Gia - session 775 - dressage lesson with Suzin

 Gia and I worked with Suzin today on our flatwork.  We started with a nice, relaxed, stretchy free walk.  Then we moved into a medium walk, and did a few transitions.  Throughout the ride today, she was a little against my hand, especially my left hand, so I constantly worked on softening her to the left, as well as pushing her off my left leg.  When we moved into the trot, we worked on a lot of lateral movements - leg yield, haunches-in, renvers, shoulder-in, shoulder-out, etc.  My main goal was to get Gia equal in both hands, but slightly bent to the inside.  I tried to use the appropriate lateral movement to help me achieve that goal, depending on how she reacted, and how she felt.  I asked for some canter in the earlier part of the lesson, but she was really against my left hand and leg, and we weren't very successful with the canter to the left.  There was a little bucking and sucking back, and she just didn't soften into it and go forward.  We went back to the lateral work at the walk and trot, then back to the canter again, and by the end, she was more equal in my hands, and straighter in her body, which led to a better canter, overall.

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