Trap Ache

I wasn't going to ride Connor again until my next lesson on T, but everyone left on Thursday for Richland Park so I didn't have a Thursday lesson, and I am not about to let an entire weekend go without riding!

First I tried in vain to get a new conformation photo, but the pony wasn't playing ball today.  Fail.

Only succeeded in making him look like a Dachshund with no butt.  Oh well.  Next time.

I swear he looks better than ever, he was just more interested in trying to untie himself so he could eat grass than in posing for photos.

"Hmmm...how does this knot work..."

I've had a lot of time to think about my ride with T, and one thought was "What hurt?" What muscles did I feel when things clicked with T that I haven't been using?  The answer is my left trap.  I immediately felt the ache of a neglected muscle firing when she told me to push my ribcage toward my elbow and T suddenly came on the bit.

Trapezius

So what happened there?  My left shoulder came back, the left side of my ribcage went forward and my trap hurt from the effort of both.  I think I've been completely giving the shoulder of my left arm to Connor...the outside rein when we're going toward the right...the one that I can't get him to fill to save my life...and the direction in which I have trouble getting him to bend lately.  All of the pieces fit.

I actually think I was asking for counterbend here, but you can see the offending shoulder.  No shoulder, no connection.

I focused on that and consistent connection, and all of Connor's usual tricks and evasions were failing.  Ha ha, gotcha, pony!  It was pretty easy to focus on it: Does my trap ache?  Then I'm doing it right.  He actually got more and more annoyed as we went on because nothing was working for him to get out of doing work.  We ended on a good note, though.

Connor says that treats and a cool bath to escape from the heat and humidity that finally arrived makes for ending on a good note.

I'm excited to explore this further, both on Connor and T.  The things I learn about my body from Dressage, I don't think  I could learn from anything else.