2022 Riding Journey

#8 Shorty Update

So, I came across this big revelation last week that I just have to put here because it changed so much for me and Shorty.

After my trainer had pointed out with Mariah, during the groundwork session, that we want a horse to step towards the inside, I realized that Shorty doesn't do that.  Like, whenever I went to turn him, he'd throw his weight to the outside all the time.  

That's not good, so I started to work on it.  It was a bit frustrating to me because it seemed that he was taking this to-the-outside steps even though I was trying to keep him from doing so.

I don't know how it occurred to me, but I realized that I wasn't bringing my outside hip around into the turn.  I was leaving it behind, or worse, moving it even farther back.  My inside leg would deepen to lead him into the turn, but it would also swing forward.  This is the position for leg yield, and so Shorty would leg yield his way through the turn.  

When I focused on bring that outside hip around and keeping my inside leg in place, it was an instant switch.  The turns were suddenly so much smoother and easier, the steps they way they were supposed to be.  Now the turns aren't so frustrating because I know what to do to make them better, and also our circles are better as well.    

It was one of those epiphany moments, where suddenly everything makes sense.  I'm sure Shorty was like "Ah finally!"