Monday and Tuesday 20th and 21st April

More work on trying to get him to accept a longer and lower contact to build up his topline.  I'm still very puzzled about how to carry my hands correctly and to help him.  Theoretically, apparently, my hands should be together and above the pommel.  However if I carry my hands there Xaile reacts badly- head up and fighting the bit.

I found if I lowered my hands held them wider then he was much more accepting of the contact.

(By the way these are stills from a very bad video I attempted to make by putting the camera on the fence on Monday.)

This picture of Anja Beran is what I have in mind when trying to get him to work longer

However I have been told that like this my hands are restricting him (and you can see there's  a break in the line from the bit to my hands and then elbow which isn't there in the photo of AB) so on Tuesday I made an effort to allow them more forwards and this seemed even more effective.

This is possibly the world's most irritating video but it still shows how he was going.

He went much better after a few canters- much more inclined to stretch his back.

The other thing I have been working hard on in my position and my AWFUL legs.  I've been doing lots of hip stretches and I think I've been sitting too far back in the saddle.  It's finally getting somewhere in walk but trot isn't great.  

I'm also slightly concerned that maybe the saddle isn't helping me very much.  Freddie hated it when I had my lesson last Sunday, and looking at photos of me riding in his saddles in Portugal my legs are certainly in a much better place and I don't remember making a particular effort with them.

The saddle on the right is the one I was riding in in Portugal it certainly looks like it holds you well in place.  The other alternative is one of the Heather Moffett treeless saddles that have set back stirrup bars that automatically give you a better shoulder/hip/heal line.  However I find it hard to believe that I can't achieve that line in a 'normal' saddle.  Other people seem to be able to do it!!! 

So to start with I'm going to work even harder on my position and loosening my hips and the first step of this will be a lunge lesson from Edward on Clover tomorrow morning.