Dangling the bit

Spring is here and Anna is super booked out. I am very lucky that she's happy to have me at 8am.

We start off in the walk. Princess is striding out. Another time, and an instructor would have been happy with the "active" walk. Not Anna. "She's running in that walk", says Anna. "You must slow it down". Small circle, shoulder in, volte, shoulder in. Then bingo, the walk slows down. Almost a touch lazy. It feels like the horse is listening. Wow.

"Now maintain that feeling in trot. If you lose it, come back to walk and get it back", instructs Anna. We go forward into trot. It feels nice and steady, but quite powerful. Sort of like you could easily do a nice jump over an obstacle. "Now keep the soft hand soft, and make the hard hand soft." I do my best. "Now feel like the bit is a carrot, and you're dangling it in front of the horse, and with every stride, the horse has to reach for the carrot." I do. The hand is merely there holding the lightest contact, while the horse is gently playing with the bit as it strides forward. It feels so correct.

We practice this in rising trot for a while. "When you rise, snap out of the saddle. You're sitting too heavy", adds Anna. In my mind, sitting too heavy translates into being really nasty to your horse, and I feel terrible. I also feel quite tired, which doesn't help. Then a phone call comes in, that a horse is lame, and hence the 9am lesson is cancelled.

Anna asks for canter. Here we're not ready for dangling the bit yet. The horse is still rushing and running away. "You are so used to being taken for a ride", says Anna, "you have to get the horse to slow down, and then drive. Even in canter."

Finally. at 9:30am we finish up. I'm nackered. "You're lucky the 9am cancelled", says Anna. I know I'm lucky. It's these strokes of luck that will get me to where I want to go. But right now, I just feel exhausted. I smile wryly.