After I was too tired to post Tuesday evening, it completely slipped my mind yesterday. Bad Linda. Especially since the lesson was a distinct improvement from the previous two weeks. I was still on Fleur, but since the weather had warmed up again (thank you, global warming, depriving me of a proper autumn ;P), she was distinctly more mellow (read: almost lazy, which I have no issues with). That girl really is like a thermometer.
We continued to work on keeping a steady rhythm (we’ve also added some lateral work these last weeks, and there a good rhythm has always been a big weakness of mine), and after an initial chat with my instructor about how to tackle some of the issues I have with Fleur, I got a much better grasp on how to ride her. Since she’s got a short stride, and is getting a little stiffer (she’s 15-16, I believe), its pointless to ask for too much forward-going right off. Instead, I need to keep her fairly short (her long neck tends to stick up otherwise) and engage the hindlegs to ride her forward to a hand that isn’t so far away.
My instructor was still asking me for more activity at a few points during the lesson, but overall I rode about as effectively as I ever get around to when not taking a private lesson (not only do I get passive when I am nervous, I also get passive when I think too much about what I am doing, so constant nagging helps with that last bit at least. ;), and Fleur certainly worked pretty well. So, a nice change from the last few weeks, though if its cold for our next jumping lesson I’d be very happy to switch horses still.