So, the amazing thing about St. George is all the opportunity. I had a chance to get great training for Renny, attend a schooling show with Violet and THEN at the end of the Schooling Show day, I got to take a lesson from Jill Jewett, the University of Findlay Professor and judge for the Schooling Show. How many people get to be judged by an A-Circuit judge and then turn around and take a lesson. So, she asked me what I felt was the biggest problem I'd had at the show (though I'd had a very good day) and I told her that Violet sent me a memo three strides out that she was going to refuse and all I did was read the memo. She laughed and said that was exactly right, that's the exact moment when Violet changed her mind about the task.
So, our lesson was teaching me to be MUCH more active with my seat and legs and to commit to the idea that I am the pilot, the decider, the driver! And Violet's lesson was when I ask for something, even if I ask in a feeble way, she MUST do it with enthusiasm. And if she doesn't, she might get beat! Lol! We had to work on precision of trotting and cantering over ground poles with closely spaced cones on a circle and this taught me pretty darn fast that I'm not in careful control of all of her body parts. We were able to do this pretty much some of the time, but every once in awhile, she'd toss out a hoof and catch a cone. And then we had to go over a circle of ground poles and do a outside line with an oxer at the end by the gate and BE STRAIGHT by the gate as we came off the jump. She stood close to that gate to make sure that I went by the gate rather than cut the corner. And Violet did an odd thing, she did a run out -- not a very committed one, but still a run out. And once I really used my legs and eyes, she didn't do anything else but be good, but I tell you what that Sunday taught me a lot! Violet and I can make mistakes and learn and move on. I can drop stirrups, drop reins, be passive. Violet can refuse, run out, be less than enthusiastic. But we can work on being better. And it doesn't have to be a big deal. Learn and move on!!!