Notes from my lesson with the BNT:
1st: Kat must be moving forward. Not flippantly forward, not a bit forward, but forward. Like we're talking jump you out of the saddle trotting forward. Bounding forward. Blasting forward.
2nd: She must move forward AND stay on the bit. (No excuses.)
3rd: She must move forward anywhere I take her, whether it's across the diagonal, on a circle, or through a figure-8.
I recognize that these are simple, duh-ish things. But once Kat is actually forward (and not hesitatingly so, or sort of forward, or thinking a touch forward...) the spookiness disappears, the contact stabilizes, and she starts to sweat almost immediately so I'm thinking we're actually working when that happens.
(Also I promise I've broken my habit of popping into a half-seat every time Kat does a good transition as pictured above. Why did I do that? I think maybe I was trying to reward her by getting off her back? I DON'T REALLY KNOW but thank god for my trainer)
eh sometimes simple plans reap the best results (so says the rider who likes to make everything as complicated as humanly possible lol)
ReplyDeleteForward is so important! :) I struggle because I kind of like to go slow and amble around... :)
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