Updates!

So since my last post I've had a couple of really nice rides on the pony! She's clearly been feeling a-okay and even came out pretty spunky last week for our first lesson. Flat work went as usual, just tried to do lots of bending, leg yields, circles and figure eights. Had some really great moments where she lifted her back and went on the bit. I was playing around with the amount of bend/inside leg to get her to use that inside hind and it takes a lot, as well as a lot of consistent feel from me. So we (and by we, I mean me) are going to need to keep working on that because I know she'll slip in and out of being engaged because of my inconsistencies. But, we're getting there, slowly but surely!

I also felt inspired after reading an article by Greg Best in the latest edition of Practical Horsemen where he talked about coming to jumps with more pace than usual, which then allows you to take back after the jump to get on that perfect canter. Its something that trainer has drilled into me for awhile, but I think because of the lesson I had last Saturday (where I was trying to take away *before* the fences) really brought it home for me, and finally stuck in my brain (hey, I'm a slow learner I guess. Give me a break). So going into this past week, I was bound and determined to have a great, slightly forward canter with impulsion to all my fences. And low and behold, it worked. I think when Arwen felt like I was letting her have enough pace to her fences, she didn't make a bid for them, and she stayed fairly soft afterwards. During the week we were only working on singles, but on Saturday we put together a 10 fence course with some lines so I really got to put it to the test. It was lovely. She came back nicely through the lines, we didn't have any ugly spots or rushy jumps. The only thing we messed up on was a right rollback turn where I totally forgot where I was going. We did it a couple more times though, and really smoothed it out (though it still wasn't 100%, we ended on a good note)

A couple other notes on some changes I've tried to make to myself. First, is I'm really trying to focus on not rounding my shoulders. From working at a computer all day long, they tend to round forward even when I feel like I'm sitting up straight. It takes a conscious effort for me to keep those darn things back. Unfortuantely, keeping those shoulders up and back makes a huge difference when riding. I've been playing around with that when riding and wow-it so far seems to make a big difference in how Arwen responds to me. Second, is the release I'm giving her. In my lesson with M a month or so ago she told me to really not release much and I hadn't gotten to practice/play around with it until now. I think thats making a big difference too. And its not really restricting my release, its just keeping that steady contact with Arwen's mouth. Its helping her not scoot off after the fences, and just in general have better control. Both of these things will take some time to sink in, I imagine. I am going to have to make a really conscious effort to keep working at them to be successful, which is hard for me to do sometimes, especially when Arwen has been really,  really good. But...its a vicious circle right? She is usually really really good when I stop riding her like a drunk monkey. And then when she's good, I feel like I can ride her like a drunk monkey, which she protests to, and starts doing naughty things. And then we have to start all over again. Like I said...I'm a slow learner!

Fitness wise, I FINALLY made it back into CF for three workouts last week. I am still sore from that, by the way (which is sad. Very, very sad). So, score on getting in there, but total FAIL on my nutrition. Started out the week well, but then ended on a really crappy note. After a month of gorging and not working out, I can definitely feel a difference in the way my clothes fit and my body looks. And obviously not in a good way. So...time to re-evaluate what I'm eating and get focused.