Second Level Morgan Gelding...

I missed his age as I was still in my car, warming up, when he started. He was super cute though, a lovely deep chestnut color.

If you ask for impulsion you're asking for more; and you're going to get more of what you have (more cookedness, more above the bit, etc; which is why it's important to follow the training scale-and why impulsion is so far down the training scale)

Close the inner leg to ask for impulsion, then check rhythm and suppleness and connection

The whip is generally carried to the inside in order to back up the inside leg (ie impulsion)

Add impulsion a degree at a time, then check the first 3 ingredients of the training scale, if they're good, ask for more

Outside leg and inside leg together ask for transition within the gait; inside only just asks for impulsion

To follow in the canter get into 2 point and practice "jockey arms" to get elbow elasticity back.

To canter, push the inner seat bone toward the horse's ears and push your hands forward

Straightness-there are two kinds, spine straightness and leg straightness; you can check shoulder straightness by riding in -1 flexion

Fixing Leg Straightness-this is needed to achieve collection and is done by riding in First Position;

First Position-teaches the horse baby steps of flexing the inside hindleg joints; it's bassically a baby, baby, baby shoulder in.

It's a lot harder as a rider to do the little things as opposed to the big (ie +7 vs +1, shoulder in vs 1st Position)

First Position lays the foundation for collection

Always straighten the horse by bringing the shoulder over; not the haunches over to the shoulder.

Every step in First Position strenghtens the inside hind leg

Seunig's "Horsemanship" discusses First Postion and Second Position.

BEND + SIDEWAYS = ENGAGEMENT

Every corner should be ridden as if it's a quarter of a 10 meter circle

Keep the hands forward, don't be "stealing" from the hindlegs

Shoulder In-make sure the hind legs are parallel to the wall

Straight ahead from now on is really First Position

****Shoulder In Exercise****
Straight, SI 2 strides, straight, SI 2 strides, HI, SI, HI, SI (the rider keeps the legs the same throughout during the SI/HI changes.)