Critic please ... be gentle!!!

[LegOn]

Lovely horse by the way!

Lots more leg is needed, you need to ride from your leg and contain in your hand to create impulsion

Like everyone else has said in one way or another, lengthen the rein, breathe in, stick out your chest, bend your elbow, all flexibility in the rein comes from the elbow and widen your hands - your hands should be the width of the horses shoulders, yours are barely the width of his withers! It stops you from crossing your hands when asking for a bend aswell.

In the trot, imagine squeezing from your calves everytime you sit - squeeze him up into the contact, it will work his backend more & get him up off your hand and into your hand

Dont forget - have fun!!!

 

[little_critter]

I had some brilliant advice from an instructor - imagine you are walking in a frozen pond - your horse is NOT allowed to crack the ice (ie be heavy with their front end). Make them walk as slowly as you need to make them 'tiptoe', half halt as they become heavy and go as slowly as you need to.
This seems to be working with my girl, she's gradually getting lighter.
We end the lesson with some fast work otherwise the crafty old girl will learn that slow = good and will end up plodding.

Also, people say do lots of transitions - what they forget to say is do lots of GOOD transitions.
I was doing lots of transitions but not getting any better.
You need to be really really picky. If you ask for trot you must not allow them to go on the forehand and shuffle into trot - it must be a light, sharp transition. If the transition is heavy go straight back to walk and keep doing it again and again until they learn they need to come UP.