Knots has a couple of jumping excursions, I have bad form

Flat jumps

Really flat. May have hit this one.

Still flat, long spot. 

I look like I jumped ahead. 

Some pictures from a cross country schooling the other day when I was trying to fix some positional errors and I realized that I just wasn't making the progress I wanted.

Two days later, Maggie and I had a lesson with Amanda and I talked with her about this dropping in front of the fence problem I have. Basically as I ride up to the fence I drop the reins right before takeoff, which leads Knots to take a long spot. I am also have positional problems as I am driving him into the bottom of the fence as my seat bones come down and my leg comes forward. Go figure, this also means that I am either getting left behind or jumping ahead.

During the lesson we worked through a serpentine jumping exercise, where I focused on sitting on my zipper and flipped my hands upside down. Instead of holding the reins normally, I opened my palms upward and then placed the reins. It takes away my strength to pull, makes me more aware of the reins, and allows me to follow him better.

This made a big improvement in how we were approaching the fences. Knots was very very calm, and we mostly got out distances. This lesson gave me a bit to think about, and I have attempted to replicate this exercise two separate riding occasions. I really feel like summer is here when I am riding more than once a week!

In my subsequent rides, I have felt more relaxed and in control, and I feel like this is a great set up for us to go cross country schooling. Whoop! All I'm missing is some pictures of us going over a jump in this relaxed way I am talking about... soon.