Gia - session 234 - more dressage

Gia started out with a really good stretch down at the walk at the beginning of my lesson with Suzin today.  We made a few attempts to maintain the stretch during the transition, but it didn't really happen for us today.  She did have a good stretch down at the trot though.  

At the working trot, Gia was heavier on my right rein, and I struggled to get her off of it today.  Suzin had us work through a variety of exercises, and we did finally find one that helped.  I had to keep a feel of my left rein, no matter how light it got, then bring my right elbow back until Gia let go, and then go forward again with my right hand for the release.  It sounds so simple.  It's anything but!  

We also struggled with a bit of tension, and an inconsistency in the tempo at the trot.  I think the tension started because I had to pop her with the whip, in the beginning and several times throughout, when she didn't respond promptly enough to my leg cue to trot.  Looking back, I wish I had focused more on the relaxation, rather than getting a moment and then moving on, and then having to go back and get another moment, and then moving on, etc.  

The inconsistent tempo probably stemmed from the lack of relaxation.  Sometimes, I had to slow my seat to get her to slow down, and sometimes I had to quicken my seat or my posting to encourage her to move more forward.  She did respond, for the most part, but there was a lot of back and forth.  

Again, not one of our best rides, but not one of our worst.  I did think about lunging, but I did not have time today.  It will definitely happen before my ride on Friday!

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