Ride Notes: Video 2/2/2020

• Had originally planned on jumping while Hubby was out to video, but decided it would be of more use to me to get dressage media instead so I could check in and see how things were going.
•  As always, after looking at the video my first thought was, "Why can't I just be a better rider already? Why am I working so hard and still not even that great of a rider? Why is all of this so hard?" But I sat on it a day. Pinpointed areas of weakness. Came up with a game plan. Smashed my fingers in a stall door and had to put that plan on pause to go to urgent care. LOL oh well. We'll get to that plan eventually. 
• We warmed up with the world's shittiest trot that all I could tell you about it was, "Wow, this feels so shitty." It felt better when I really got him going forward, but never where it should be. When I looked at the pictures it was obvious he was horribly on the forehand.
• I need to be more diligent about transitions warming up, both to get him off his forehand and to get him sharper off my leg. He can always be spicier. 

go go dopie go

• Started the lateral work in the walk before moving into the trot.

Haunches-in left:

SI to HI left from 2-3:

SI right:

• He is so stuck in that left hind in all the lateral work. I didn't even do much in whatever direction that would require that leg to come under. Fingers crossed the chiro is able to make it out this afternoon because he really needs it. 

Half pass left:

• Again, tried two steps of this to the right, Opie said, "No can do" so we scrapped it. 

yes, hello, i am physically incapable of sitting upright while posting.

• Then we cantered. Starting off in the left lead, I was actually pretty happy with how it felt. We did a few laps, a few big circles, then I got him collected to go across the ring to do some counter canter. We hit the rail and lead change. Ugh, annoying, but okay that's going to happen. Turned him back around and tried again. Cue Opie guessing at every canter trick he's ever learned in his whole life. 
• As Hubby said, it's not that he's not trying, it's that he's trying too much. Just be patient and wait and listen to see what I'm going to ask, brozilla. Stop trying them all ALL AT ONCE. 
• We finally managed one shitty counter canter serpentine:

• The right lead canter meanwhile was a whole other box of brainworms. 
• I'd assume it was something to do with the LH again. He was blowing out on all the outside aids and suddenly we couldn't do a circle again let alone canter straight down the rail. 
• I finally chased him forward enough that it wasn't terrible, but you can see the one spot where I had to yank him into the turn because he was just straight up falling:

• I did go back and make him do a real, round circle with his body underneath him at the w/t/c for a circle for each gait which he managed, but it was hard. 

40* and hard work

• He's basically just at that stage in his training where he's learning so much right now that it's probably a bit much for his brain to process. He needs to work on slowing things down in his head so he can focus on what I'm asking, and I need to make sure my aids are crystal fucking clear so there's no confusion.