Cob Jockey

Whoa.  I think I just figured something out.

I was riding Connor this afternoon, still working on his bending and stiffness issues and correcting the problems my trainer pointed out in my last lesson.  I'd been working for a half-hour or so and was on the right rein (to which he usually goes around with his nose to the left and his inside shoulder to the inside) doing a square with turns on the haunches around the corners.  In this, I'm really focused on having him in the outside (left) rein.  In the exercise, I realized that my right calf wasn't really on him, but my leg calf was very much on him, so I put my right calf on him like I meant it.

The result?  Instant straightness and reaching for the bridle.  Like, dramatic turnaround.

Hacking

To experiment, I put my leg back where I had it before, barely touching him, and he went hard on the left rein and his ribcage went right.  Leg on, straightness and reaching.  Leg off, all crooked.  The effect was reproduced every single time.

I think I've been causing my own problems.

From there on out, I got some amazing work out of him, then called it a day and cooled him out in the field across the street.  We both had a lot to process.

Once again, learning to ride properly proves to be another inside-leg-to-outside-rein epiphany, but this one is especially effective.