Clinic day 1

My pony was great. I was pretty good too. I was less nervous than usual- probably partly because I'm starting to have faith in my horse, and partly because this is like my 7th clinic with Bent. She warmed up well outside even though it was very windy- did some stretchy walk and slow relaxed trotting. Inside the wind unnerved her a bit at first, it was really howling down at C. But she started to focus on the work and we had a very good ride. Bent said she's looking a lot better. He said "Good" a lot, which is a good sign, and seemed a little surprised. When going to the right, he had me flex her left and shorten my left rein, to straighten her. He also told me to quit bringing my right hand toward the left side of her neck, and thanks to Nadia getting some video, I can SEE what he's talking about. If I just put my elbows at my sides where they belong it would help a lot. :) I think my upper body is much better- I still need to bring my head back so it aligns with my body, but overall I sat much taller and straighter and had the strength to hold it longer. Trudi was very good with her back and worked hard- can't ask for much more than that. I can see that I'm not riding her in quite as short a frame as I thought, so I can shorten my reins a couple of inches and not be cranking her in too much. Tired and sore, more tomorrow. ^_^