Nicole's lead changes are starting to become more consistent. They are totally consistent from right to left, sometimes a little short, but never late. We've started left to right lead changes, and sometimes they're clean and sometimes not. She's figured out that right to left changes won't kill her, but now she needs to figure out left to right will leave her living as well.
The thing about Nicole (and I guess every horse at her stage) is that because her training and therefore her level of sophistication is evolving, her needs evolve, which means the game plan with her is always changing. For months she has been freaky-light in the mouth, now suddenly she is totally the opposite and it takes a lot more hand to get her through and pushing into the bridle correctly (by "a lot more hand" I mean the same amount of hand it takes for Nikita, which technically speaking isn't a lot, but much more than I can usually use with Nicole). I think she had to figure out, again, that pushing into the bridle and being through isn't going to kill her. I'd been feeling for months that particular sensation that tells me the horse isn't through at the trot, but figured her "through" just felt different than Nikita's, since if I used more hand, Nicole got upset.
I finally feel like my legs are becoming more correct. I'm starting to feel more contact between the horse and my calves, which means my legs aren't flapping around in that irritating manner anymore, and the horses are starting to push better into the bridle under me. I put spurs on for the first time in a couple months with Nikita (I've been denied spurs for the past couple months with the purpose to learn more effective leg position). Nikita was hot-hot-hot, which I like in a horse. My leg position is now getting good enough to put the spurs back on, and I'm consistent enough in my 4, 3, and 2 tempis to start on the ones again, but I haven't been able to start them without the spurs. They went fine, we just did sets of 2 one-time changes, then cantered until the canter is good enough again, then another set of 2 one-time changes for the most part. We did 4 one-time changes in a row, but I didn't want to push it - sets of 2 one-time changes is good enough for me right now.
