Sit down. Again.

I sent DL our test video so we could go over it at my lesson on Friday. She asked what I thought first. He was predictably distracted, the entirety of the canter work was a write-off, I feel we can do better, but overall it went about how I expected: meh.

Her leading thought was that I never stood a chance. He went in with his back hollowed out, and where most horses would have maybe halted like a fool once you put them to work they would go to work. Which Opie did not. Once. She also pointed out that I never really SAT in the saddle which is something that even when I feel like I'm sunk into him it's not enough. Watching the test again, agreed though. Really kind of frustrating I'm still such a bad rider, but what are you going to do except keep on trying, right?

The lesson turned out to be a "Fuck you, Opie, DO WORK" lesson which was amazing on my end lol. After not getting off my leg for shit, she put us on a circle and asked for leg yield out. Opie was deaf to all aids so DL went and got a pair of roweled spurs to swap out my swan neck spurs with. They were short shanks, but as she was swapping them out she held up my 2" shanks and waved them in front of Opie saying, "We can always put rowels on the end of these!" Might be time to sharpen up, good sir.

Back to the circle we went. First ask with the calf, and if when he didn't respond, stabby stabby with the rowels, and then hang the leg. Repeat, repeat, repeat because he's inherently lazy AF, but finally it clicked in his head that if he just moved off my calf he wouldn't get stabbed. He was much better tracking right than left because the LH does not like doing work ever. Meanwhile I got complimented on the best sitting trot I'd ever done, so at least someone was carrying the weight!

We finished up in the canter. I told her he was better super round and collected and letting him out from there so we worked on collection while she also drilled me on SITTING IN THE SADDLE. Ughhhhhh SO HARD to do without shutting him down.

We chatted at the end and I told her I felt like my hip flexors were again so tight and sore, and she said it was because I wasn't sitting broad across my seat bones so to balance myself I'm using my hips/inner thighs. Make my leg long, sit on my seat, use my core, and my hip flexors won't be screaming. Mind. Blown. Such a good visual for me.

Saturday he had off, and then Sunday we went for a trail ride with Farrier and puppies at a new to us place. Walk only because puppies, but lots of walking and a good mental break for the both of us.

Today I wanted to jump and there was a course set up in the outdoor. I put everything up a couple holes (from the elevated ground poles that they were) and made sure to get him super in front of my leg on the flat. That included a couple taps with the jumping bat which made his slightly pissed which led to him being rabid the first few attempts at jumping. We did every jump as singles doing: jump, land, pulley rein to halt, repeat. That go through to him that we don't just throw our head and blindly run at jumps with no plan and we were able to finish on a nice course.

Back to dressage land tomorrow!