A great dressage lesson!

Yesterday I took Cruz for a midday dressage lesson. He'd had the previous day off, because he's due for shoeing and I wanted to make sure his shoes were O.K. for my first lesson in a month.

He was an absolute star. As usual I needed to work on using that right rein, which he has trouble accepting and which is essential to keeping him straight. He bends nicely to the right, but has difficulty to the left, going out over the shoulder because I don't support him enough with the right/outside rein.

But boy, once he straightens out and all his pushing power propels him forward, what a different horse he is! It's really exciting to ride him when his back gives and he's motoring. Looking in the mirror, I see a horse with great presence.

He still tries to put his head up when I go down the long side, and I have to concentrate on 'riding every stride' instead of thinking "ah! I got it!" and relaxing too much. That's the moment Cruz is looking for and he's so very good at taking advantage of the loophole I'm giving him.

I'm taking a long time to accept just how hard I need to work to get results!  My instructor told me to ask for energetic walk right from the start, and encourage Cruz to loosen up.

We did a new exercise to loosen his back in canter. Just as in trot, he has a hard time bending to the left on the left rein. So my instructor had me canter on his good lead, the right, do a loop and come back to the track half way down the long side, counter canter in a shallow loop, then continue on a twenty meter circle in counter canter, asking for bend to the left - while making sure to keep my left leg back and more weight on my right (inside) hip. Although he found it difficult, Cruz was very obliging and tried his heart out. When we did this on his left (bad) lead and came back  to true canter, he found it so much easier than counter canter, that he performed a beautiful, rhythmic and balanced left lead canter. I was thrilled with him!

So now I have my homework before my next lesson.