Engaging the inside hind...

...is hard. Really, really hard. Especially for a Baby Thoroughbred who frequently forgets that his hind end exists. We are constantly in an uphill battle for that hind end to swing-swing-swing (like the rhythm of my heart)...and not fall to the inside, and not collapse, etc. This is especially the case tracking right. Especially in the corners of the arena. Sometimes I feel like his entire body splits up into two separate horses...the one in front of his hips and the one behind them. The one in front is moving forward, seeking contact and attempting an inside flexion. The one behind is either running or barely shuffling, and likes to dive inside at even the mention of a turn. The trick, it would seem, is to find a way to "speak" to both ends.

Transitions help, in more ways than one. After a few trot/walk/trot transitions, he is starting to push from behind and is generally straighter in his body. Our nemesis, Mr. Outside Rein, is always mocking us and reminding us that we can't truly have anything without him. This is a hard concept for me, because I tend to want to either throw away my outside contact entirely and ride off my inside rein (BAD BAD BAD) or throw away my inside rein and hang on my outside rein (BAD BAD BAD). I have to remember that the outside contact should be steady, but my inside bend isn't truly going to be there unless I use both reins...and my legs, which I sometimes genuinely forget are attached to my body.

I wish we could just ride stretchy trot all the time. Life would be so much more simple. Baby Thoroughbreds love to stretchy trot...it feels gooooood and it is so swingy and lovely. I like to use stretchy trot after a canter, not only to relax him (preventing an asthma attack) but also to encourage a more lofty trot rather than a quick, runny one (which is what we tend to get if I come back to trot and put him "together" right away). The problem with stretchy trot, then, is that after doing a lap of it, Aidyn's brain refuses to let him come back up and work for a few more minutes. That's when we start curling and running. Naturally, half halts would come into play here, but when you're me and forget you have legs (not to mention an outside rein), sometimes you...forget.

Nevertheless, I'm happy with the kid right now. He's really coming along the way I want and slowly reminding me how to ride. And I can't even blame the racetrack for my intense desire to perch up there, because I did that LONG before I started exercise riding. I guess I could blame it more on my hunter background than anything...I was darned good at perching then. ;) Have to continually remind myself to try and sit back...even if it's just a millimeter back at a time. No one wants to be perchy on cross-country, if we ever get there.

WHEN we ever get there.