Impulsion

I arrive for my lesson with Anna Auer. Anna corrects my position, then we work on impulsion - on getting the hindquarters underneath the horse.

Anna gives me my tools - the volte, the shoulder in and the quarters in. Use one at a time, or combine all three within a single long side of an arena. On each rein some of these tools will work better than others. Work out which are the right tools for which rein. Work out when to switch from one tool to the next. Work out when to just go straight.

I obviously do a half-baked job, because at the end Anna jumps on my horse. Princess almost has a hissy fit - for about 20 minutes! Eventually she does what is being asked. I think there is some good impulsion there, but I am not sure Anna is fully happy.

Anna also suggests that a long canter in the park, in forward seat, might be a good idea. The aim of it would be to strenghten her back, which is required to achieve impulsion.