Another quick training update...

before I run out the door to try to finish my rides for the week.

I had "smack down" rides on both Brandy and Ari yesterday.

I put Ari back in the happy mouth snaffle with a plain noseband. I realized when I was riding Gracie that she's more consistently on the bit because I'm so anal about making her move forward since her tendency is to be naughty... (*ahem* rear and flip)

So, I realized that Ari not being "through" had more to do with him slipping behind my leg consistently. Since I also want to tip forward on him, it wasn't hard for me to draw this conclusion. So I cracked down and made him stay consistently forward into the contact I was holding. Amy had me compressing the trot to get the feeling, but I think changing the way I thought about it helped me reproduce it more consistantly AND it carried over into the canter work.

I think, anyway.

As for Brandy, after a minor temper tantrum yesterday (from me) and a MAJOR hissy fit (from her), I was on the phone with my wonderful and ever-so-patient riding instructor asking for help because I just couldn't make Brandy happy. We deduced that I really need to ride her in my next lesson so we can work through some issues and I resigned myself to working through the problem in the meantime.

So with Brandy ALSO back in the happy mouth (I'd switched her because I thought she was sick of that bit), I insisted she stay IN the contact and not behind it. Her problem is that she lulls me into thinking she's light and on the bit when truly she's evading by being so light and is behind my leg because I've been fooled into thinking shes where she needs to be! Thats when she starts to fret. SO... by constantly pushing her into the contact, we had an excellent dressage school and she was quite content the whole time!

*phew*

I need more lessons. And a sugar daddy to pay for them. Like, three a week would be nice.