking for that, she had me turn my toes in more and ask a little each time I sat.

I started to post bigger at one point, but she said it wasn't time for that.  Then she said I needed to ask when I sat and then post as big as if she gave me what I was asking for.  So, if I asked for a little more trot step, I'd post a little bit bigger when I rose, etc.

We did several rounds of lengthening the trot, and it was interesting because the rhythm never changed much, but I could feel how her trot would get a little different.  My trainer had said in the beginning that we weren't going to try for an extended trot, we were just trying to get a good working trot.  But, Mariah was doing so well, she told me to keep on asking because this was too good a chance to pass up.

So, I started asking, and kept asking.  She began to speed up out of the rhythm at one point, and my trainer pointed it out, and told me to check it with my posting.  I can't describe exactly how I did it, but I checked her, and right after that we had the trot my trainer wanted.  It was a real, extended trot.  Now, she wasn't in frame or anything, but it was as good as it was going to get at this stage.

So, that was really cool to get, and to be able to put my leg on her without her squirting off or me having to have a stronger rein contact with her.

After coming down to walk and taking another break, my trainer said I could have some canter with some circles with her, with the stipulation that the circles be round.  So I went out, got a trot, and went to ask for the canter.

At first, I didn't think the transition was that good, because it felt kinda slow / stuck to me.  But my trainer thought it was wonderful, and it was because she didn't rocket off into the canter, but just picked it up.  And it was the loveliest canter I have ever had on her.  I think it was the most uphill, self carrying canter I've ever felt.  It was amazing to sit and I felt a little like a dressage queen as I did.

I  did try maybe three circles, but I didn't pick a good place and they weren't like they should've been.  My trainer wasn't watching at the time, she was telling something to James.  I came off of the circle and was going to try again, but my trainer told me to come down to walk before I could.  

My trainer said that though Mariah wasn't on the bit, her body was doing all the things it needed to do for her to be there if and when we started asking for it.  I think that's part of the reason it felt so good to me.

We walked a bit, and then changed directions to canter the other way.  This way was a little faster and not as nice to sit, but I was able to check her when she sped up, and overall it was still very lovely.  I chose not to circle this direction, but just enjoy this lovely canter she was offering, and my trainer said nothing about it.

I came down to walk and walked her out on a long rein for a bit.  During this time, a red roan filly that my trainer was riding stumbled and went down on her knees.   My trainer stayed back, and wasn't thrown forward and off, and the filly regained her feet.  My trainer said that's why she tells us to always hold ourselves up and back as if a parachute were pulling our shoulders back.  That way, when things like that happen, you just don't go flying forward off the horse.  

After that little thing, we walked a smidgen more and then dismounted, and that was it for the lesson.  My trainer said we'd been working on pieces of that for awhile, and it just all came together in that lesson.  It really did.  Mariah was so not squiggly, so soft and sensitive, and so in tune to my body.  It was all I ever dreamed that she could do and be.  It was amazing to have her so on the aids and listening not just to my reins, but to my body as a whole.  There was never a time when I took up a real definite contact with her, except maybe when cantering, but even then I'm not sure, and it wasn't real strong at all.  She was listening to my body about as much as my rein, and that's the whole goal.

Actual lesson 1/2/2024