Super Soggy Part 2

I told you guys how my first ride went yesterday so here I pick up the tale of my second ride. Seen as I chose to ride the pretty mare first, I asked to ride my lovely Shadow for my next ride. Shadow and I are old friends and I rarely have someone walk with me on him any more. This was the case yesterday. We started at the front but I quickly got moved behind someone else which I personally cannot say I am surprised about. I cannot, without being able to see know where the straight line is on a hack and keep him to the centre of it. I find following another horse much easier. Evidently, Shadow and I were all over the place as I couldn't give him the direction he needed from me so another rider and horse went in front of us. Things improved considerably from that point onward. Our trots were lovely and forward. I love getting back on this horse every time I do as its like a familiar partnership that hasn't changed. He's responsive to me and minus the few times he was getting impatient and I had to ask him to stand up, he was very well behaved. We went on the field, only a narrow strip of it, and I didn't even click we would be cantering, so I asked for a trot and was made to come back. My RI, said it was rubbish, which if I'd realised we were supposed to be cantering, I can see her point. I laughed and said I didn't realise and had asked for a trot.So, we tried again and I got a little bit of one but was for some odd reason pulling back on him. We all turned around and tried again, I asked for a pet talk. Just to make it fresher in my head. I gave with my seat, gave a squeeze with my lower leg and off we went in a few strides. I know exactly what's happening with me and its annoying but I think I may have solved it. When I'm really thinking, must get this horse to canter, I'm putting pressure on myself and therefore physically tensing and getting nothing. With the pretty mare, who needs very little from me, I know that and am relaxed when I ask but some of the school horses I know sometimes I don't get it and so putting the pressure on myself is making the circle a vicious one. A few more wonderful trots and I learnt something very interesting yesterday. My RI was walking alongside Shadow and I and blew into his nose and he blew back, I thought it was cruel as you all know, if you have dogs, that dogs hate you blowing in their face but apparently, this is a lot how horses communicate. I love learning new things like that! So an another trot and off we went to the back lane. My RI said to wind him up a little and so I halted him and kept squeezing to ask for him to go and he immediately began to fidget. And off we went when I asked, in a beautifully, forward, canter. I felt like I was flying on him. I don't know how it looked but it felt great. Something my RI said to me yesterday, which was good, was that my upper body is looking great in walk, trot and canter, only if my heels come up do my elbows come out. So jelly legs need working on to prevent tension and no more pressure on myself. Just no thinking and lets go. That's what happened in our last canter yesterday. I didn't think and I just asked and he gave beautifully. I'm finally learning, that its more about feel than thinking with horses. :) Thanks for reading, Marie