What's missing?

Today, dressage. It was supposed to be jumping, but I haven't had time to bring the jumps up from the amphetheatre. And I can't be bothered schooling in the amphetheatre because I suspect the grass is too long. What a lame excuse.

Anyhow. Here we are. Walk. Trot. Canter. Canter? The canter is awesome. Gally is travelling forwards, and he is just starting to pick up his head and carry himself. This is how it's supposed to be.

So what is missing in the walk and the trot? It's actually hard for me to say what is missing. What I do know is that I have been training the paces differently. In the walk and the trot I have been training Gally in accordance with my coach's instructions. In the canter, I followed my intuition.

In the canter I have not worried at all about whether the horse is on the aids. I have just focussed on driving him forward, and sitting well, enjoying the canter, keeping a long rein and staying in control. And here it is. The horse is on the aids of his own accord.

So now I feel I need to go back to the drawing board in the walk and trot, and ask Gally for the same things as in the canter.

And where does that leave my coach? Do I change coaches, or do I go back to her and tell her about my experience? Schooling without a coach is not an option. The whole coach situation is very frustrating. I just can't seem to find a coach who is close by and who I can truly trust and work with.

Put Gally away and get Crownie.

She goes well, but once again it's obvious that the canter is better than the walk and the trot. I don't need her to tell me that anyway. I know. I can feel it. By riding Gally forwards and on a long rein in the canter, he has taught me exactly where and how I am supposed to sit. And when I sit like that, the canter just works. I guess I need to take the same approach in the walk and the trot and see what happens.