After a long time, I had the chance to meet and talk with a horse-riding friend.
A friend who moved from Tokyo to Nagano came to Mito yesterday and today.
Having my friend watch me ride possibly fueled my motivation. After riding, the instructor pointed out that I might have been too tense.
I realized that maintaining a calm mindset while riding is harder than I thought.
Overall, my riding today was excellent, according to the instructor.
However, naturally, there were points of caution.
It seems there's a significant difference in the pressure I apply with my right and left legs when resting them on the stirrups,
which affects the balance while riding. I was advised to ensure I apply equal pressure with both legs on the stirrups.
Perhaps because I was too tense, I spent too much time clinging onto the horse with the stirrups.
I was told to relax and distance myself from the stirrups for an easier ride.
The canter start was good; I managed to start in one go without bouncing too much, resulting in a strong canter. The horse felt lighter, likely because of a jumping lesson in the morning, which made the canter start smoother.
Since the last lesson, I've started to notice that I can slightly shift my weight towards my pubic bone,
getting back to the feeling I used to have.
I've also started to feel the effect of lowering my hands diagonally forward when the horse jumps up during the canter.
The final point of attention was, "Please make it easier for the horse to canter by giving it more space."
I asked what that meant. "I've pointed this out several times," the instructor replied.
Is it about extending my hands forward? "Yes, that's it."
Hmm, so "giving more space" means extending my hands forward.
I don't fully understand it yet, but I guess it affects the horse's bit somehow.
Understanding horses is hard. Understanding people is also hard.
Everything seems so complicated!