A Lesson in Quiet Conversation; Part 2

Click here (or scroll down) if you missed yesterday's post ...

Once we finished up tracking left, JL had me track right at the walk. The first thing she did was to explain what the sensation of "rolling in" was all about. It wasn't so much about needing to push him sideways, which he can do, it was more about "lifting" his right side up. I had suspected that was the solution, but I didn't know how to make it happen.

As we tracked right, JL had me shorten my reins as we had when tracking left. Then, she had me lift the inside rein, which I already knew how to do, but this was a bit different. On purpose, she had me ride with my outside hand in the normal position but with a strong feel and my inside hand lifted. The purpose was to "roll" Sydney back to the outside. I also added more weight to my outside stirrup which also seemed to encourage Sydney to lift his inside shoulder.  

Sydney has a hard time tracking right. He really wants to look to the outside which drops the inside shoulder. Lifting that inside rein forces his nose in, which causes him to resist by bracing. When he fussed, I made the circle very small. JL called it letting the geometry do the explaining. If he was soft and upright, I could lower my hand, but the instant he fussed or braced, I raised my hand and made the circle small. Sometimes I only needed three or four strides before he understood and "unlocked" his neck. Sometimes we had to do more than one circle before he softened.

This exercise was exactly what we needed. I knew I needed to get him up and over, but I just couldn't coordinate all of my aids to make it happen. JL's simple explanation and eyes on the ground made it all so simple. We'll need to practice, of course, but I am finally so happy to be actually riding my horse instead of just being a passenger on a ball of anxiety.

Still more to come ...