Overbending on Monty

From a fast paced hack to an hour of schooling completely focused on 'bending' .... both ends of the riding spectrum in a week for me. We worked in walk an trot in circles, Monty and I, round and round until one leg ached so much you had to change rein. Lesson script is around about as circular as our route, round and round we went for the hour.....

Kerry: "hand opened out, further, much further, right off the neck"
Me:"further than this?"
Kerry: "yes further than that"

Kerry: "that's about right"

Kerry: "OK whats happening now?"
Me: "he's cutting in"
Kerry: "so what do you do then?"
Me: "more inside leg"
Kerry: "that's right"

Kerry: "OK, I can see your leg on but he's not listening"
Me: "yes.  I know"
Kerry: "you have to make him"
Me: "YES. I know"
Kerry: "he's still not listening"
Me: "YES. I KNOW!"

This is the difference between knowing what you are to do and actually being able to do it, and sometimes the gap fo me feels unbridgable. Whenever I get that feeling it makes me just a little more inclined to go for the 'lets grab a horse and take it for a run in the fields' school of riding....."abandon lessons" goes the voice in my head.

Now, Monty isn't the most bendy horse to be fair, but he can do it and we had moments of bending, but they were brief, hard gained, and so so easily lost in a moment of confused co-ordination from me.

Fleeting, but maybe still, that moment of feeling something that you might remember. His head tucked in a bit and he was frothy at the bit at the end, which  am told is good, but must admit I dont have the feintist idea why....someone enlighten me?

Knowing that we got there a even just a little bit makes it and easier discussion for the two of us to have next time. Although I must say I am not sure I relish the thought of another hour of this too soon...I suspect it will be on the cards, our instructor thought our perfomance was a little wooden!