Left Leaning

Another lesson! Back on Phantom this time.

In our last lesson (which I didn't blog about) we had done a bunch of work on kind of a shoulder-in on a  15m circle at a walk. The goal was to really get the shoulders to the inside, and have her really step towards her mid-line with the inside hind. Going to the right (which is our better shoulder-in side), it was really sticky, and oddly was much better to the left.

On my Monday ride, before our Tuesday lesson, I practiced this again. And had difficulties the opposite directions - going right I had a harder time setting her up, but could really get a response from my right leg in having her take a bigger step with her right hind. Going left, I could set it up easier, but could not get her to take that step with her left hind.

I took my camera out on the weekend to take pics but timed it wrong, just after they had been fed. No pics with heads up.

I was hoping to do a bit of work on this in my lesson, but no. The lesson is only 40 minutes, so there isn't enough time to do everything. Instead, we mostly worked on leg yielding, specifically off the left leg, and more specifically trying to get me to sit properly so that I don't fuck it up.

Our right leg yield is great. I think we only did about 4 or 5 of them.

Left? Well, I sit to the right, Phantom pushes her right shoulder out, I don't have enough connection with my right rein, because that hand wants to either cross the neck or stick my elbow out, my left leg is my weaker one, and that is also the side Phantom doesn't want to step under as much with her left hind.

All of which I am very aware of.

Phantom and her current paramour Diesel were all Lady & The Tramp about their hay pile.

At one point I had to stand with all my weight in my left stirrup - and Phantom immediately straightened herself out and brought her right shoulder underneath her, which allowed us a few steps that she stayed very straight through the leg yield. She wasn't crossing over at all, but the mechanics were better.

I, of course, felt like I was hanging off the side, but was told that I was right in the middle. Ugh.

There will be lots of hanging off the left side of my horse in the future, it appears. Not literally - but it sure is going to feel that way!