Cleaning up the flying changes

Clair's flying changes have gotten so obedient and calm! It has been a solid year since we started working on them. During that time the canter sort of fell apart and then came back together again, bigger and stronger. At one point I dropped working on flying changes for six weeks and went back to simple changes through walk to get the feeling of the half halt back into the canter. At one point I thought I would never get the change right to left. Now, right to left is her better, cleaner change! Left to right is slightly sticky but so close to correct. I see in this video that I'm behind the motion again (argh) so that may be the problem. I'm also working on asking for the change a hair sooner -- during the third beat of the canter. Fixing my shoulders has also made a world of difference. When you twist your torso to follow the horse's shoulders, you have to remember to keep your arms independent (outside arm must go BACK to keep the outside rein, inside arm must go FORWARD to give the inside rein).

This sport is hard. But so rewarding!

Shoulders! (mostly mine)

You think you're doing it right, and then you finally get some eyes on you, and you're not! Or at least I'm not. I thought I had my weight to the inside of the bend, but no -- you can plainly see in the Dakota video that, to start, I'm on my outside seatbone. And I thought I had my shoulders following the horse's shoulders, but no -- you can plainly see in the Clair video that I have my outside shoulder back and my inside shoulder forward. Suzanne fixed me up!

In other news, Dakota is finally developing a respectable canter.