Dressage day

I took a lesson with the working student at High Point today. I like her. She has some really good exercises. We got Fleck working quite nicely at the trot and had him nice and round and supple. He was working hard! We worked on the shoulder in a bit and I made sure to not bring my right leg too far back when tracking right. She also said that I needed his neck a bit straighter and to use more outside rein. I ended up doing a little bit of an indirect rein and it really seemed to help. Then we went to the canter. She really wanted me to get his haunches out before the transition up to the canter. So I spiraled in and then spiraled out and then asked for the canter and it was much nicer. She also pointed out that I was tipping forward ever so slightly for the upwards. HA! I think she was being nice.. I think it's a bit more of a tip than "ever so slightly". But I was trying to not tip. Then we did the three loop serpentine with simple changes and she pointed out that Fleck would almost halt. I wanted to keep the forward energy to get him to go forward into the canter. I told her that it was because I either couldn't get him to walk.. or we would halt. I couldn't find that fine line. She explained that it was because he wasn't rocked back enough, so... We started the serpentine but just before we were to do our simple, she had me do a ten meter circle. I was to really use my outside aids to really get him sitting. It worked!!! We got some lovely downwards. The upwards were still not round and supple, but getting better. I just need to remember to ride that outside rein for the upwards too. 

Then she said that I was tipping to the inside a bit and I needed to sink more weight into my outside stirrup. I think those were the magic words!! I believe that's what Cindy was trying to tell me but I couldn't manage to get because I was more focusing on my seat. Yes.. it translates to the seat bone but by thinking of sinking more weight in the stirrup, I was able to accomplish sitting better without grinding. Of course it didn't go that great... for whatever reason when I was focusing on my seat and legs... the canter got long and strung out and horrible. And we still kept breaking. Argh.. .I played with it a little on my own as Danielle had to do another lesson, but.... just so frustrating. I know I need to fix it... but it wasn't so bad until I tried to fix it. I don't think. 

But.. I'll play with it more later. Flecky was getting tired and it's not fair to him. He's only doing what I'm asking... which is apparently the downward by stopping my hips and/or not giving his back a place to move. So.... must figure this out and soon!!

But he was a good boy and was trying. And we did manage to get a correct full half circle on the short side of counter canter without breaking and without being too hectic or desperate.